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My husband is in the early stages of a job interview for a position in Centennial (so early we don't even have an address for the company yet!) but the last time he started job hunting, we moved within 8 weeks of the first phone call.
Questions for you folks (sorry if some of them are totally obvious but I have never stepped foot in your state before!):
1) How horrific is the [driving] commute from Crestmoor to Centennial?
2) Would the [driving] commute be better from Hilltop to Centennial?
3) Is there some kind of train/transit system that could be used instead?
*I am focused on the Centennial/Hilltop area because of the JCC and the presence of several synagogues (we are Jewish) and while not Orthodox, I prefer to be within walking distance to shul.
4) For folks who live in this area [Crestmoor/Hilltop], how many of them send their children to private school? (I was shocked to discover Denver has 196 public schools and over 300 private schools!).
5) If we purchased a home under $500K in Crestmoor/Hilltop (amid the beautiful $1+M homes), would we be made to feel "poor"? Are folks "snobby" in this area?
6) Do junior high boys play tackle football? (Here in the SF Bay Area, parents think soccer is more refined but all my kid wants to play is football!)
7) From what I understand, there is no Trader Joe's in the entire state of Colorado! Where do people grocery shop? Right now I frequent Trader Joes, Costco, a huge co-op called Berkeley Bowl, and we have a great neighborhood produce market. I pretty much completely avoid big grocery stores such as Safeway, Vons, Ralphs, & Raley's. Along those lines, what ARE your grocery stores?
8) Is Denver kind of like Las Vegas in the sense that you have a downtown (the Strip) and then suburbs for miles in all directions? Las Vegas has big beautiful track homes on the cheap but they lack in walkability and neighborhood feel. Is there an "older" Denver that has big trees and a bit more character than say, the newer homes in Highlands Ranch?
9) From what I have gleaned so far, Denver seems very dog friendly. How difficult would it be to find a rental with a pitbull (who is Good Canine Citizen certified?)
10) What are the nearby ski/snowboard resorts? How far of a drive? Do most high schools have ski teams?
11) We currently survive with just one car (a Honda Fit). How imperative is a vehicle with AWD? Could we have one AWD vehicle and our Fit? Do we NEED to be a two car family in Denver? (We lived in San Diego before the SF Bay Area and SD requires a car per adult whereas we can get by with just one car in the SF Bay because we live in an dense urban area with decent public trans).
12) I am a stay-at-home mother to two children (5 and 8 - both in school). Are there a lot of other SAHM's in the Denver area? In San Diego I had other SAHM friends but since moving to SFBay, most families have both parents working.
13) Do the kids ever get snow days in school? Typically about how many?
14) What is the general vibe? Is it easy for transplants to make friends? Are people totally chill & friendly (like San Diego)? Are they a bit uptight and intellectually pretentious (like SF Bay Area)? Are folks friendly but keep you at a distance (like Portland)?
15) We LOVE to eat out and I consider it to be a culinary crime that California made foie gras illegal. Are there phenomenal restaurants for days? Or would a foodie have hit the most exciting places within a year (assuming we eat out twice a month at places that are in the $25-50 entree range)? Is there a place with awesome sashimi? What are the local munchie foods? (SD = Mexican food, Oakland = Fried Chicken, SF = Chinese) What is Denver known for food-wise? Are there any Michelin star restaurants?
Unfortunately pit bulls are illegal in Denver and some but not all surrounding cities. You will need to select a city that allows them. But Denver is out. You have good questions but I'd wait on the location ones until you know where the job is and then you can select a synagogue area near the job.
Firstly, you need to spend LOTS of time reading through the many informative threads here. This will help you get a better understanding of Denver and will also answer many of your questions.
1) Depends on where in Centennial. Centennial is the second or third largest city in the state and very spread out. I just Googled "Crestmoor area of Denver" and found a very informative site, including driving distance to the Denver Tech Center, which may be very near your husband's possible job.
2) Ditto. I think that Hilltop and Crestmoor are adjacent to each other, so not much difference in commute time.
3) No. Look at Regional Transportation District maps. Light rail mainly goes from suburbs into downtown. Nothing at all like San Francisco.
4) Don't know
5) Don't know
6) Yes
7) Three Trader Joe's coming; first one in Denver opening soon. See the existing thread on this topic.
