Centennial (Denver, Aurora, Highlands Ranch: for sale, real estate, HOA)

[rebagirl]

I've read all of the posts regarding Centennial/ Aurora, and because I have family in Aurora (80011), I'd like to be in close proximity. I'm curious about the 80015 area, specifically to the west of Smoky Hill and near Buckley Rd. The schools would be Trails West, Falcon Creek and Grandview (Cherry Creek District). Is the area fairly safe? Are neighborhoods well-kept? Is there noise pollution from nearby Buckley Air Force Base? Any first-hand knowledge of the schools? I've also researched Parker and Littleton, as well as the other section of Centennial that falls under the Littleton Public school district. I know that once we finally find jobs, that will determine to some extent where we'll end up. However, I still think it's a good idea to find the decent areas ahead of time. If anyone has info on this particular area of Centennial or comments on other areas even, please let me know. Thanks so much!

[TinajaCo]

That's a fairly new area... much (but not all) of it is in Aurora, but it's virtually indistinguishable from Highlands Ranch, Parker, etc in terms of development, crime, and so on. It's northern Aurora that tends to have a bad rap, southern Aurora is not dissimilar from most any newer suburb in the Denver area.

[BillRadio]

That'a about as close as you can get to my main home. The area along Smoky Hill Road is booming, especially beyond E-470. Since the schools are Cherry Creek, they are above average for the state, and the ones in that area are slightly higher than average among Cherry Creek schools. I don't like Aurora, but their city services are a little better than Centennial's, because Centennial is so new. There are some exceptions: Any service supplied by the county is much better, like snow removal and the response time of the sheriff.

The Air base is a non-issue, but air traffic from DIA can be a problem, but only on rare days. Believe it or not, this area under the DIA glide path is much quieter than similar areas under Centennial airport's (which is not in Centennial) glide path. The new, Stage 3 commercial aircraft are much quieter than the older, small private planes at Centennial. The very cool thing is that the Air Force F-16's (& A-14's, etc) can be seen a few times a year coming into Buckley, and that is like a private air show!

Parker and Littleton are also good choices, although I think Parker has grown too fast, and their quaint little town has been overshadowed by the surrounding big box stores. Littleton remains charming, but the housing is older. I loved the neighborhoods along the High Line Canal. Centennial has a ways to go to have any kind of personality, but that will come.

The neighborhoods around Smoky Hill are mostly new, which means fewer trees, but the stores and services just recently caught up, so you are not wanting for anything.

[EscapeCalifornia]

I too have been looking in the SE Aurora area on realtor.com. I'd like something newer (under 10 years) and it seems like most metro areas, the newer houses are on the edge of civilization. Is the area around Smokey Hill Rd. and C470 considered the middle of nowhere and far from work and shopping? How long would it take to get to downtown Denver during rush hour?

[rebagirl]

Thanks for the responses. There have been so many negative comments about Aurora, that I'm still not sure that would be a good investment. I'm attracted to more established neighborhoods, or at least one that has a downtown area and trees, for the most part. In researching other areas, such as Parker, I am concerned about its growth, as was mentioned, even though there does still seem to be quite a bit of land (at least for now). Where exactly are the neighborhoods that are near Highline Canal? I'm not exactly sure where it runs. Thanks again.

[BillRadio]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Is the area around Smokey Hill Rd. and C470 considered the middle of nowhere and far from work and shopping?

It was, but now has gone mainstream. There is a huge new shopping center (it's a mall but all outdoors...they're now called Power Centers) and a new high school. There are lots of less expensive homes and $500k + ones (they're build way too close for me, though...we have 2 acres). But there aren't many jobs. It is surprisingly close to the airport.

How long would it take to get to downtown Denver during rush hour?

It will never be shorter than 30 minutes and 45 is more likely. The Tech Center is a little closer with far more desirable jobs.

[TinajaCo]

Bill is right on the shopping, and additionally you're just down E-470 from Park Meadows (one of the top malls in the state, with just about every store in or near there).
The Highline Canal runs all through the city, from Chatfield out toward DIA. Essentially, here are the neighborhoods it goes through (or near-- if this is a feature you're interested in I highly recommend getting a map with the Highline Canal shown on it). This is going from Chatfield north, towarD DIA:

West Highlands Ranch (around Highlands Ranch Golf Club), Southbridge, Preserve (the one in Littleton, not Greenwood Village), all generally moderately-priced areas (around $500K) that are mixes of older and newer, HR is the newest while the others were mostly built out in the 1980s-1990s. Zip codes 80120, 80129.

