Relocating from UK to Denver - advice on neighbourhoods

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by PurplePansy

Lakewood has more diversity in terms of housing styles. Some parts of Lakewood (closer to Denver) are older homes from the 60s/70s/80s and then as you go further west there is more new construction. It's a pretty nice suburb and you'd have easy access to the Western foothills and associated recreation.

No need to get so defensive about Highlands Ranch, Katiana. Yes, there is one large independent bookstore. There are also dozens of stores that are exactly like dozens of stores in dozens of other suburban strip malls across the country. I prefer supporting locally owned and independent small businesses with character, history, and ties to the neighborhood, vs. the mega-corporate national chains.

Defensive? I consider it "myth busting". Heck, I don't live anywhere near there. Where is the last place you ate out? The time before that? Where do you buy the majority of your clothes/shoes/groceries? BE HONEST!

[Owain1]

I love the urban versus suburban vitriol. Where I live everyone hates the burbs, but most end up there anyway. Usually once the city loses its cachet, children are born, or you just get sick of pretending you have more when really you have less. My advice to the OP would be to go and visit and decide what you like. No one place is going to be better than another, except perhaps in the minds of others.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Where is the last place you ate out? The time before that? Where do you buy the majority of your clothes/shoes/groceries? BE HONEST!

1. Restaurants - I have so many between my house and My Brother's Bar that I usually eat in my greater neighborhood. Berkeley Neighborhood and slightly beyond - Denver

2. Clothes - Amazon.com (Who are the complete idiots who don't buy online? Online means no crowds, no sales clerks.)

3. Shoes - REI (once every 5 years) or online. I don't even understand why "shoes" are a category. I own 5 pair. Which are 2 too many. I buy computers more often than shoes. Online.

4. Groceries
a. Sprouts - 38th & Wolff
b. King Soopers - 38th & Sheridan
c. Edwards Meats - 44th Ave
d. Oroweat Outlet store - 44th Ave
e. Whole Foods - Belmar
f. Target - Belmar

P.S. Highlands Ranch is a sinkhole of white bread blandness. And, I am a white guy.

P.P.S. Apologizes to the OP as I think you thread has been highjacked.

[Owain1]

Originally Posted by davidv

Modern housing is the same all over the world. A builder offers 4-5 different floor plans and 2-3 variations of each plan. It is the industrial model of home building. People in Denver like to bash the suburbs because they believe that everything looks the same. There is no more or less diversity of housing in the older parts of Denver (see Wash Park, City Park West, and Congress Park.) Some houses may look slightly different because of additions, or very different because they have been scraped off and replaced (which is not allowed in newer neighborhoods), but basically everyone lives in the same basic house with a few tweaks.

So here is the thing. Everything was modern at one point. The brownstones where I live are essentially early twentieth century tract housing. The limestones are repeated over and over and again. The floor plans are all the same. I live between windsor terrace and park slope Brooklyn and every home I see is the same damn thing. Unless you are living in a frank loyd wright home I think your floor plan is like anyone else's. The only difference for many is maybe paint and the neighborhood. If you like suburbia or you like the inner city who cares. Different strokes for different folks. Just wanted to reiterate Davidv's point but from the perspective of a different city.

[davidv]

Originally Posted by Owain1

So here is the thing. Everything was modern at one point. The brownstones where I live are essentially early twentieth century tract housing. The limestones are repeated over and over and again. The floor plans are all the same. I live between windsor terrace and park slope Brooklyn and every home I see is the same damn thing. Unless you are living in a frank loyd wright home I think your floor plan is like anyone else's. The only difference for many is maybe paint and the neighborhood. If you like suburbia or you like the inner city who cares. Different strokes for different folks. Just wanted to reiterate Davidv's point but from the perspective of a different city.

Thanks for having my back. I am a history and geography teacher, I was using the word modern in an historical sense. To me the last 300 years would be considered modern.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

1. Restaurants - I have so many between my house and My Brother's Bar that I usually eat in my greater neighborhood. Berkeley Neighborhood and slightly beyond - Denver

2. Clothes - Amazon.com (Who are the complete idiots who don't buy online? Online means no crowds, no sales clerks.)

3. Shoes - REI (once every 5 years) or online. I don't even understand why "shoes" are a category. I own 5 pair. Which are 2 too many. I buy computers more often than shoes. Online.

4. Groceries
a. Sprouts - 38th & Wolff
b. King Soopers - 38th & Sheridan
c. Edwards Meats - 44th Ave
d. Oroweat Outlet store - 44th Ave
e. Whole Foods - Belmar
f. Target - Belmar

P.S. Highlands Ranch is a sinkhole of white bread blandness. And, I am a white guy.

P.P.S. Apologizes to the OP as I think you thread has been highjacked.

Well, I wasn't asking you, I was asking Ms. Holier than Thou who shops at "locally owned and independent small businesses with character, history, and ties to the neighborhood, vs. the mega-corporate national chains." Frankly, it sounds like you don't shop at same. Whole Foods is an abomination unto itself.

[redqueen17]

Golden is awesome!! Everybody loves it here