8) There are many lovely older neighborhoods in Denver and some of the surrounding suburbs also have a small downtowns and older homes. However, most of the housing is newer and what people call "cookie cutter".
9) Denver is very dog friendly, but not if your dog is a pit bull. Again, there is a thread or two about this topic and which cities have outlawed pit bulls. You will have a very hard time finding rentals with a pit bull.
10) Ski resorts are as close as an hour away, but traffic into the mountains on weekends is a killer.
11) Yes, you probably need two cars.
12) Yes, there are a lot of stay at home moms.
13) Kids get snow days, not very frequent. If they miss a day for snow, then they have to make that up at the end of the school year.
14) There are a lot of threads on this subject.
15) There are some threads on this subject, too. Denver isn't really known to be a foodie city, especially compared to SF.
16) You should also read up on acclimating to the altitude and dryness in Denver.
There's a synagogue on Belleview Avenue just east of I-25 that you may want to check out.
1. You need to find where you CAN live with a pit bull.
2. Then you need to find out the work address as Centennial is a huge "east-west" space. Also, do not confuse postal addresses and physical addresses. They are/can be quite different in greater Denver. "Englewood" and "Littleton" in particular.
1) How horrific is the [driving] commute from Crestmoor to Centennial? Very Horrific
2) Would the [driving] commute be better from Hilltop to Centennial? Just as bad
3) Is there some kind of train/transit system that could be used instead? Light Rail goes to Centennial, it just doesn't go anywhere near Crestmoor or Hilltop.
*I am focused on the Centennial/Hilltop area because of the JCC and the presence of several synagogues (we are Jewish) and while not Orthodox, I prefer to be within walking distance to shul.
4) For folks who live in this area [Crestmoor/Hilltop], how many of them send their children to private school? (I was shocked to discover Denver has 196 public schools and over 300 private schools!). Many people will send their kids to East High School or the George Washington HS IB program. Otherwise it's private school.
5) If we purchased a home under $500K in Crestmoor/Hilltop (amid the beautiful $1+M homes), would we be made to feel "poor"? Are folks "snobby" in this area? Not sure about this one.
6) Do junior high boys play tackle football? (Here in the SF Bay Area, parents think soccer is more refined but all my kid wants to play is football!) There are several leagues, but few in that area.
7) From what I understand, there is no Trader Joe's in the entire state of Colorado! Where do people grocery shop? Right now I frequent Trader Joes, Costco, a huge co-op called Berkeley Bowl, and we have a great neighborhood produce market. I pretty much completely avoid big grocery stores such as Safeway, Vons, Ralphs, & Raley's. Along those lines, what ARE your grocery stores? Trader Joe's is coming. You could also try Sunflower.
8) Is Denver kind of like Las Vegas in the sense that you have a downtown (the Strip) and then suburbs for miles in all directions? Las Vegas has big beautiful track homes on the cheap but they lack in walkability and neighborhood feel. Is there an "older" Denver that has big trees and a bit more character than say, the newer homes in Highlands Ranch? Older Denver is walkable, has big trees, more character, but poor schools, and expensive real estate.
9) From what I have gleaned so far, Denver seems very dog friendly. How difficult would it be to find a rental with a pitbull (who is Good Canine Citizen certified?) Pit bulls are illegal in Denver.
10) What are the nearby ski/snowboard resorts? How far of a drive? Do most high schools have ski teams? Ski resorts are between 90 mins and 2 hours away. Skiing is a HS sport, but only a few mountain schools actually have teams.
11) We currently survive with just one car (a Honda Fit). How imperative is a vehicle with AWD? Could we have one AWD vehicle and our Fit? Do we NEED to be a two car family in Denver? (We lived in San Diego before the SF Bay Area and SD requires a car per adult whereas we can get by with just one car in the SF Bay because we live in an dense urban area with decent public trans). AWD is not necessary, but it makes the non-snow drivers feel better. You'll need one car per adult.
12) I am a stay-at-home mother to two children (5 and 8 - both in school). Are there a lot of other SAHM's in the Denver area? In San Diego I had other SAHM friends but since moving to SFBay, most families have both parents working. The suburbs have more SAHMs than the city.
13) Do the kids ever get snow days in school? Typically about how many? Yes. Maybe one or two per year. Tops.
14) What is the general vibe? Is it easy for transplants to make friends? Are people totally chill & friendly (like San Diego)? Are they a bit uptight and intellectually pretentious (like SF Bay Area)? Are folks friendly but keep you at a distance (like Portland)? Like Portland.
