Urban Denver or Foothills? (Boulder, Highlands Ranch: real estate, rent, new house)

[BosoxNelly]

We are moving to Denver from Scottsdale AZ soon....we've been scouring these pages quite a bit and have gotten some great information, but we're looking for something a little different. We're either looking for something fairly urban, maybe similar to the Arcadia area in Phoenix (if anyone is familiar with that area) or something very near the mountains but still close to Denver. I lived in the SLC burbs growing up, we lived in the foothills North of the city and would potentially like something like that, without the religious overtones. We're both native New Englanders so we're looking forward to seasons again......we have young children (under 2) so we'd still like to be near good schools, we're looking at this move as the last. We've heard Wash Park is a pretty nice area from some college friends who lived in the area. We're looking to spend maybe $700k tops....we'll probably rent for a while to get a feel for the area first....thanks in advance for the advice....

[2bindenver]

I think we need more information. Near mountains and near foothills would be west of denver (northwest, west, southwest) naturally, but urban living and rural mountain living are very different.

Schools; public or private? Commute? Fun? Hobbies? Likes and dislikes for a community? housing? lot size? pets? 12 cars to garage?

[denver_hacker]

Wash park in general is very nice and very desirable, the park itself is big and well kept, it's close to downtown and the Cherry Creek mall, lots of mature landscaping, right next to the University of Denver, and almost completely gentrified. There's a little commercial strip called Old South Gaylord with some nice upper end shops. The folks in the area tend to be upper class professionals.

Because of all that, the median home price in wash park is much higher than the rest of the area, so the price per square foot is considered relatively high. Just know that for $700K you could get a big new house on a big lot in Littleton or Highlands Ranch with excellent schools, whereas in wash park you're looking at a small to mid sized turn of the century bungalow on a small lot with half the sqft in the basement. In other words, $700k in wash park gets you an invite to the party, but you're not going in style. And the area has not been affected by the real estate downturn at all.

Also know there is east and west wash park. East is the more exclusive part and costs more. West borders the old and noisy Broadway business area and is partially in a different school area. Part of it also is due north of the old Gates factory, which is known to have plumes of chemicals leaking into the neighborhood (EPA report on Gates). And there's an interstate on the south end of the neighborhood, where is generally where the cheapest homes are located.

The elementary school is Steele Elementary and while a few years ago it wasn't a good school, it is now generally regarded as a decent school. The gentrification of the area has a lot of parents involved, which is what makes a school work.

About Steele Elementary

However, a lot of parents in the neighborhood send their kids to private schools because the district, Denver Public Schools, is a mess. There are a few shining stars in DPS, but overall the district is bad news - poorly organized, aging infrastructure, old union contracts, lots of inner city issues, etc. Unfortunately, for wash park the middle (Merrill) and high school (South) are not so good.

You can use this site to search listings.

REcolorado.com - brought to you by Metrolist Inc.

The wash park zip code is '80210' and the subdivision %wash% will get you the "wash park/washington park" combos.

If you like wash park, you might also like the City Park or Platt Park neighborhoods in Denver. They're similar kinds of areas but not as pricey, but the schools aren't as good. Also, a lot of people with young families are leaving the older neighborhoods in Denver and moving to Stapleton, which is a brand new development in Denver proper. $700K there gets you a brand new home and every house has at least one child under 5. The elementary school in Stapleton isn't so hot, but by the time your kids will go it might get better

As you might have guessed, I live in the 80210 zip code and really like it.

I don't know the foothills that well, but I know people who live in Evergreen and Conifer and love it. The main drawback being the winters are actual Winters and the commute into Denver is horrible. You might also want to check out Morrison, and the Littleton areas of Ken Caryl Ranch, Chatfield, and Waterton. Boulder is also nice, but $700K doesn't go very far there.

