Young kids, small town to suburb, good schools. Where to move? (Denver: apartment complex, for rent)

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by seethesun

The little town is just a wish for my wife

There are 6 small towns/cities in the greater Denver area.
Lakeside: pop 6 or 8 as no one is sure. If you work for the Corporation, then you are in.
Mountain View: pop 529 and very much working class
Bow Mar: pop 847 and definitely a town of HENRYs
Glendale: pop 4,184 and completely surrounded by Denver and full of apartment complexes
Edgewater: pop 5,170 and literally next door (on the west side) to Denver
Columbine Valley: pop 11,132 and you must be over 50 (only slightly joking) to live there (and, you must golf)

That is it.

There are no small towns as you find in the Northeast.

[livecontent]

You are really making it more difficult than needed. I have worked exactly at the area you will be working in Inverness Business Park. That is all near excellent suburban areas that are low in crime, good school systems and recreational facilities. Most of the areas around are higher income newer suburbia. There is absolutely nothing wrong in living in these parts of the suburbs. You cannot find that old traditional town nearby, so what?. What you will do is complicated your life by a longer commute and then have less time to spend with your family.

Live in Centennial, Lone Tree or Highlands Ranch. All these cities (Highlands Ranch is a development) have a good quality of life. If you want to live in an area that has some patina of age, I would suggest you live in Centennial near University and Arapahoe. Centennial a comparatively new city but has tried to center the town in this area. There has even been developed one of those new urbanist development at this intersection called Streets of Southglenn The Streets at SouthGlenn There are many well established neighborhoods around this area. You could go just a little west from Centennial on Arapahoe or Dry Creek and cross Broadway, you will then be in Littleton--that is the closest you will find to a small town in that area.

Livecontent

[seethesun]

Thanks again for the replies.

LiveContent, although the information is appreciated, I'm not working to make things difficult. I asked about a small town feel because that's what is wanted and I know nothing about Denver. Just like some people feel more comfortable in the city with everything in walking distance. We prefer to have space and we have lived in the city, not for us.

If that's not doable, so be it, as I said, it's not a deal breaker. I am just here trying to gather information because I don't know what's available. No need in being a little rude and abrupt. Still, thank you for the information.

[pkrn89]

Centennial, Littleton and Highlands Ranch are close by your work and all have good schools, shopping, restaurants, parks, trails, etc. I live in Highlands Ranch, and it's an amazing place for children. They have 4 rec centers with a fitness center, gym, pools, basketball, and much more. There are many parks, trails and endless activities for children. We're minutes away from restaurants, a huge mall, grocery stores, etc. It's extremely safe here, but you will have to look hard to find what you want for 2K per month (I'm not sure about Centennial and Littleton, though).

[ChrisFromChicago]

I just moved to Colorado. If Suburb non-urban is your style, than I must say anywhere close to the tech center will work.

Just to the east of the tech center are some nice areas, so close you could walk to work. Within 2 miles you have super wal-mart, target, and more restaurants than you need (Smashburger, Yolando Tacos are some standouts). This area is englewood and/or greenwood village. Don't focus on the cities in this area, its a mess of zip codes that makes no sense. Most of these places are supported by the cherry creek school district - great schools.

Just to the west of the tech center is centennial. Awesome subdivisions and more great shopping areas (Streets of southglenn for instance). There isn't really any problems with schools in this area.

LIttleton (Further west) has a nice downtown, but is a little further west. you can pretty much repeat the above.

Lonetree is straight south of the tech center. Highlands ranch lies to lone tree's west, parker to lone trees east. These are the far "south" suburbs. Newer housing, less established than the options above.

If you want suburbs, the tech center is surrounded with good schools and nice homes. The only problem you will have is finding a rental in this tough rental market.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by seethesun

Thanks again for the replies.

LiveContent, although the information is appreciated, I'm not working to make things difficult. I asked about a small town feel because that's what is wanted and I know nothing about Denver. Just like some people feel more comfortable in the city with everything in walking distance. We prefer to have space and we have lived in the city, not for us.

If that's not doable, so be it, as I said, it's not a deal breaker. I am just here trying to gather information because I don't know what's available. No need in being a little rude and abrupt. Still, thank you for the information.

I apologize if you felt I was being abrupt. My New Yawker was coming out but have been here for 34 years and I know the area well. I understand the concept of the feelings of a small town and that is why I have chosen to live in Arvada. I consider the western suburbs along the foothills as having more of those type of characteristics but to commute from there to where you are working, which I did for years, is not a good idea. Those idyllic small towns did not develop in this western areas for many reasons, so you have to work with what is available; and what is available in that area is outstanding. I have relatives living in Highlands Ranch and Lonetree; we constantly argue and compare where I live and they live but the discussion always comes to the conclusion that all areas are wonderful places to live in the Denver area.

