Help on neighborhood to buy - Westminster, Thornton, Arvada (Denver: sales, renting)

[Boulderado]

First off - sorry for another "moving to the area" question but I have searched this Forum and would like to get a bit more specific!

My husband and I just moved here from Orange County, CA. I am originally from Boulder and moved to So Cal for college and then 10+ years of career. We are currently renting in Boulder near my family, and we would like to buy SOON closer to Denver.

My husband works in sales around Adams County and is less picky about his commute. I will be working in downtown Denver, and am the pickier one. We are 33/35, business types, more urban than suburban, no kids yet but plan on it in the near future.

We probably need to be on the north side of Denver due to family needs in Boulder. The area we seem to like best is Westminster, and I absolutely love Bradburn (it will just come down to what's on the market when we are ready). Would like something with that community feel, newer, walk to restaurants/shops if possible. Our price cap is around $375K, single family only (no townhome or condo).

The other areas we are finding some good listings in are Thornton and Arvada. What's the real scoop on Thornton? Seems like it has a bad reputation in some circles and I can't figure out why. Schools?

Also - thoughts on specific neighborhoods in Arvada that might meet our criteria?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

[Mike from back east]

We have a regular poster on here, LiveContent, who's posted extensively on Arvada, use our easy to learn advanced search tool to search on his name and key words like Arvada, which will soon have light rail service to get you into downtown Denver, etc.

There should also be some threads listed in the Index.

[Bradburn1]

Thornton is generally a bit lower level socioeconomically than parts of Westminster--Bradburn especially--which is reflected in the schools. Socioeconomics is the primary factor determining test scores, it actually doesn't say much about the quality of the schools or teachers in my opinion.

I have a friend who lives in Thornton and she likes it a lot. I've always liked the area myself and it certainly has much cheaper housing. Can't speak to community feel there as my friend has never mentioned that. I also really like Arvada and were I not so happy living in Bradburn it's a place I would have on my short list (especially close to the downtown which is darling). Check out Village of Five Parks in Arvada which might fit some of what you are looking for, although it is farther from Adams County.

If you do decide on Bradburn, jump on a house in your price range very, very quickly. Houses in here under 500k are selling in days, sometimes hours, and some sell by word of mouth in here before they are even listed.

[Boulderado]

Thank you both, that makes sense on Thornton, and I will check out Village of Five Parks.

And yes on Bradburn!

[mic111]

Thornton is very nice, particularly the northern part. I think it has more of a family friendly feel than most of the suburban areas. There are more kids playing outside and families having picnics in the parks than alot of other areas. I would definitely live there.

[Dwick]

We would welcome you to move to Arvada. It sounds as if you have some familiarity with Arvada already. As you probably know, we are a city of 107,000; however, we still retain a small town feel. We have a vibrant Olde Town area ([url]http://www.historicarvada.org/);[/url] we are close to the downtown Denver area, which is also vibrant and exciting ([url=http://www.downtowndenver.com/]Downtown Denver > Home[/url]), and we are nestled near the foothills and the mountains with easy access to lots of outdoor recreation.

There are some nice areas in Arvada that might interest you, such as five parks, Westwoods, and the areas of Candelas and Leydon Rock. Arvada has a low crime rate with a police department that has a strong emphasis in working closely with our law abiding community to address crime issues and quality of life issues. You can learn more about crime in Arvada and you can also learn more about what is going on in a particular area you may be interested in living by using these free crime information tools. Hopefully they can help you make an informed decision.

crimereports.com
raidsonline.com

If you have other questions about Arvada, you can visit our visitors center ([url=http://visitarvada.org]Arvada Visitors Center - What to Do, Events, Dining, Day Trips, About Arvada, and more![/url]) or give them a call. We'd be happy to help you.

I hope this helps you make a decision.

Don Wick
Chief of Police