[BosoxNelly]

As for schools, we still haven't decided (we've got some time), but I'd like to think public. My wife and I are big outdoor enthusiasts, we enjoy hiking (one of the nice things about Phoenix is there is a mountain preserve right in the middle of the city, so it's easy to get a morning hike in before work), mountain biking, snowboarding/skiing, etc. We also crave a decent downtown area, which is why we're leaning toward urban living (with the mountains at least close by). We love live music, we love sports, etc. From what I've read Denver has a great park system, evidently the Mayor in the early 1900's made it a priority. We are a dog family so we'll always have dogs. We're used to living in small houses....800 sq ft when we lived in San Diego, 1400 in Scottsdale....we'd like to probably get at least 1800, also we've never had basements (except as kids) so that'll be a bonus, whatever it is. Hope that helps a little...thx again

[Katiana]

$700K will get you something fairly decent in Boulder. Decent for Boulder that is. It probably won't have much of a lot. Boulder is mroe "urban", has smaller lots than some of the burbs.

[vegaspilgrim]

Hi, BosoxNelly--
I'm not sure how the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix can be considered even remotely urban. What do you mean by Arcadia? Are you talking about the well-kept 1950s ranch homes (and recent rebuilds) on huge pieces of land (for Phoenix) between Indian School Rd and Camelback Mountain? If you're asking about a semi-rural community that's centrally located in the Denver metro area (no immediate mountains though), I'd say look at Cherry Hills Village or parts of Greenwood Village. Expect to pay a million on up to live there, though. Other parts of the metro area with more affordable semi-rural properties include Foxfield and the area east of Parker. The foothills are semi-rural too, but in a different way, of course. In terms of the "urban" stuff, the actual city of Denver is a totally different animal from central Phoenix. Denver has miles and miles of well kept/ gentrified historic neighborhoods dating from the late 1800s to the 1930s, as well as many old neighborhood business districts and large parks. Phoenix has a very tiny historic area, and a mammoth sized area of 1950s ranch house sprawl, of various degrees of upkeep (ranging from ghetto Maryvale to nice Arcadia). Phoenix makes Denver look like an old Midwest city in comparison. Just based on a hunch of what you're looking for, I'd suggest taking a look at Cherry Creek North, and the various neighborhoods going out in all directions from that.

[BosoxNelly]

VegasPilgrim, you are correct. As for Arcadia, I think the central location and proximity to what little culture we have is key. It's hard to think of Arcadia as sprawl when Del Webb/Pulte have reinvented the notion. One of the things we see here that we want to avoid is the lure of a house way way way out in the suburbs (unless we do end up near the foothills), and I'm fairly sure we don't want a new house (esp if it's cookie cutter). We want to walk places . What zip code would Cherry Creek north be in? I've looked at a few properties in the 80210 zc (as per denver_hacker below). Thanks and sorry if I'm too general.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by BosoxNelly

VegasPilgrim, you are correct. As for Arcadia, I think the central location and proximity to what little culture we have is key. It's hard to think of Arcadia as sprawl when Del Webb/Pulte have reinvented the notion. One of the things we see here that we want to avoid is the lure of a house way way way out in the suburbs (unless we do end up near the foothills), and I'm fairly sure we don't want a new house (esp if it's cookie cutter). We want to walk places . What zip code would Cherry Creek north be in? I've looked at a few properties in the 80210 zc (as per denver_hacker below). Thanks and sorry if I'm too general.

I think Cherry Creek North is in 80206-- but don't quote me on that one. There's an extremely upscale shopping mall called Cherry Creek Mall (the equivalent of Scottsdale Fashion Square, basically), and then a large walkable area just across the street to the north chock full of restaurants, galleries, boutique stores, coffee places, etc. The closest thing you've probably experienced that Cherry Creek North reminds me of is the La Jolla Village area of San Diego, minus the beach of course. Cherry Creek North, at least from my observations caters to a slightly older crowd than you'll find in downtown Scottsdale. Tons of people walking around during the day, but everything is shut down by 9:00. No nightlife there, unlike Old Town Scottsdale-- not sure if that is a good or bad thing for you.

