From East Bay to Denver, CO (Colorado Springs, Aurora: house, neighborhoods, school districts)

[CampGeery]

Hello Everyone,
My husband and I have been in talks for quite a while about a lifestyle change and he recommends moving out of state. We currently live in Concord and the price of homes here in the Bay Area are down right insulting for what you get around here! I came across a home for $518k that had postings on the outside stating that entering could be hazardous to your health. It's basically a tear down. Anything that looks good is close to $800k and the kitchen or baths typically still need to be renovated. The question we had to ask ourselves was, "is it worth spending an additional $300k on a house fifteen minutes from where we currently live in just so we can put our son in a better school district?" All the school districts that are good are located outside our budget, and the districts we can afford are lousy. We have been in contact with a realtor in the Denver area who has been very helpful sending us listings within our price range of $450-$500k. The quality of builds and the look of homes look like good quality compared to the traditional ranchers you get here that are limited on bedrooms and lot size.
Now, my parents live two towns away from us and their thinking is to stay here in California because it's just so beautiful and they cannot move away and afford to move back into their current neighborhood because it's so expensive. (They are stuck in their ways of thinking, but ultimately I know they want the family to stay close, so any reason is a good reason to stay.) My husband came across an interesting article about what it takes to retire these days and the first on the list was moving to an affordable area. Ok, we are willing to move-however, I want to know about the neighborhoods of Littleton, Cherry Creek, Centennial, Lakewood, and Golden? I've looked online and have only come across trails and pictures of malls. What do the streets look like? I know that most of these neighborhoods are planned communities, but what are the people like? Is there pride of ownership? Do kids thrive in a track home neighborhood or more rural areas where there is lots of land between you and your neighbor? I know that the lifestyle is up to my husband and I and how we ultimately raise our kids. Are there historic areas, strip malls or indoor malls? Places here in the East Bay are already established that are beautiful. Where can I find established areas? I love the feel of the city, but do any of these areas listed give you a city feel with amenities without having to commute to the city?
Any help would be great help for us! We have been in our current home for two years in April, so we can move anytime without having to worry about capital gains tax. I look forward to reading what information anyone has!

Thank you,
CampGeery

[Mike from back east]

You will find excellent homes in the Denver Metro Area for your price range, even more for your money if Colorado Springs appeals to you.

Consensus on the board is that the Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) and Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) are among the best in the region.

Where would work be? That can determine best areas to look at for the sake of commuting.

We have plenty of threads in here on the areas you mentioned; find them in the Index of Key threads or by using our search tool.

[Claire S.]

Originally Posted by CampGeery

Hello Everyone,

I want to know about the neighborhoods of Littleton, Cherry Creek, Centennial, Lakewood, and Golden? I've looked online and have only come across trails and pictures of malls. What do the streets look like? I know that most of these neighborhoods are planned communities, but what are the people like? Is there pride of ownership? Do kids thrive in a track home neighborhood or more rural areas where there is lots of land between you and your neighbor? I know that the lifestyle is up to my husband and I and how we ultimately raise our kids. Are there historic areas, strip malls or indoor malls? Places here in the East Bay are already established that are beautiful. Where can I find established areas? I love the feel of the city, but do any of these areas listed give you a city feel with amenities without having to commute to the city?
Any help would be great help for us! We have been in our current home for two years in April, so we can move anytime without having to worry about capital gains tax. I look forward to reading what information anyone has!

Thank you,
CampGeery

First off, there is a Cherry Creek School District and a Cherry Creek neighborhood in Denver, but there isn't a town called Cherry Creek. The school district covers parts of Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, Englewood, Centennial, and Aurora. The neighborhood, which isn't within the school district, is a higher end neighborhood in Central Denver.

I can't really generalize the people that live in these communities, but I'd say Coloradans have more of a live and let live attitude than Californians (I grew up in Northern California).

I think kids thrive in a multitude of environments - it isn't exclusive to rural or track home settings. There are even urban neighborhoods that have great schools here.

There aren't many "historic areas" outside of the city of Denver. Littleton has a small, cute downtown area and Golden has a bit of a picturesque setting, but many of these communities resemble the type of sprawl you might see in the newer exurbs of the Bay Area. There are indoor malls, but most new development and redevelopment focus on creating outdoor "lifestyle centers" that have a pseudo main street. Strip malls are very common throughout the metro area.

The most established areas are in the city. Golden feels a bit like a small independent town. The other areas will feel like Bay Area exurbs. Honestly, if you like the feel and amenities offered in the city, along with large trees, historic neighborhoods, and walkable amenities, I'd focus my search on neighborhoods in the city that meet your needs. The are very good public schools in the city - you just have to target specific schools instead of whole districts.

[davebarnes]

Jobs?
Where are your jobs?

[CampGeery]

Thank you Clare S. for your input. Good advice on focusing on specific schools vs school districts. My husband and I are taking a trip out to Colorado mid April to wander around and check out different neighborhoods.
Dave Barnes, I'm an Esthetician (Skincare specialist) and my husband works for Wells Fargo. We also have a ten month old son. My husband will be working in downtown Denver and I will be a stay at home mom until he is a little older, and I would love to work part time.
Question: Are there good communities that are targeted for stay at home moms? I love getting out of the house and meeting new people and going on adventures with my son.

CampGeery

[philberf]

Originally Posted by CampGeery

Question: Are there good communities that are targeted for stay at home moms? I love getting out of the house and meeting new people and going on adventures with my son.

Depending on other factors, a few I'd investigate depending on your other criteria/budget include Stapleton in NE Denver, Littleton/Ken Caryl, which is a SW suburb, and your aforementioned Centennial/Greenwood Village areas. A few northern suburbs have lots to offer as well, such as Westminster, Lafayette.

Within Denver, a lot depends on what you're looking for and your budget, but other than Stapleton, other places to look into are Park Hill, Lowry, and maybe further south like the Holly Hills/Southmoor neighborhoods. Parts of the Holly Hills area gets you into the Cherry Creek School District even (http://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Di...istrictMap.pdf)

Stapleton is much less established than any of the other places mentioned, due to the fact that it's a redevelopment of the old airport. But I lived there for 3 years and can say it's plenty family friendly, a decent number of stay at home moms, lots of good parks, but on the other hand, lots of kids, some weird mommy competition vibes, and relatively smaller lots compared to other places mentioned.

I grew up in the SF Bay Area, but have been gone for quite some time now (nearly twenty years), but I can tell you that I like the relatively more laid back feel of Denver over the "bleeding cutting edge" as I heard the bay area described once.

I think the places you mentioned will all have good possibilities for nice neighborhoods, neighbors, and good access to a lot in terms of parks, programs, schools, etc. The devil will be in the details, as others have mentioned, in terms of specific areas even within some of the towns/neighborhoods.

[Claire S.]

Originally Posted by CampGeery

Question: Are there good communities that are targeted for stay at home moms? I love getting out of the house and meeting new people and going on adventures with my son.

CampGeery

I currently live in Stapleton. There are lots of people out and about on warm, sunny days like today. Very social neighbors. Block parties. Lots of kids. Many of my neighbors are stay-at-home moms.