Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are a couple in our mid 30s moving to Denver from Ft Worth Texas, as my husband took a job as a pilot. Looking for any advice for area to live in that may include a easy commute to airport and family oriented that is affordable. Coming from Texas we haven't seen real estate prices ever as high as we are seeing in Denver. We are expecting a child in August and planning to move after he is born. We don't mind being in the outskirts but don't want to be too far from the grocery store and parks etc. any advice would be appreciated
Thanks in advance
Prices are higher but don't forget that often, property taxes are lower. Texas doesn't have a state income tax so they tend to tax RE more than in CO. Welcome.
If your husband is working as a pilot, more than likely he will be getting a free or subsidized pass on the public transit system, RTD. RTD So, that makes it easy as you can live in many places and catch the transit to the airport. At present the transit is now buses but in 2016, a new heavy rail line will run directly to the airport.
Even if he decides to drive, it is nice to have public transit as a backup. Find a place that you can easily use RTD. Explore the system. The buses are called skyride RTD
The new rail system is called the east rail line under the fastracks project http://www.rtd-denver.com/EastRailLine.shtml The rail line runs from downtown Union Station and that serves as the center of the system as the rail and many buses go to Union Station for a transfer or you can live near a station on this line.
For example you can easily live down the 225 corridor in Aurora and catch that new I-225 light rail line and transfer to the east rail line at the Peoria Station.
Some people who work at the airport live at the large urban development at the old airport, called Stapelton and there will be a rail station at that site.
With this knowledge, you can find many more places to live that are within your budget. You do not necessarily have to live very close to the airport--you could live farther away with the fast rail transit.
Just to note: The Denver area has extensive parks, trails and open space in the City and in the suburbs.
You will like it here. I moved here from DFW almost 36 years ago and worked in the then new DFW airport. I lived in Euless.
Livecontent
Last edited by livecontent; 04-18-2014 at 09:38 PM..
"Affordable" means different things to different people. You get to decide if you want urban, suburban or rural living.
There's Reunion close by the airport. I know pilots that live in Tallyn's Reach, Saddle Rock, Stapleton, Conservatory and a half dozen other neighborhoods.
DIA is pretty much in the middle of nowhere practically in Kansas. It would be a commute no matter where you live. Erie, Frederick, Broomfield, Louisville all have pretty good access via the turnpike. They are all pretty good family places. I would stay away from Aurora. Anytime anything bad happens, its usually in Aurora. 225 is a bit of a mess almost all the time. Being a pilot though his schedule will not be 9-5 and could probably live about anywhere. I travel about 30-40% of the time and I would not want to take 225 on a regular basis.
DIA is pretty much in the middle of nowhere practically in Kansas. It would be a commute no matter where you live. Erie, Frederick, Broomfield, Louisville all have pretty good access via the turnpike. They are all pretty good family places. I would stay away from Aurora. Anytime anything bad happens, its usually in Aurora. 225 is a bit of a mess almost all the time. Being a pilot though his schedule will not be 9-5 and could probably live about anywhere. I travel about 30-40% of the time and I would not want to take 225 on a regular basis.
I agree that 225 is heavily traveled that is why we are extending the light rail up this corridor to meet the new heavy east rail line near the Anschutz Medical Campus. This should reduce the traffic with work commuters to many locations, especially the airport, the medical campus and the DTC.
I think it is not correct to make blanket statements that makes all Aurora look bad and it is ridiculous to state that "Anytime anything bad happens, its usually in Aurora". Many parts of Aurora are very nice. A pilot could live farther east beyond the old central core or south or southeast and find great neighborhoods to live.
The reason I emphasized public transit is that, as you very well know, Pena Blvd. to our remote airport is very problematic in bad weather. Adding in the other highways that you need to take to get to that access, then the travel is more difficult.
Sometimes these roads are closed in bad weather but do not assume that if the roads are closed, the airport is closed. You cannot always make the assumptions that the planes do not fly then the airport workers and flight crews need not show.
With the heavy rail going to the airport it will be more reliable and safer transportation in bad weather. Even if you will drive most of the time, it does make sense to have that supplemental transit and consider it in choosing a place to live. Also, since many who work at the airport get free or subsidized transit then why not take advantage of that amenity and save some money.
Livecontent
Last edited by livecontent; 04-19-2014 at 09:51 AM..
I agree that 225 is heavily traveled that is why we are extending the light rail up this corridor to meet the new heavy east rail line near the Anschutz Medical Campus. This should reduce the traffic with work commuters to many locations, especially the airport, the medical campus and the DTC.
I think it is not correct to make blanket statements that makes all Aurora look bad and it is ridiculous to state that "Anytime anything bad happens, its usually in Aurora". Many parts of Aurora are very nice. A pilot could live farther east beyond the old central core or south or southeast and find great neighborhoods to live.
The reason I emphasized public transit is that, as you very well know, Pena Blvd. to our remote airport is very problematic in bad weather. Adding in the other highways that you need to take to get to that access, then the travel is more difficult.
Sometimes these roads are closed in bad weather but do not assume that if the roads are closed, the airport is closed. You cannot always make the assumptions that the planes do not fly then the airport workers and flight crews need not show.
With the heavy rail going to the airport it will be more reliable and safer transportation in bad weather. Even if you will drive most of the time, it does make sense to have that supplemental transit and consider it in choosing a place to live. Also, since many who work at the airport get free or subsidized transit then why not take advantage of that amenity and save some money.
Livecontent
9 times out of 10 something bad on the news its most likely in Aurora or downtown somewhere.