15) We LOVE to eat out and I consider it to be a culinary crime that California made foie gras illegal. Are there phenomenal restaurants for days? Or would a foodie have hit the most exciting places within a year (assuming we eat out twice a month at places that are in the $25-50 entree range)? Is there a place with awesome sashimi? What are the local munchie foods? (SD = Mexican food, Oakland = Fried Chicken, SF = Chinese) What is Denver known for food-wise? Are there any Michelin star restaurants?
There are very good restaurants in Denver. Denver has its own brand of Mexican food that is different than that in California or Texas. There are also many people disappointed with the pizza in Denver.
Thank you very much for your time!
See my answers in red above.
Also:
Aish Denver is in Greenwood Village (adjacent to Centennial) and is home to the Southeast Denver eruv.
My husband is in the early stages of a job interview for a position in Centennial (so early we don't even have an address for the company yet!) but the last time he started job hunting, we moved within 8 weeks of the first phone call.
Questions for you folks (sorry if some of them are totally obvious but I have never stepped foot in your state before!):
1) How horrific is the [driving] commute from Crestmoor to Centennial? Depends on where in Centennial, but it is manageable.
2) Would the [driving] commute be better from Hilltop to Centennial? Basically the same neighborhood as Crestmoor
3) Is there some kind of train/transit system that could be used instead? Yes. You could drive/ride the bus to a light rail stop along I-25...as long as the office is near I-25
*I am focused on the Centennial/Hilltop area because of the JCC and the presence of several synagogues (we are Jewish) and while not Orthodox, I prefer to be within walking distance to shul.
4) For folks who live in this area [Crestmoor/Hilltop], how many of them send their children to private school? (I was shocked to discover Denver has 196 public schools and over 300 private schools!). Used to live in Mayfair just north of Crestmoor/Hilltop...the public schools for this area are fantastic (Carson and Steck) and many families do send their kids to these schools (they are impossible to choice into if you don't live in the boundary area). However, a number of families also send their kids to Graland (private).
5) If we purchased a home under $500K in Crestmoor/Hilltop (amid the beautiful $1+M homes), would we be made to feel "poor"? Are folks "snobby" in this area? Not in my opinion
6) Do junior high boys play tackle football? (Here in the SF Bay Area, parents think soccer is more refined but all my kid wants to play is football!) Lacross is suprisingly big in this area. There are football teams for junior high schoolers in East Denver, but it doesn't seem to be a big thing within this neighborhood
7) From what I understand, there is no Trader Joe's in the entire state of Colorado! Where do people grocery shop? Right now I frequent Trader Joes, Costco, a huge co-op called Berkeley Bowl, and we have a great neighborhood produce market. I pretty much completely avoid big grocery stores such as Safeway, Vons, Ralphs, & Raley's. Along those lines, what ARE your grocery stores? Trader Joe's is open five stores in Colorado, including one at the NW corner of Hilltop. King Soopers is the big conventional, with Whole Foods and Sprouts dominating the "natural" grocer market
8) Is Denver kind of like Las Vegas in the sense that you have a downtown (the Strip) and then suburbs for miles in all directions? Las Vegas has big beautiful track homes on the cheap but they lack in walkability and neighborhood feel. Is there an "older" Denver that has big trees and a bit more character than say, the newer homes in Highlands Ranch? Much of East Denver has older homes with big trees
9) From what I have gleaned so far, Denver seems very dog friendly. How difficult would it be to find a rental with a pitbull (who is Good Canine Citizen certified?) IDK
10) What are the nearby ski/snowboard resorts? How far of a drive? Do most high schools have ski teams? IDK about high school ski teams. The nearest resort is Loveland, I think...but many are near that area.
11) We currently survive with just one car (a Honda Fit). How imperative is a vehicle with AWD? Could we have one AWD vehicle and our Fit? Do we NEED to be a two car family in Denver? (We lived in San Diego before the SF Bay Area and SD requires a car per adult whereas we can get by with just one car in the SF Bay because we live in an dense urban area with decent public trans). We have a AWD Volvo and a VW Beetle. Works fine because it doesn't snow that often.
12) I am a stay-at-home mother to two children (5 and 8 - both in school). Are there a lot of other SAHM's in the Denver area? In San Diego I had other SAHM friends but since moving to SFBay, most families have both parents working. Yes.
