Possibly moving from Atlanta to Denver with family..need help on where to live (Lakewood: low crime, month to)

[2bindenver]

I'd suggest Lakewood, Littleton to start. Who knows what prices or interest rates will be in a year...

Light Rail may be an option.

[thealansanders]

Lakewood and Littleton don't match many of the requirements, especially the commute.

[2bindenver]

I disagree.

If they do not want to be in the city, then the inner ring suburbs are their only option. It's easier to get to the "central business district" from the west, southwest or south. Coming from the north or east is generally asking for trouble.

[cmd001]

We don't mind being in the city...but we still want to be able to take advantage of the outdoors, which is why we want to move there in the first place. We're hoping to find a happy medium...We used to live in Duluth in ATL metro and my husbands drive was over an hour into Midtown/Peachtree St. so we moved to Decatur to help cut down on the commute. It now takes him about 30 min to go 8 miles, but it's all surface streets. The most important thing is the schools. I am a teacher, but am staying at home with our baby for now, and want to send him to catholic schools, if possible when the time comes. But if we can't I would like to have the option of excellent public schools too. I have had a hard time finding them in my research online for Lakewood. Any suggestions as to where we should rent so that we could really have a chance to get to know any/all of these areas before buying?

[2bindenver]

Green Mountain area, anywhere from 36 to Hampden.

"excellent" schools is subjective.

[maciesmom]

Depending on your meaning, you can "enjoy the outdoors" pretty much anywhere here...we don't limit that to certain parts of the city...

[cmd001]

I use greatschools.net to find out the info. on the schools. They have a fair rating on schools, in my opinion. All of the 3 schools I have taught at have been rated accurately on that website. Also, by outdoors I mean close to parks, trails, views of the mountains, a walking type of community.

[davidv]

Here is some help on the Catholic School front. These schools are all on the west, southwest, and south side of town. I agree with 2b about the commute from these areas. You can google any of these schools to find them:
Arvada/Wheat Ridge: St. Anne, Sts. Peter and Paul
Lakewood: St Bernadette, Our Lady of Fatima, Notre Dame (Lakewood/Denver border)
Englewood/Littleton: St. Louis, All Souls, St Mary
Centennial: St. Thomas More

These would be inside your 30 minute commute zone (though St. TM is pushing it). Light Rail currently serves the areas near many of these schools (ND, St L, St M, A.S. St. TM), and will serve the areas near the rest of the schools in the near future as the West and Gold Lines are finished.

"Excellent" public schools are not generally found in Denver Public School Dist. or Englewood Public Schools, especially in your price range. You can find very good/excellent public schools in Jefferson County, Littleton, and Centennial in your price range.

[cmd001]

Thanks davidv, that is very helpful...it seems like Littleton might be a good area for us. Are Littleton and Centennial in the Denver Public School district?

[2bindenver]

No, Littleton the city, has its own school district and Centennial is a part of the Cherry Creek System. The city and county of Denver are in the Denver school district, Jefferson County covers, well JeffCo, including unincorporated Littleton.