Highlands Ranch, Littleton walkable? Sidewalks? Local stuff or sprawl?

[hammertime33]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

Exactly. Parker has accessible light rail. Lakewood and other western burbs do not. And while it is a small drive(or bike ride), they can't take rail to your door either. Still beats not having it nearby at all.

We have a very different definition of accessible. Unless it's a 15 min or less walk from where I live, I don't consider it accessible.

[suzco]

It might be a strawman here, but the fact that Parker has a couple of block charming "downtown" does not mean that Parker is a walkable place to live.

Parker is one of the least walkable places I know of, if you're talking about being able to walk for everyday necessities.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

Exactly. Parker has accessible light rail. Lakewood and other western burbs mentioned do not. And while it is a small drive(or bike ride), they can't take rail to your door either. Still beats not having it nearby at all.

Lakewood and Golden will have light rail in a little more than 2 years (May 2013).

To the original poster: Highlands Ranch and Littleton are suburbs. Two of Metro Denver's nicest suburbs if you ask me, but they are suburbs nonetheless. That means "chain stores" and "sprawl" -- although not exclusively so. It also means consistently good schools and relative lack of crime. It is what it is -- I think there's such a thing as "suburbs done right" and HR and Littleton fit in that category. But it's not fair to them to judge them by the standards of urbanity because that's just not what they are.

As for sidewalks -- all suburbs in Metro Denver have sidewalks from what I can tell -- I'm surprised when I travel to other parts of the country and find this isn't so. Most suburbs in Metro Denver has extensive bike trails and hiking trails too -- Highlands Ranch particularly so.

You can find "walkable" and "urban" in the core cities of Denver and Boulder. Both are going to cost you. (There are dozens of Denver neighborhoods -- the merits of which are discussed at length in other threads). In Denver (but not in Boulder) you are going to have to wrestle with the schools issue -- many are good, but the majority are not. (Of course, you may not care if you don't have kids or favor private schools). Fortunately, the average person can live in the city of Denver but you may have to compromise on what kind of house you want (i.e., townhouse or condo versus single family, or smaller single family versus a big one.)

Some people often ask if there are pockets of "urban" development in suburban parts of Metro Denver. There are a few. First, there is Boulder, which is more of a core city than a suburb. Also, there are some suburbs which have some walkable and urban characteristics. Parts of Golden might be an example, but it is expensive. "Old" Englewood is another example -- it is a "suburb" but virtually identical to adjacent parts of south Denver -- it actually isn't all that expensive. As others have mentioned, there are small parts of Arvada or Littleton that might fit the bill. Some old suburbs like Edgewater or Wheat Ridge are right on the border with gentrifying northwest Denver neighborhoods, might be a possibility.

[Katarina Witt]

Louisville is another walkable/bikeable suburb, though far enough from Denver (~25 miles) that it doesn't appeal to everyone. It's better for people working in Boulder/Broomfield/other northern suburbs. Depending on where you live in Louisville, you can bike to Kohl's for your clothing needs, a grocery store, the library, coffee shops, etc. It has lots of parks and bike trails.

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by farans

Man, what would I do without City-Data?

Come here, walk around and talk to people in person?

[mundele]

farans, where are you coming from in chicago? can you describe in terms of areas in and around chicago what you're after?

[Mid America Mom]

farans,

My family is in the process of moving to denver from the chicago burbs. Two years prior we lived in downtown Toronto in a highly walkable neighborhood and loved it.

Despite the suggestions to look in the South and south east burbs we found that we could not find a walkable area. It was hard to find in Denver.

BUT - we found as livecontent indicated ((and after months of searching and reading this forum, looking at neighborhood profiles on various sites, the CTA/metra equivalent (the RTD), school sites, walkscore site (HIGHLY recommended), google streetview maps, and a 5 day whirlwind stay)), the westside of Denver is about as close as it comes.

We concentrated in West Highlands, Berkeley, Sloan Lake, Sunnyside, Jefferson Park, and the Highlands. Main roads like 38th, federal, 44th, tenneyson, sheridan have retail. Little use of one way streets. There is access to bus of 30 or less to downtown, about 45 without traffic to the airport, and the neighborhoods are not full of one style or age of home. People walk their dogs or take kids out in the stroller. There is a very active Moms group, in the hundreds of members if not more, that covers that area - called Highland Mommies. Here some do send their kids to public school and there are plenty of other options.

Homes are smaller and more expensive per sq foot than most of the burbs. Most have alley so the sidewalks are clear of cars and they have front porches. Bungalows here are NOT the chicago style - many are smaller with one floor with a basement and not all brick. Style maybe mission, tudor, california.

We will be closing on a home next month in that area and looking forward to city life again.

If you are looking for a more urban but newer area that is family focused, that is a bit less walkable, I would direct you to Stapleton.

Wish you the best of luck! GO CUBS.

Mid America Mom

[zenkonami]

Originally Posted by Mid America Mom

Wish you the best of luck! GO ROCKIES.

There. Fixed that for ya

[coloradomeddie]

Douglas County Schools are facing an enormous financial crisis. Larger class sizes, cuts in lots of programs. Teachers are being laid off and haven't had a raise in 3 years. Moral is low.

There is a proposed bond election for this fall, but the schools won't rebound for several years.

May I suggest Centennial? Especially Littleton Public Schools. There is really not much "walkable shopping" here - but there are trails and open space everywhere. The walks are prettier and more "tree lined" than Highlands Ranch. HR is Kiddie-Central, but when I lived there I found that everything was a half hour drive.

Look at subdivisions like FoxRidge, Homestead, Homestead Farms Heritage Greens and The Highlands. The Zip should be something like 80121 or 80122. Also look around the Streets of Southglen - great Whole Foods and shopping and eating. Love the vibe there.

If you are looking for a master planned community with overcrowded rec centers and lots of trails (lined with house after house and no trees), with more affordable housing and good/decent schools, then yes, HR is for you. There is a lot for sale - it is a transient (people move alot) place.

If you are looking for more character - look in Centennial (West of the 1-25 corridor), North of County Line Road and South of Orchard. If you have good money for housing (600K or up) look in Greenwood Village.

I really don't suggest HR - it wasn't for me. But there are tons of kids and safe neighborhoods.

HR schools to consider are Stone Mountain and Red Stone. Saddle Ranch is excellent too.

If you shop HR - look into "Westridge". It it the prettiest.

Good luck