13) Do the kids ever get snow days in school? Typically about how many? Yes. Maybe 2-5 a year
14) What is the general vibe? Is it easy for transplants to make friends? Are people totally chill & friendly (like San Diego)? Are they a bit uptight and intellectually pretentious (like SF Bay Area)? Are folks friendly but keep you at a distance (like Portland)? Vibe = Live and let live. I'm a transplant and I've had an easy time making friends. Denver people are nice and definitely not intellectually pretentious.
15) We LOVE to eat out and I consider it to be a culinary crime that California made foie gras illegal. Are there phenomenal restaurants for days? Or would a foodie have hit the most exciting places within a year (assuming we eat out twice a month at places that are in the $25-50 entree range)? Is there a place with awesome sashimi? What are the local munchie foods? (SD = Mexican food, Oakland = Fried Chicken, SF = Chinese) What is Denver known for food-wise? Are there any Michelin star restaurants? You can keep entertained at two meals per month. It seems like a new restaurant opens in Highland and River North every day. Plenty of great high-end options. It is not SF though. Denver is known for meat. You will have to try a place like the Buckhorn for exotic meats. A local munchie joint I absolutely adore is Biker Jim's. It has been featured on food shows and it serves things like rattlesnake sausage. For ethnic food, I really enjoy the selection of Ethiopian and Vietnamese restaurants here.
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The pit bull thing is probably a deal killer. Other than that, Hilltop/Crestmoor would be awesome for you. I send my daughter to preschool at the JCC. It's great.
Denver is nothing like Vegas. Just not even comparable.
I read up on the Denver and their incredibly strict pit bull ordinances. WOW. Pretty much a deal breaker for us. I don't think he'll persue the job opportunity. That was quick! Thanks for your help.
I read up on the Denver and their incredibly strict pit bull ordinances. WOW. Pretty much a deal breaker for us. I don't think he'll persue the job opportunity. That was quick! Thanks for your help.
You have perfect year round weather where you are now and an ocean.
*I am focused on the Centennial/Hilltop area because of the JCC and the presence of several synagogues (we are Jewish) and while not Orthodox, I prefer to be within walking distance to shul.
There is a temple in Greenwood village. my wife is jewish (though we don't belong). Aish Denver is the name. . .and tons of housing near it and a great school system.
I know there are variations to Jewish temples, so not sure if this one qualifies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by empearls
7) From what I understand, there is no Trader Joe's in the entire state of Colorado! Where do people grocery shop? Right now I frequent Trader Joes, Costco, a huge co-op called Berkeley Bowl, and we have a great neighborhood produce market. I pretty much completely avoid big grocery stores such as Safeway, Vons, Ralphs, & Raley's. Along those lines, what ARE your grocery stores?
It might be worth mentioning, but Trader Joes starts up in Denver in January. 3 stores at least. . to begin.
I live in Centennial area though and primarily use Super Wal-Mart (awesome wal-mart) and Super Target. I rarely if ever head over to King Sooper (Part of the kroger family like Ralphs).
Sams Club is near lone tree. . don't know where a Costco is, but its around here somewhere
Quote:
Originally Posted by empearls
10) What are the nearby ski/snowboard resorts? How far of a drive? Do most high schools have ski teams?
Loveland Ski Area is between an 1hr and 1hr 45 minutes (Depending on traffic) and is the closest. Next is Winter Park. . .I would think. Breckenridge and Vail are a little further out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by empearls
11) We currently survive with just one car (a Honda Fit). How imperative is a vehicle with AWD?
Not imperative. not a lot of snow in Denver. Mountains are interstate, so hopefully you don't drive during a snow storm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by empearls
15) We LOVE to eat out and I consider it to be a culinary crime that California made foie gras illegal. Are there phenomenal restaurants for days? Or would a foodie have hit the most exciting places within a year (assuming we eat out twice a month at places that are in the $25-50 entree range)? Is there a place with awesome sashimi? What are the local munchie foods? (SD = Mexican food, Oakland = Fried Chicken, SF = Chinese) What is Denver known for food-wise? Are there any Michelin star restaurants?
Thank you very much for your time!
Denver doesn't have much as far as "local" food that I would say, other than Beer.
But the food scene is strong. . .From Rioja and Euclid Hall to Fraesca in Boulder. No problems eating
and Foi Gras is legal
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