I travel to the airport all the time and the rail would do nothing for me. I could drive out of my way to Denver or Golden and work my way to a station, but its just not convenient for the majority of people traveling to the airport. I can avoid Pena by the turnpike which is barely used and I can do 85mph all day. Its just not worth the extra time for me to take rail to the airport. When the line from DIA opens to downtown I will be curious as to how much use it gets. Business travelers like myself wont go out of our way to park downtown. Families, doubt it, tourists coming into CO mostly skip Denver all together and head to the MTNS.
9 times out of 10 something bad on the news its most likely in Aurora or downtown somewhere.
I travel to the airport all the time and the rail would do nothing for me. I could drive out of my way to Denver or Golden and work my way to a station, but its just not convenient for the majority of people traveling to the airport. I can avoid Pena by the turnpike which is barely used and I can do 85mph all day. Its just not worth the extra time for me to take rail to the airport. When the line from DIA opens to downtown I will be curious as to how much use it gets. Business travelers like myself wont go out of our way to park downtown. Families, doubt it, tourists coming into CO mostly skip Denver all together and head to the MTNS.
9 out of 10 bad news does not happen in Aurora. How come you do not know that?
Many who go to the airport, travelers and employees, use the public transit skyride buses so therefore the rail to the airport will also be used. The meetings and the discussions groups are attended by people who are very excited with anticipation of using rail to the airport. How come you do not know that?
You do not have to go to downtown to park and use the rail to the airport. You can park at any of the Park-n-Rides and take that rail or bus transit to downtown to connect with the airport rail or take a feeder bus or call-n-ride from your home to these rail stations for transit to downtown. How come you do not know that?
You do not necessarily even have to go downtown as the rail to the airport will have its own stations beyond downtown where you can catch the rail. park at these stations or connect to those stations by feeders buses, call-n-rides or other rail connections. How come you do not know that?
You say tourists Skip Denver, all together, yea, sure, Bull! Many tourist spend much time viewing sites in Denver and the surrounding area before going to the mountains and many do not go to the mountains at all. Where are all the sport stadiums, are they in the mountains? Downtown Denver is also the site for a big convention business where these thousands would see sites in Denver. How come you do not know that?
All airports around the world and in this country have public transit to their airports and many have rail to the airports which are used. As a big shot business traveler, how come you do not know that?
You really do not know much, do you? So, why do you comment on ideas and situations that you lack knowledge. Basically you really do not know the Denver area at all or the world your purport to travel. You only know what you can see from your car, blindly speeding down the highway.
Livecontent
Last edited by Mike from back east; 04-19-2014 at 04:03 PM..
9 out of 10 bad news does not happen in Aurora. How come you do not know that?
Many who go to the airport, travelers and employees, use the public transit skyride buses so therefore the rail to the airport will also be used. The meetings and the discussions groups are attended by people who are very excited with anticipation of using rail to the airport. How come you do not know that?
You do not have to go to downtown to park and use the rail to the airport. You can park at any of the Park-n-Rides and take that rail or bus transit to downtown to connect with the airport rail or take a feeder bus or call-n-ride from your home to these rail stations for transit to downtown. How come you do not know that?
You do not necessarily even have to go downtown as the rail to the airport will have its own stations beyond downtown where you can catch the rail. park at these stations or connect to those stations by feeders buses, call-n-rides or other rail connections. How come you do not know that?
You say tourists Skip Denver, all together, yea, sure, Bull! Many tourist spend much time viewing sites in Denver and the surrounding area before going to the mountains and many do not go to the mountains at all. Where are all the sport stadiums, are they in the mountains? Downtown Denver is also the site for a big convention business where these thousands would see sites in Denver. How come you do not know that?
All airports around the world and in this country have public transit to their airports and many have rail to the airports which are used. As a big shot business traveler, how come you do not know that?
You really do not know much, do you? So, why do you comment on ideas and situations that you lack knowledge. Basically you really do not know the Denver area at all or the world your purport to travel. You only know what you can see from your car, blindly speeding down the highway.
Livecontent
But yeah by and large Aurora is the armpit of the Denver metro.
So by the time I drive to a bus stop, ride that, wait for the train, arrive, I will be half way to wherever I am going that day. I know the world would be a much better place if we all just used public transit and Euro is such a great model, but most people fail to remember that their public transit is heavily subsidized and most of those euro goodies are bankrupting most of the nations over there, but yeah its a great model lets make the US more like them!
Denver by itself does not offer much more than most other major cities. The stadiums in the MTNS are Vail, Breck, Aspen, etc...I guarantee most ppl here on vaca come to see mountains not the 16th mall or LODO. Sure there's business conventions here, I go to 1 annually here but mostly its not that different than most major metros.
And if so many airport employees took a bus, why is the employee lot always full? I know tons of airline pilots. Unless they are based in JFK or LaGuardia, or Logan, I don't know 1 that takes public transit.
Last edited by Mike from back east; 04-19-2014 at 04:03 PM..
Sometimes these roads are closed in bad weather but do not assume that if the roads are closed, the airport is closed. You cannot always make the assumptions that the planes do not fly then the airport workers and flight crews need not show.
Since October 2007, either my wife or myself has driven to the airport, at least once a day (if not more). Aside from a couple of vacations (in the summer) during that time, this is pretty much a 365/day year deal between the both of us, and not once has either of us not made it to the airport because of weather. (We manage a delivery business, with 99% of everything we do beginning or terminating at DIA).
Pena is kept in pristine condition during snowstorms. I-70/I-225/I-25 can be complete 6-inch deep slushy messes, and Pena will be completely snow free (the airport has its own crew that keeps Pena clear). There are thousands of people that work at DIA, as it is a hub for United, and Southwest has a huge presence as well.
There have been times *Centennial Airport* has closed due to visibility and ILS problems, and we've had flights divert to DIA. This happens on average 1-2 times per winter (0 times this winter).
My point is, over just about the last 7 years DIA hasn't been inaccessible.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
