Buckley AFB relocation advice

[NU97]

My husband and I moved here a few years ago and started of in an apartment. We found that there were a lot of very good properties to choose from. Would you rather be closer to the city or in more of a suburban neighborhood? What amenities are important to you? When we first came we lived in a complex called The Breakers (near Alameda/Quebec). It's not far from Buckley (15 minutes) and it's a nice community. The apartments are a bit dated, but the amenities were great. Gated community, several pools, good recreation facilities, lake with walking path, and we had very nice neighbors in the complex. Shopping was close by in Lowry and Stapleton and the Aurora Mall aren't far. I know the Aurora Mall (now called the Town Center) gets kind of a bad rap,, but they've done a lot of renovations recently and it seems like an okay place to shop during the day. I'm not sure what the evening crowd is like. . . any how, enjoy your adventure!

[joelswife]

Hi all, I might be getting a job out at Buckley too this summer. I want to research before take the job. I have 2 school agers and 1 preschooler. I am Very concerned about their safety in the neighorhood, but especially at school. (I'd homeschool if I could). I only need a hospital and a wal-mart by me. Big cities can be within driving distance, but not too close. I want to live in an area with lots of kids for mine to play with and room to run outside. How is the weather there? I have so many questions!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by joelswife

Hi all, I might be getting a job out at Buckley too this summer. I want to research before take the job. I have 2 school agers and 1 preschooler. I am Very concerned about their safety in the neighorhood, but especially at school. (I'd homeschool if I could). I only need a hospital and a wal-mart by me. Big cities can be within driving distance, but not too close. I want to live in an area with lots of kids for mine to play with and room to run outside. How is the weather there? I have so many questions!

You have lots of options.


Here's how I'd approach it:

What line of work are you in? If you lost your job at BAFB, what is Plan B? Plan C?
Do you want to rent or buy?
House, apartment, townhouse, etc?
Rent budget or price range?
Can you flex your work hours (say, start at 630 or 700 and beat what little traffic there is in Denver)? This will increase the radius in miles the distance you can drive in the same amount of minutes.

[NAdams65]

There is a good possibility we will be relocating to Buckley AFB next summer. We are a family of four with elementary age children. My spouse is a Nurse Practitioner in the Air Force and I am an RN that works part-time and plays a stay-at-home-Dad role as my full-time gig. Base housing for my wife's pay grade is very scarce with a waiting list as well....that means we will probably be purchasing a home in the surrounding community.

I'm looking for feedback on good neighborhoods with really good schools. I've been told the Cherry Creek School District is good...is this true? My wife is not opposed to a reasonable commute to work if it means living in the "right" neighborhood. I think we would be looking at a budget of 250-300K for our home. What about Parker to the south of Aurora?

Other thoughts....I'm all ears.

Thanks in advance...

Nate

[2bindenver]

What, to you, defines a "good" school district?

[ColoWeb]

The whole 'avoid Aurora' statements are plain wrong. Someone said it once and then everyone repeats it. There are some places in Aurora that you may want to avoid (north Aurora) but there are plenty of places that are great. For out of 'state-ers', even North Aurora is nothing bad compared to many of the other 'big cities' that they came from. Yes, there is some crime happening in Aurora, just like there is Crime in Denver. Keep in mind Aurora is the 3rd largest city in Colorado with population of ~ 320,000.

To make our life easier I would definitely get a place not too far form where you work, so the Denver Downtown area for me would be out of the question. Getting in/out during rush hour is a mess.

If you really want to avoid aurora, I guess you can look at South Denver, which puts you in a 'not too bad' traffic. Do keep in mind that when it snows, commute times often can double since the speeds on the roads are substantially reduced.

[suzco]

Originally Posted by ColoWeb

The whole 'avoid Aurora' statements are plain wrong. Someone said it once and then everyone repeats it. There are some places in Aurora that you may want to avoid (north Aurora) but there are plenty of places that are great. . .

The latest U.S. News and World Report (9/28/09) has another of those "best places" articles. This one is about America's Best Affordable Places to Retire and Aurora is on the list.

Aurora, Colorado

Aurora may rub elbows with Denver, but it assuredly is not a suburb. Home to roughly 300,000, the city covers a whopping 154 square miles and includes nine colleges and universities, seven golf courses, and 10,000 acres of parks, trails, and open space within its city limits. Housing is reasonable, to boot: In 2008, the median home price was $138,000, roughly $40,000 less than in Denver. . .

[steveindenver]

My husband and I moved here a few years ago and started of in an apartment. We found that there were a lot of very good properties to choose from. Would you rather be closer to the city or in more of a suburban neighborhood? What amenities are important to you? When we first came we lived in a complex called The Breakers

That place is HUGE. There are plenty of nice apartments in that general area too and quite a few acerage properties tucked away in the same area.

[Amanda.Simmons]

I am 23 and was considering moving out to Denver, Co. I am currently in an internship program out here in Georgia where i am currently living. I wanted to know how the job market was for an Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations major? Or how is the job market in general?

I am also from the south where i was born and raised. I am curious about the weather conditons. Driving in the snow? How much does it snow? How cold does it get?

Any help would be great or recommendations on where a young woman should live? City or suburbs makes no difference.

[NAdams65]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

What, to you, defines a "good" school district?

Good question.....I guess that's hard to quantify. Our kids are currently in 1st/3rd grade.....they attend a public school here in Abilene that has an "exemplary" rating and is considered one of the best Elem schools in town. We, as parents, are very involved in the school scene....PTA...field trips...
student productions. We know all the teaches and most of the staff from the janitor to the principal.

While we have a very diverse student population, including deaf-education students and African refugees, the test scores remain high and the vibe of the school is very positive overall.

Does that help answer the question?