Family with three kids moving from Winnetka Il to Colorado

[emm74]

Where is work?

And while it is a part of Denver, you might want to check out Stapleton. it offers great proximity to the rest of Denver while being very family friendly areas with great schools and activities supporting a family/kid-oriented lifestyle and tons of outdoor green space, biking paths, etc.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by lgbc2009

Hi. The Littleton just SW of Denver. I like the look of it being close to the hills etc, and I was presuming that would mean good access to better road biking, directly from house etc..
Am I correct in thinking that?
It also seems to have very good sports facilities..?

The one thing I would caution with Littleton is that it is mostly a sprawling Denver suburb. Growing up here I used to not understand what people meant when they came on here looking for a "town". I've spent quite a bit of time in Chicagoland and New England over the past two years and I think i get it more now. Littleton doesn't fit that very well in my opinion. Evergreen does much more.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

The whole "towns" thing is different in the west though. Likely not what you are expecting

Important notation here. Population tends to collect around significant metro areas and tends to grow into each other turning it into one large "city" that is comprised of multiple individual 150k+"cities" within the metro area. We do not have a multitude of outlying towns of small 15-20k population in towns with a grocery and rec center that have a 45 minute commute to the city.

Originally Posted by lgbc2009

we would like to have a more outdoor life, with nicer scenery. I am happy to do something different..

Outdoor life we've got...and plenty of it. Scenery, that can become a subjective topic as the mountains photograph well and have a certain presence within the area, but Denver is not a mountain city and the climate here is very dry. This time of year we have the 50 shades of beige going on that will translate into more regular greenery in the summer, but nothing like what you are familiar with in Illinois. That could be the difference you want, but until you experience, you may not know.


I'd recommend the read from the link below of a couple that just made their first visit here looking to relocate from a more humid locale.


Fantasy vs. Reality- Our First CO Trip- Questions/ Observations

[alliern]

From your initial post, Evergreen, Conifer, mountain Morrison would fit what you are looking for. These areas all sit west of Denver in the foothills. Your budget would work in all three. The biggest bang for your buck would be south Evergreen and Conifer.

Evergreen does encompass two school districts. Clear Creek County schools are smaller in size and some choose to open enroll into the Jefferson County schools instead. There are no guarantees that space would be available and you'd have to drive your kiddos since there is no bus service for out of district children, but I haven't heard of kids being turned away. New students start throughout the year. The Jefferson County schools in Evergreen do have excellent ratings from elementary right through high school, but of course do your own research. I believe that Evergreen High School was ranked #7 in the state in 2015. Conifer and mountain Morrison are part of the Jeffco school district as well.

There is a recreational and competitive youth soccer club in Evergreen. It is the Altitude FC soccer program. Here's a link: Altitude FC My three kids have been playing competitive soccer with this organization since we moved here in 2008. It's well run and has (in my opinion) some great coaches. Practices are held at a beautiful turf field in south Evergreen near Marshdale, but they are also held at grass fields located throughout Evergreen (mostly at the schools).

There are many kids who live in Evergreen and the immediate surrounding areas that participate in competitive ice hockey. There's no formal program "up the hill", but there are plenty of car pools that you can hook up with for practices. The EDGE ice arena and APEX rec center are the two closest places where many of the ice hockey kids on the west side of metro Denver play.

Beautiful scenery is not lacking in Evergreen either. My advice would be to check it out on your March visit. Immerse yourself in the community and talk to whomever you bump into. Ask questions and tour some of the schools. Good luck with your search!

[lgbc2009]

Thanks so much for all your insight!!

[Sunderpig2]

Originally Posted by lgbc2009

....we would like to have a more outdoor life, with nicer scenery.

You'll might find less of those in CO, especially around Denver. You'll likely be trading a town of 12K for a heavily urbanized area, even if the particular town statistically has low population. You'll be trading heavily wooded areas and stands of taller and denser trees for a very open area with scrawny trees. What you'll gain in comfort (from the heavily dry air), you'll lose in green/wooded scenery. It's radically different environment here. The culture is different too (mountain and western). Make sure you visit first and get a good look around before getting to caught up in the plans. We haven't come across any "warm communities" here, but you may want to define what that means to you.