We are looking at moving to Castle Rock - Thoughts?

[perryg62]

keep in mind that this is an excellent time to rent. it may not be a bad idea to rent for a year to g et to know the area adn make sure you like it. craig's list has an adequate supply of rentals with a wide price range and i'm sure you can find something to fit your requirements. $500-750k homes are renting from 1,900-2,500 a month. you may also look into the foreclosure market as banks are cuurently accepting bids from .55 to .70 cents on the dollar and there are plenty of them. one piece of advice in any case is to make sure the foundations are well constructed. we do have some issues with bad foundations poured over "bentonite" (probably spelled wrong) which become unstable and crack over time

[formercalifornian]

Cost of living - realistically? My husband and I make, combined, over $200,000 but I have read that there are some areas in Denver metro when average household income is quite high. Will we be able to maintain a mostly comfortable lifestyle?

Even if you don't make quite that much after you move here, I think you'll find that you'd be able to live very comfortably in that salary range. Houses here in Castle Rock range from $200k up to well over a million, so I'm certain that you'll be able to find something that is more than sufficient.

[b.adams]

The old downtown area of Castle Rock is charming. The stores and government buildings are mainly off Wilcox and Perry streets. To the East of there, there are some nice fixer-uppers (a few victorians), but very few comparable homes if you ever sell it fixed up. Some day I could see that area being more valuable than it is currently. The area is tightly controlled by the town historical groups. I wouldn't say its the best for kids, but it wouldn't be horrible either. The main negative is that your about 1 or 2 blocks from the railroad tracks, fire station, police station and occasional traffic from parades ... and the neighborhod is generally smaller homes and less espensive homes ... probably some fixer uppers for sure. The trees in this area are very mature and nice ... and some of these homes are ~ 100 years old. You are within easy walking distance of the Library, Coffee Shop (Crowfoot Valley) and various restaurants and bars. RIght now its gorgeous, as they decorate early and this area is very festive and well decorate this time of year. And the Castle Rock has a large lighted star on top of it.

Also keep in mind the Castle Rock covers the not so obvious areas of Castle Pines North, Surrey Ridge, Happy Canyon, Castle Pines Village, Diamond Ridge, some homes off of Crowfoot Valley Rd and some larger acreages to the south (Keene Ranch, Bell Mountain), till almost Larkspur ... maybe till Tomah Rd on the S. Side.

I think your 200k include would be very sufficient around here. Yeah, there will be homes out of your price range, but probably 65-75% of the homes would be well within your means to afford. Currently, prices seem depressed and there are some pretty decent bargains to be had around CR.

Good Luck!

[formercalifornian]

Some day I could see that area being more valuable than it is currently.

Not until they re-route at least half of those trains. The train whistles in that area are very loud, long, and round the clock. I love those old houses, but the train makes them less desirable than they'd be if they were elsewhere.

B...I agree with you about that there are more kid-friendly areas.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

First of all, the Denver Basin acquifer is in trouble. That has been well-publicized. Depletion estimates by some experts are for depletion as soon as 25 years off. 40 years ago the experts thought it had a 400 year supply. So much for that. If Castle Rock thinks their water souirce is so "safe," then why are they sniffing around to get into another Western Slope water grab? (And they are.)

The Colorado River Basin is a major source for Front Range water, including a lot of municipal use. There are major diversions from the Colorado River itself, and major tributaries including the Blue River, Frying Pan, Fraser, etc. Not to mention the thousands and thousands of acres of irrigated farmland and ranchland in the South Platte and Arkansas drainages on the Eastern Slope that have been dried up so Front Range suburbanites can water the @#$%^!!! Kentucky bluegrass lawns (yes, I've posted that a few times before--maybe someday the insanity of that kind of water use will sink in). Front Range suburbia is an obnoxious water pig, and there is no two ways about that.

I grew up fairly near Douglas County. I watched it turn from one of nicest areas of Colorado into an inceasingly suburbanized mess. It still has some nice areas (albeit darned expensive), but I thlink it faces an ugly future--either it gets more water and grows into another Orange County look-alike, or it doesn't and those $500K+ trophy house homeowners scattered over the countryside have to haul their water. As I've said before, you just gotta love "progress."

Castle Rock and water are in the news today, gist of the story is that water is getting more expensive for Castle Rock:
- http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_7816049

s/Mike

[livecontent]

Angelica,

I would want to point out that the Regional Transportation District (RTD) does not include Castle Rock. Castle Rock withdrew from the district, a few years, ago. That is why the light rail ends in Lone Tree and will not extend to Castle Rock.

This was not a good decision because they will never have a commuter rail station in their city.

Yes, Castle Rock Transit is free but it is limited. With RTD you can go over a larger area and for your husband it will be free. RTD runs Access a Ride, a federal subsidized paratransit service. To be qualified, you have to be totally disabled. You will pay for the Access a Ride, double the transit rates. However, if a disabled person uses any RTD bus or train--the fare is free. That is because sometimes, the disabled feel better, some condition change from day to day, and they can get on the bus or it is a simple destination and this frees up the disabled buses.

Your husband is blind which means under social security he is disabled and would qualify for this paratransit service.

I am disabled, under social security, and I use this service, so I do know what I am talking about.

On important issue to keep in mind. "trip must have a starting and ending point within 3/4 mile of an RTD non-commuter fixed route." So if you are looking for a house in the RTD district, make sure you are within 3/4 miles of a route.

Look at the RTD website for infomation http://www.rtd-denver.com/. Access a Ride is under Special Rides. It also funds partly taxi services, if a ride is not available. You can also ride free as an attendant.

Livecontent