Heritage, Vista Verde, Broadway Estates, Dekovend Park-- all older areas, standard 50s brick ranches fairly common in these areas, but well-kept, lower prices ($200-$300K). Zip codes 80120, 80122

Green Oaks, Greenwood Acres, The Preserve-- all in Greenwood Village. The first two are older areas, built in the 1960s, Green Oaks is generally considered to be more desirable (and house prices reflect that). Greenwood Acres is seeing a lot of scrapeoffs, a lot of huge houses going in around the neighborhood. Both are very well-kept and very mature areas, generally large lots also. The Preserve is newer but also big homes, smaller lots. Prices in any of these neighborhoods probably start around $800-$900K. Zip codes 80120, 80121

Cherry Hills-- very pricey, but very beautiful. Land prices (with no house) often are in the seven figures in Cherry Hills. Zip codes 80113, 80111

Wellshire, University Hills, Bible Park-- older areas, but nice, well-kept, closer to central Denver (though still a 15-20 minute drive). Zip codes 80231, 80224, 80222.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by rebagirl

I've read all of the posts regarding Centennial/ Aurora, and because I have family in Aurora (80011), I'd like to be in close proximity. I'm curious about the 80015 area, specifically to the west of Smoky Hill and near Buckley Rd. The schools would be Trails West, Falcon Creek and Grandview (Cherry Creek District). Is the area fairly safe? Are neighborhoods well-kept? Is there noise pollution from nearby Buckley Air Force Base? Any first-hand knowledge of the schools? I've also researched Parker and Littleton, as well as the other section of Centennial that falls under the Littleton Public school district. I know that once we finally find jobs, that will determine to some extent where we'll end up. However, I still think it's a good idea to find the decent areas ahead of time. If anyone has info on this particular area of Centennial or comments on other areas even, please let me know. Thanks so much!

I spent the first 18 years of my life in that zip code... graduated from Smoky Hill High School, so I know all about that area. If you happen to be looking at Piney Creek or Shenandoah, those are both excellent, well kept neighborhoods-- solid upper middle class. Most of Piney Creek is around 15-20 years old with mature landscaping; a few parts are newer, approaching 10 years old. Woodgate, Smoky Hill are kind of a mixed bag, and Pheasant Run is not a nice neighborhood. The Smoky Hill high school attendance area draws from each of these neighborhoods, so the school is a mix of good and bad. I'd recommend Smoky Hill H.S. over Eaglecrest High school. The IB program at Smoky Hill high school is nationally ranked-- like getting a private school education, but in a public school!

The new subdivisions south of Orchard Rd are excellent areas. Further out east on Smoky Hill Rd is generally great too-- Saddle Rock and Tallyn's Reach are some of the best new neighborhoods in Colorado. The Farm, Tuscany, Sienna, and Greenfield are all SOLID middle to upper-middle class neighborhoods-- you have nothing to worry about. These neighborhoods will feed to either Grandview HS or Cherokee Trails HS, which are both state of the art schools. The Cherry Creek school district is one of the best school districts in the state-- and in the nation. They are a major selling point for any home located in that district.

That entire SE Aurora/ East Centennial area, especially those neighborhoods I pointed out to you and the newer development by E-470, is just as good as any area in the Denver metro area. The "Centennial" designation doesn't matter at all-- since the services are provided by your neighborhood HOA and Arapahoe County, which provides excellent services. Oh yeah, and check out the new outdoors Southlands mall while you're in the area-- really nice, and family friendly. How "far out" you consider that to be is all relative. I don't consider it too be too far out. I currently live in Phoenix where new homes are being built Herculean distances away from the downtown.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Is the area around Smokey Hill Rd. and C470 considered the middle of nowhere and far from work and shopping? How long would it take to get to downtown Denver during rush hour?

IMO it is the middle of nowhere. True, you probably can zip down E-470 to get here or there, but do you really want to drop $7.00 every time you walk outside your front door?

[Warp7]

In checking Realtor.com and other real estate sites, it seems there are quite a few homes for sale in the Fox Hill subdivision. How does this neighborhood rate?