CO with young kids (3&7) absolute best place for them? (Denver: school district, university) - Colorado - City-Data Forum

yortyort2001 · 08-01-2011, 12:27 AM

I have been away from the USA for a long time. Originally from Michigan, lived in AZ, and have been to Colorado many times. Currently I live in Tokyo with my wife and two young children ages 3 and 6. I really want to move back to the USA with my family. My two main criteria for choosing where to live are 1) schools and 2) quality of life. I will worry about the financial angle at a later date. "Schools", I think is straight forward. I simply want the best possible schools for my children. "Quality of life" to me means a place that is healthy, active, beautiful, peaceful, and makes you happy to be there every day. If you could choose a place anywhere in Colorado (without financial considerations) could you tell me where and why please? Also, if you have exceptional suggestions for other places in the good old USA please pass those on as well. Thank you VERY much for your help.

CAVA1990 · 08-01-2011, 03:46 AM

The "best" (or at least the schools with the highest scoring students) are found in the affluent suburbs of major metro areas. I'm sure someone on here or on the Denver forum can tell you where those are around Denver. Other areas I can think of offhand that could fit both your criteria would be Orange County, CA (Irvine, Mission Viejo, or Laguna Niguel) or the Northern VA suburbs near DC (Fairfax or Arlington Counties).

yortyort2001 · 08-01-2011, 05:57 AM

Thank you for your input, it is much appreciated. I will do some research on those areas.

ktljjt · 08-01-2011, 06:34 AM

I am very curious with this thread. I hope you get more responses!! We are moving from our current area. Where to is the question!!! I love Eastern PA, above Philly, I like Asheville NC, I have never been but would probably love Colorado.... So many places to go, where is the "best". I guess everyone will find their best place someday!

Mike from back east · 08-01-2011, 11:16 AM

We have excellent schools in most of Colorado's "Front Range" area, aka the I-25 corridor, from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.

Money being no object, you want Boulder or Evergreen as they fit your criteria for "healthy, active, beautiful, peaceful, and makes you happy to be there..."

Boulder has a lot of things to do, lots of good jobs (maybe not a lot of VACANCIES though), entertainment, culture, fine schools (Boulder Valley School District), and relatively quick access to Denver and all of its offerings.

If you can afford Tokyo, I'll assume you can afford Boulder. You can see for yourself on realtor.com or other such sites.

KaaBoom · 08-01-2011, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yortyort2001

I have been away from the USA for a long time. Originally from Michigan, lived in AZ, and have been to Colorado many times. Currently I live in Tokyo with my wife and two young children ages 3 and 6. I really want to move back to the USA with my family. My two main criteria for choosing where to live are 1) schools and 2) quality of life. I will worry about the financial angle at a later date. "Schools", I think is straight forward. I simply want the best possible schools for my children. "Quality of life" to me means a place that is healthy, active, beautiful, peaceful, and makes you happy to be there every day. If you could choose a place anywhere in Colorado (without financial considerations) could you tell me where and why please? Also, if you have exceptional suggestions for other places in the good old USA please pass those on as well. Thank you VERY much for your help.

Just a thought but since you have been in Japan for a long time, I'd guess you would probably want to be near a Japanese-American community. Which would be centered in Denver. For example to be able to get Japanese food and stuff.

yortyort2001 · 08-03-2011, 06:30 PM

Evergreen has been coming up often.

Kaaboom: the japanese community is a good thought, as my wife is japanese, so sounds like Denver would be the main area for that.

What about Lakewood? Looks situated between Denver and the mountains. Convenient for the outdoors?

vegaspilgrim · 08-03-2011, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

Just a thought but since you have been in Japan for a long time, I'd guess you would probably want to be near a Japanese-American community. Which would be centered in Denver. For example to be able to get Japanese food and stuff.

Not many Japanese people in Denver to speak of (though there is a fairly substantial Korean community in Aurora). If that is one of the OP's top concerns I would suggest he look at either southern California or the Silicon Valley area.

yortyort2001 · 08-03-2011, 08:52 PM

Leaving Tokyo to get away from the Japanese. Not moving to Denver to be near them........

. Just joking, proximity to a Japanese population is pretty low on the priority list.

80skeys · 08-04-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yortyort2001

I have been away from the USA for a long time. Originally from Michigan, lived in AZ, and have been to Colorado many times. Currently I live in Tokyo with my wife and two young children ages 3 and 6. I really want to move back to the USA with my family. My two main criteria for choosing where to live are 1) schools and 2) quality of life. I will worry about the financial angle at a later date. "Schools", I think is straight forward. I simply want the best possible schools for my children.

Probably 50% of the posts on city-data are people looking for "good" schools for their kids. I don't understand this. Admittedly I don't have kids, but I went to a less-than-great public school when i was growing up, and I ended up being well educated.

I know this is somewhat off thread, but what is the deal with "good" schools" Are people who post this stuff looking for a quality education (this can be obtained in almost any school) or is it actually a euphemism for a "safe", insulated, suburbia for your kids?

Education is mostly what the student and their parents make of it. Doesn't matter whether your kid is attending public university in the Bronx or some elite high school. Your kid is going to end up learning the same stuff.

The only argument I can see for "elite" schools is that they put you in contact with affluent people who can be useful to know during the career stages later in life.