Stapleton vs. Older Denver neighborhoods (Byers: house, elementary schools, college)

[Bradburn1]

Originally Posted by denverian

We've reconsidered! We were thinking about moving to Boulder, just for a change of scenery. But we decided Stapleton is best for our kids. Schools are good, there are so many kids their age to play with.. I can't imagine anyplace else being so much fun for a kid to grow up in. It would be hard to recreate what they have in Stapleton.

We've been in the same house for almost 8 years (the longest I've ever lived in one home in my life) and I think I'm getting bored! It's the best house I've ever lived in, but there are a few minor things we'd like to have different. Like a mud room! So we may end up moving within Stapleton.

You could come to Bradburn Denverian, just 20 minutes to Boulder. We'd love to have you!

[apa1128]

Originally Posted by livingthedream2013

It was a good excuse for a walk. David Weekley has a nearly completed house on 26th with an available sign up. The other lots that are still dirt are Boulder Creek and Standard Pacific. There are Infiniti lots I believe closer to 28th street. The other builders are New Town but I didn't walk down that street since they were pouring concrete and had the road blocked.

Thank you for the pics! Awesome.

Who built your house? Are you happy with it? We're leaning toward DW, Wonderland and New Town. I love the Parkwoods and Infinity's but they're a budget buster. I would be interested in Bluff Lake, but I would be shocked if there's anything by the time we're ready. We'd go to contract on dirt in the fall.

[apa1128]

Originally Posted by denverian

I joke that I should just have my paychecks depositied directly into Target lol! They've got all of lifes necessities.

I just came from there. At least $50 every time.....

[apa1128]

Originally Posted by livingthedream2013

We were 30 -40 minutes from Target in out last house so being 10 minutes away is super nice. We chose Stapleton because we have had both newer houses and older houses and didn't want to have to fix anything. We liked the idea of Conservatory Green but couldn't wait that long. It will be nice when the houses across the street are built but that will be awhile. They will be in the City of Aurora and we were told the water hookup fee for the developer is pretty steep.

Us too. We went from a new house to a 40s bungalow, back to a new house (2007). However.....my husband is a contractor and I'm an interior decorator, so a reno has always been a dream of ours. It may have to wait till we're empty nesters though.

Yikes! I have a Super Target 3 miles from my house, and a regular Target 5 miles in other direction. How did you survive??

[SkyDog77]

We recently (briefly) discussed a move to Stapleton from Wash Park. We ultimately opted to tear down a house and build new in Wash Park. I was fortunate to have a rental house to tear down that was mostly paid for.

One of my best friends and his family live in Stapleton so we do spend a bit of time there and actually rented a place up there for a few months before we had kids.

Pros of Stapleton:
Great sense of community
Tons of kids
New schools that are highly rated
New construction
Most people we at similar places in their lives. Lots in common.
Inexpensive compared to Wash Park. Our new build in Wash Park is literally twice as expensive as a similar square footage house in Stapleton.
Public rec center and pool are great facilities.

Cons
No Trees
Very little Character
Lack of walkable shopping/bars/restaurants.
It's a pain to get to Cherry Creek, Wash Park, DU, basically anywhere south.
If you don't fit in with the group, I've heard it's very easy to feel very left out.
Stapleton mom's groups are very cliquey.
It may be in the city limits, but it is really the suburbs.

Ultimately we made the decision to stay. I don't think it was selfish at all. I like that my kids are going to grow up in a little more urban setting than Stapleton. We could swing the price difference and the elementary school here is great. Once the kids hit middle school we may be forking out for private school, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Good luck! My friends who live there absolutely love it. We just decided it wasn't for us.

[apa1128]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

We recently (briefly) discussed a move to Stapleton from Wash Park. We ultimately opted to tear down a house and build new in Wash Park. I was fortunate to have a rental house to tear down that was mostly paid for.

One of my best friends and his family live in Stapleton so we do spend a bit of time there and actually rented a place up there for a few months before we had kids.

Pros of Stapleton:
Great sense of community
Tons of kids
New schools that are highly rated
New construction
Most people we at similar places in their lives. Lots in common.
Inexpensive compared to Wash Park. Our new build in Wash Park is literally twice as expensive as a similar square footage house in Stapleton.
Public rec center and pool are great facilities.

