Boulder area: Superior, Louisville, Lafayette or Erie? (Denver, Westminster: insurance, low crime)

[Abel34]

I am planning to relocate from the Jacksonville, FL area to the Denver area within the next 6-12 months (hopefully). Working in Longmont and interested in residing in the Boulder Valley area somewhere between Superior extending east to Erie. My fiancee will more than likely be working in Denver or possibly these northern suburbs within the next few years so this seems to be an ideal location for both of us. Things we are looking for: An area with a strong sense of community (friendly people, comm. center, family events, etc), good schools (kids 1 & 6), affordable housing (we are in the $400k-$450k range), short commutes (work, shopping, mountains, trails, etc) and low crime rate. In our lone trip to Denver, we really like the Superior/ Louisville area but are interested in Lafayette and Erie as well. My question is what are the Pro/ Con's of residing in the Superior/ Louisville area over the Erie area? In doing my housing research it seems that you get a little more bang for your buck in Erie but I was wondering what the drawbacks are? Any info would be helpful, thanks.

[mic111]

Drawback to Erie includes fracking near the elementary schools.
Fracking operation in Erie begins near two elementary schools, wakes up neighborhood | The Colorado Independent

Drawback to Superior includes being near Rocky Flats.
Study: Rocky Flats area still as contaminated with plutonium as 40 years ago - Boulder Daily Camera

Louisville is a good choice.

Lafayette is also a good choice as they are addressing their water availability problem.
http://www.dailycamera.com/lafayette...e-water-supply

You might want to also consider Broomfield and northern Westminster.

[Abel34]

Thanks for the links mic111 and I will definitely take a look at those areas.

[OhioToCO]

Boulder County Commissioners just approved the lifting of the fracking moratorium in Boulder County after June 10th. So, fracking around Lafayette is certainly a possibility. East Boulder County United | Stopping fracking in Boulder County and beyond through grassroots political organizing

[Sobe Itsavized]

Commute and traffic are what I base my housing decisions on but that's because I don't have children. Did you get a feel for the traffic at different times of the days when you traveled out here? US-36 jams up at different parts during the regular rush hours of 7-10AM MDT and 3-6PM MDT. US-287, Arapahoe Road, Baseline Road, South Boulder Road also see a lot of traffic at similar times.

In the morning Boulder sees a lot of incoming traffic and vice versa in the afternoon. US-287 has a lot of traffic both ways. Anyone who commutes from the Boulder county area (which includes Lafayette, Superior, Louisville, and parts of Erie) to Denver will see incoming traffic either way.

As far as community goes, I'd have to say Superior, Louisville, and Erie win over Lafayette. At least as far as community get together and whatnot like fairs. Where you find a house will change your minor commutes to the market and whatnot so I can't comment very well without a general neighborhood to start from. Louisville and Superior have a lot more to offer than Lafayette in my opinion. Although Erie is just a bit more lacking when it comes to malls, supermarkets, department stores, etc.

[Abel34]

Thanks for the insight sobe. My schedule is shiftwork based, so I tend to miss peak traffic because my work commute is primarily between 1230-130 for afternoon shifts and 530-630 for morning shifts. I currently drive 45 miles (50-55 min) now without hitting much traffic and don't want a commute over 30 mins. The traffic you described, does that include north towards Longmont as well? As far as neighborhoods, we are interested in Rock Creek (Superior), Vista Ridge (Erie), still researching Louisville and Anthem (Broomefield). I kind of got the same vibe from Lafayette so we're unsure about that location. Any other recommendations would be welcome, thanks again.

[delta07]

Is there a reason you're not considering Longmont itself? From what I gather, it's a pretty nice community.

[Abel34]

We were hoping for someplace between Denver and Longmont because of the idea of short commutes to Denver for entertainment, sporting events, etc with the thought that Denver would more than likely be where my fiancée will work. In short, we were thinking of a halfway point. For whatever reason we have not thought of living in Longmont even though I'll be working there lol. I will definitely research the area and way our options, thanks for the recommendation.

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

What part of Longmont will you be working in?

I'd be very careful with Rock Creek. Both people I know who live there have had major foundation issues.

[Abel34]

Jkcoop, I will be working off of 17th Ave just west of N 107th, not sure what that area is called honestly. Thanks for the information on the foundation issues, we are also skeptical of the Rocky Flats situation and possible nuclear waste situation that mic111 pointed out.