Highlands Ranch vs Castle Rock vs Ken Caryl vs Golden (Denver: cul-de-sac, middle-class)

[gumbi]

Hi,

We are moving to CO from SoFla. I'm from CO but lived there a long time ago.

We can't decide between the abovementioned neighborhoods. The following is a list of factors we consider important in order of priority.

Safety
Nice neighbors
Good Schools
Commute to downtown Denver
Lot size .25 or bigger

We plan or purchasing a 4 or 5 br home for $500k or less.

Thanks for your help.

G

[dj32]

Castle Rock and Ken Caryl would be the longest commutes. Both can be brutal with I-25 and C470.
With Highlands Ranch you could likely take light rail into downtown
Golden would not be bad at all- probably 20 min
Golden likely has the most character
all are safe
not sure about lot sizes but most lots in denver are .25 or less, including the close in suburbs

[2bindenver]

Originally Posted by gumbi

Hi,

We are moving to CO from SoFla. I'm from CO but lived there a long time ago.

We can't decide between the abovementioned neighborhoods. The following is a list of factors we consider important in order of priority.

Safety All
Nice neighbors All
Good Schools All. Douglas County serves HR & CR and Jeffco serves KC & Golden
Commute to downtown Denver Golden, followed by HR & KS then CR (esp. if you can do Light Rail.)
Lot size .25 or bigger

I think that will run you more than $500,000.

[sukel]

Hi,

I live in Castle Rock. I-25 is very accessible from many residential areas (2 miles from my home). You could either take the FREX bus into Denver right here from the Outlet Mall or drive up to Lincoln/I-25 area (10-15 minutes if you are near the freeway) and catch the light rail from there. It is very safe here and the schools are rated highly. There is a "small town" feel even though the population is expanding quickly. Our neighbors are friendly. There is a lot of new construction, so that could affect traffic in the future.

Lots over .25 aren't as common as smaller lots but they definitely can be had in the $300-$400k range. A couple of houses right here on my cul-de-sac sold in that range recently and the houses are only a few years old. They were originally 3 bedroom homes but have finished basements (so are about 2800-2900 sq ft finished now). Our house is a 4 bedroom with a main floor study that could be a bedroom, and would probably sell in the low $300s right now (2200 sq ft with an unfinished basement) and was built in late 2004. Takes some looking though, the larger lots are definitely the minority in my subdivision. We have about .16 acre but it feels bigger because we back to dedicated open space and I think the developers here do a pretty good job of keeping open space in the neighborhoods.

Good luck.

[mover6]

Castle Rock has larger lot sizes and Highlands Ranch might have easier commutes.

[BenWolfe]

The .25 acre will essentially eliminate Highlands ranch and many of the tract home communities in the other areas. You can find numerous homes in Castle Rock under $500k that are on 1/4 to 1 acre. 80 homes on more than 1/4 acre and priced under $500k are currently on the market in Castle Rock.

[2bindenver]

There are quarter acre and better lots in HR. Look at corners or cul de sac lots or lots that back to open space.

Personally, I think that watering/mowing/weeding grass is overrated. Give me a walking trail, or give me death

[Nirvana-Guy]

Originally Posted by gumbi

Hi,

We are moving to CO from SoFla. I'm from CO but lived there a long time ago.

We can't decide between the abovementioned neighborhoods. The following is a list of factors we consider important in order of priority.

Safety
Nice neighbors
Good Schools
Commute to downtown Denver
Lot size .25 or bigger

We plan or purchasing a 4 or 5 br home for $500k or less.

Thanks for your help.

G

I am from Central Florida and after many years of FL BS, I got out and moved back to Colorado. Let me say go for either Littleton, Castle Rock, or Highlands Ranch. Golden is nice, but a ton of older construction. As for anywhere in Boulder County.... let me say this: it sucks. The taxes (property, sales, and car registration) are EXTREMELY HIGH. I know a lot of folks in Erie and in Boulder itself and they are having a hard time selling their homes, because taxes are so high and they have to put up with so many crazy "environmental policies" (that od NOTHING for the environement other than create financial hardship on homeowners) that they cannot sell.

Also lots of unfriendly folks in Boulder County, priamrily in the city of Boulder. The smaller towns like Mead or Longmont, but they are offshadowed by the rude ones in the city of Boulder itself. Oh and Denver (the city and county) are also pretty bad. Aurora and Glendale are no longer these chilled out middle-class areas. They are inner-city ghettos filled with Grafitti, drugs, and gangs. As for Commerce City, do NOT leta ny realtor talk you into moving there. It has a horrible rep and resale value, despite all the new construction there.

Again here are my top 3 choices: Littleton, Castle Rock, or Highlands Ranch.

They meet or exceed the criteria you specified!

Welcome back. I am happy when I meet Floridians who "escaped" the chaos that is South and Central Florida!

[sukel]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

There are quarter acre and better lots in HR. Look at corners or cul de sac lots or lots that back to open space.

Personally, I think that watering/mowing/weeding grass is overrated. Give me a walking trail, or give me death

I agree with you about the grass. Xeriscaping can be really beautiful - our neighbors have an incredibly beautiful and lush garden, a pond, a deck, and only a small plot of grass. Rain/snow takes care of the bulk of the watering needs. We have a large deck to enjoy our outdoor space and put in a sandbox for our son to play in. (We do water, weed, and mow, but it realy doesn't take that long because the remaining part of the yard isn't too big!) For me the lot size is more about privacy and noise. Backing to open space can help even a smaller lot feel big. Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch have lots of walking trails through the neighborhoods. Castle Rock is full of rolling hills, so some lots are pretty steep and less usable without some serious terracing.

[blessedmama]

We are trying to decide between buying a house in the Meadows (Castle Rock) or Highlands Ranch. Husband commutes to downtown denver for work. We like the idea of the Meadows community, but a little concerned about the commute, and it seems like you can get a little more bang for your buck in HR.

If you live in The Meadows or in HR, or have lived in both places - can anyone offer some perspective on the pros and cons of both areas?