Cons
No Trees
Very little Character
Lack of walkable shopping/bars/restaurants.
It's a pain to get to Cherry Creek, Wash Park, DU, basically anywhere south.
If you don't fit in with the group, I've heard it's very easy to feel very left out.
Stapleton mom's groups are very cliquey.
It may be in the city limits, but it is really the suburbs.

Ultimately we made the decision to stay. I don't think it was selfish at all. I like that my kids are going to grow up in a little more urban setting than Stapleton. We could swing the price difference and the elementary school here is great. Once the kids hit middle school we may be forking out for private school, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Good luck! My friends who live there absolutely love it. We just decided it wasn't for us.

Thank you for posting this! These are all valid concerns of mine. For us, Stapleton is school and budget driven. We have too much house and pay tuition now, and that's not necessarily the way we want to go forward. Lots to consider....

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by denverian

We've reconsidered! We were thinking about moving to Boulder, just for a change of scenery. But we decided Stapleton is best for our kids. Schools are good, there are so many kids their age to play with.. I can't imagine anyplace else being so much fun for a kid to grow up in. It would be hard to recreate what they have in Stapleton.

We've been in the same house for almost 8 years (the longest I've ever lived in one home in my life) and I think I'm getting bored! It's the best house I've ever lived in, but there are a few minor things we'd like to have different. Like a mud room! So we may end up moving within Stapleton.

A mud room! A co-worker and I were talking about things we want in "our next house". We both want a mud room. Ironically, DH and I once rented a tiny house in Urbana IL that was built in 1953. It had a mud room! We loved it. When did they go out of style?

Now back to the regularly scheduled thread.

[apa1128]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

We recently (briefly) discussed a move to Stapleton from Wash Park. We ultimately opted to tear down a house and build new in Wash Park. I was fortunate to have a rental house to tear down that was mostly paid for.

One of my best friends and his family live in Stapleton so we do spend a bit of time there and actually rented a place up there for a few months before we had kids.

Pros of Stapleton:
Great sense of community
Tons of kids
New schools that are highly rated
New construction
Most people we at similar places in their lives. Lots in common.
Inexpensive compared to Wash Park. Our new build in Wash Park is literally twice as expensive as a similar square footage house in Stapleton.
Public rec center and pool are great facilities.

Cons
No Trees
Very little Character
Lack of walkable shopping/bars/restaurants.
It's a pain to get to Cherry Creek, Wash Park, DU, basically anywhere south.
If you don't fit in with the group, I've heard it's very easy to feel very left out.
Stapleton mom's groups are very cliquey.
It may be in the city limits, but it is really the suburbs.

Ultimately we made the decision to stay. I don't think it was selfish at all. I like that my kids are going to grow up in a little more urban setting than Stapleton. We could swing the price difference and the elementary school here is great. Once the kids hit middle school we may be forking out for private school, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Good luck! My friends who live there absolutely love it. We just decided it wasn't for us.

SkyDog,
What do you think about the new DSST going into the Byers Middle building? I noticed that it will feed the Lincoln/Bromwell/Steele kids....interesting option.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Katiana

A mud room! A co-worker and I were talking about things we want in "our next house". We both want a mud room. Ironically, DH and I once rented a tiny house in Urbana IL that was built in 1953. It had a mud room! We loved it. When did they go out of style?

Now back to the regularly scheduled thread.

They should be mandated by state law in Colorado! In our house, you step straight from the garage into the great room, and then the coat closet is in the entry hall by the front door, on the opposite end of the house. And then if it snows a lot, the garage turns into a slushy, muddy mess, so the kids track mud through the house

I'd say more than 50% of the houses in Stapleton have mud rooms, so they're definitely coming back into style. I want a nice big one with the cubbies for each member of the family.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Bradburn1

You could come to Bradburn Denverian, just 20 minutes to Boulder. We'd love to have you!

Thanks! Although I still like being more "in the middle of things". I like the thought of Boulder because you're always relatively near downtown Boulder and all the action, no matter where you live in the city.