Livecontent

[seethesun]

Originally Posted by livecontent

I apologize if you felt I was being abrupt. My New Yawker was coming out but have been here for 34 years and I know the area well. I understand the concept of the feelings of a small town and that is why I have chosen to live in Arvada. I consider the western suburbs along the foothills as having more of those type of characteristics but to commute from there to where you are working, which I did for years, is not a good idea. Those idyllic small towns did not develop in this western areas for many reasons, so you have to work with what is available; and what is available in that area is outstanding. I have relatives living in Highlands Ranch and Lonetree; we constantly argue and compare where I live and they live but the discussion always comes to the conclusion that all areas are wonderful places to live in the Denver area.

Livecontent

No problem, but it's really funny that you mention you are from NY. After I responded, I was wondering if maybe you were just from New York? Not to generalize, but the New Yorkers I know/have met just have a way of putting things.

Right now, we will probably look at Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, Parker, and Castle Rock. According to Google maps they all seem to be within about 20 minutes of work and all places people have mentioned here, except Castle Rock and Parker. But I have seen some good things on both of those in other threads.

Thanks.

[mic111]

Originally Posted by seethesun

Right now, we will probably look at Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, Parker, and Castle Rock.

Take a look at Google maps just west of the potential work place. Those are nice areas. Go a little north of the potential workplace. Those are nice suburbs. In fact start working through circles radiating outward. You will find plenty of nice places before you get all the way to most of the areas you mention above. I think this is why livecontent said you are making this harder than it needs to be and why ChrisfromChigaco said to look right in the area of the workplace also. You could start by telling your realtor where you work and ask to see all the listings in your price range that meet your criteria withing 5 min. Then if you don't find anything ask for within 10 min.

Edit: Oops, just saw you were looking for a rental. Very hard to find right now due to the tight market so then you will have to expand your search and likely take what you can get wherever you find it.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by mic111

Take a look at Google maps just west of the potential work place. Those are nice areas. Go a little north of the potential workplace. Those are nice suburbs. I fact start working through circles radiating outward. You will find plenty of nice places before you get all the way to most of the areas you mention above. I think this is why livecontent said you are making this harder than it needs to be and why ChrisfromChigaco said to look right in the area of the workplace also.

Exactly. I have relatives who live in Heritages Hills that ritzy development just off Yosemite in Lone Tree. The work is located in Inverness Park. It is only a few miles away for a very easy commute. Lone Tree has all these stores nearby and excellent public transit with with buses and rail stations and the whole city is covered by a Call-n-Ride that picks up/returns from any area with the City. The teenage kids can get their own ride to their activities without bothering Mom or Dad or worse getting in a car driven by an older inexperienced teenage driver.

Now let us look at Castle Rock, a perceived smaller town. It is a distance away on I-25 which gets has heavy traffic and is very bad on some days in the winter. The city has no public transit. They see a representation of a very small older Main Street and do not realize it is more a city of sprawling newer developments; the same could be said for Parker. However, newcomers look at the map and think it is some special idyllic town because it is separated from the believed density of metro Denver.

Yet if newcomers looked a little west into Centennial they will see neighborhoods that can be their own created small town with shopping and public transit, walkable nearby. Looking a little north, they could find neighborhoods of south Denver which are not as dense as the perceptions of what people think of eastern cities but mimic a suburban look because they are newer areas of Denver that were developed; and again have the feel of a small town with good shopping and excellent public transit that can be easily used to get to Inverness Park. These newcomers do not readily know the nice neighborhood of Southmoor, for example just north of the DTC or the great appeal of the neighborhoods of University, University Hill and University Park.

Newcomers do not realize all the parks, open space, trails that permeate Denver and the area that break up any perception of extreme density. They do not realize that Denver is composed of many neighborhoods of separate identities and characteristics.

In addition, for small town atmosphere, I would pick living in or around the municipalities of Greenwood Village or Cherry Hills Villages, as being much more preferred as being closer to the offices of the south towns.

Livecontent

[davebarnes]

Earlier I wrote: There are 6 small towns/cities in the greater Denver area.
I was wrong.
There are 12 small cities/towns.

Lakeside: pop 6 or 8 as no one is sure. If you work for the Corporation, then you are in.
Mountain View: pop 529 and very much working class
Bow Mar: pop 847 and definitely a town of HENRYs
Columbine Valley: pop 1,256 and you must be over 50 (only slightly joking) to live there (and, you must golf)
Glendale: pop 4,184 and completely surrounded by Denver and full of apartment complexes
Lone Tree: pop 4,873
Edgewater: pop 5,170 and literally next door (on the west side) to Denver
Cherry Hills Village: pop 5,958
Federal Heights: pop 12,065
Greenwood Village: pop 12,817
Englewood: pop 30,255 and a traditional inner-ring suburb
Littleton: pop 41,737