The neighborhood part of "Cherry Creek North," north of 3rd Ave, is basically a brand new neighborhood, where dozens and dozens of 1930's era bungalows have been torn down and rebuilt as custom built homes. Prices there start in the 900,000s and go up from there. A similar phenomenon is happening right now in Hilltop, east of Colorado Blvd. There are many other neighborhoods to explore though, going in all directions, which are still historic, intact neighborhoods. Other people on this forum can probably help you with the specific neighborhood more than I can, espeically if you tell us a ballpark figure of what pricing range you can afford. Also, what age are your kids? My impression is that most of the well-to-do people who live in central Denver neighborhoods send their kids to private schools. Not sure what your plans are.

[dj32]

I live in Wash Park- I think you would like it. 700K will get you a bungalow though, although for your price range it would be older (although updated) and probably 2200 sq feet included a finished basement. 700k is a tough price point as it is in btwn small fixer uppers (or scrapes) and below the new construction which is running 1.1-1.7 M at the moment. I am specifically talking about East Wash Park, West WAsh Park does seem to be cheaper, and as long as you stayed on Corona or Ogden Street, you'd still be in Steele (not sure where the cut off is though).

A better suggestion may be too look at Southern Hills or Southmoor. I feel like I"m recommending these alot lately. Both has highly ranked public elementary schools, ranches on large lots and a great neighborhood feel. appreciation has been steady (no downturn here either, just like Wash Park) but still more affordadable than Bonnie Brae, Hilltop, or Wash Park. It is an attractive area where you are seeing hte older folks move out and young families move in. It is still close to light rail, highways, shops and you can get to Cherry Creek shopping or Downtown very easily. I'd also recommend cherry hills village but it may feel a little suburban and is prohibitively expensive.
Oh, on Steele- denverhacker is correct. IT is regarded as a good now, but the problems of the middle and high schools still prevail. That said, change is happening and you woul d hav few years before you really had to worry about that too much anyway. Private and parochial schools around here are good too.

[steveco.]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I think Cherry Creek North is in 80206-- but don't quote me on that one. There's an extremely upscale shopping mall called Cherry Creek Mall (the equivalent of Scottsdale Fashion Square, basically), and then a large walkable area just across the street to the north chock full of restaurants, galleries, boutique stores, coffee places, etc. The closest thing you've probably experienced that Cherry Creek North reminds me of is the La Jolla Village area of San Diego, minus the beach of course. Cherry Creek North, at least from my observations caters to a slightly older crowd than you'll find in downtown Scottsdale. Tons of people walking around during the day, but everything is shut down by 9:00. No nightlife there, unlike Old Town Scottsdale-- not sure if that is a good or bad thing for you.

The neighborhood part of "Cherry Creek North," north of 3rd Ave, is basically a brand new neighborhood, where dozens and dozens of 1930's era bungalows have been torn down and rebuilt as custom built homes. Prices there start in the 900,000s and go up from there. A similar phenomenon is happening right now in Hilltop, east of Colorado Blvd. There are many other neighborhoods to explore though, going in all directions, which are still historic, intact neighborhoods. Other people on this forum can probably help you with the specific neighborhood more than I can, espeically if you tell us a ballpark figure of what pricing range you can afford. Also, what age are your kids? My impression is that most of the well-to-do people who live in central Denver neighborhoods send their kids to private schools. Not sure what your plans are.

Actually there are quite a few restaurants and bars that stay open well into the night in cherry creek they are a little more reserved though since many of them have below street access and cater to the more upscale crowd who IMO are a little less rowdy than the club scene around Lodo and Soco (not as many obnoxious drunks wondering the streets). Also in the cherry creek area you are finding more and more historic houses being razed and enormous mansions put in their place. Its a sad situation since many of the old homes are way more asthetic than the mcmansions that are built in place