Moving from CT: Looking for walkable town/neighborhood with excellent schools (Arvada: live in, county)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by emm74

I said most likely, not the only option. But I also think that living close to work and kid's school is worth putting pretty high up on the must have list, as I also mentioned. Even putting weather aside, commutes in the Denver metro area are only getting worse, not better.

The OP has said s/he will be traveling the dsitrict, so a home in the close in burbs will probably put him/her as close as anything on the east side, which is where the "good" schools are. I can understand not wanting one's kids in the same district. I've heard other school workers say the same thing.

[abcdefg567]

Originally Posted by history nerd

I suppose the area right off of Main could be considered walkable but it's a stretch if you ask me.

That's what I was thinking. The little strip by the park with the ice cream shop & coffee maybe? There's a Montessori school too. Not sure how far the nearest housing is though.

[history nerd]

Originally Posted by abcdefg567

That's what I was thinking. The little strip by the park with the ice cream shop & coffee maybe? There's a Montessori school too. Not sure how far the nearest housing is though.

There are some smaller houses right around there in the old part of town... I'm not really a Parker person nor a fan of Montessori schools but that is mostly due to ideological stuff.

[DexterCT]

Thank you all for lots to think about. The reason for not wanting my kids in DPS is mainly so I can have "separate lives": one as a mom who can advocate for her children in school if needed, and one as an administrator. Past experiences have helped me understand that it is difficult to do both effectively without compromising one or the other. Nothing against DPS at all...it is just a line I've drawn as an educator and parent.

Bradburn looks like an area that could really work for us, and I will definitely start to research a lot of the other areas mentioned here. I truly appreciate your feedback and candor.

[NorthDenverGirl]

Hi There,

There are some nice neighborhoods in the North burbs that would allow you to walk to shops etc. I would take a look in the Adams 12 and Boulder Valley School districts. Neighborhoods you might want to check out.

Bradburn - Westminster
Quail Hill - Westminster
Arista Area - Broomfield
Waneka Point - Lafayette
Hearthwood - Lafayette
Saddlewood - Westminster (and surrounding neighborhoods)
Neighborhoods around downtown Arvada might also work for you.

[MsMetal]

Originally Posted by DexterCT

Hi all,
I will be moving with my family to the Denver-area this summer and I'm looking for a neighborhood in Denver-metro that is walkable to shops, restaurants, etc...in an excellent school district. I know that Cherry Creek schools are great, but I'm struggling to find if there are any walkable areas there;

Cherry Creek does have walkable areas, especially Cherry Creek North which is a shopping & restaurant district, but with lots of houses too, across from Cherry Creek Mall. Also Bonnie Brae has some walkable stuff to do. Cherry Creek is quite expensive though & most of the homes are older homes. Lovely area though.

[kiwid]

If your good with a further distance look into Louisville,co. The schools are excellent plus your close to all stores, restaurants, library, parks and it's very safe! The community is young families and they do lots of community family activities every weekend! It's a little further and out of the district. But trust me you won't regret it. Very friendly people too!
Also they're just rehabbing the rec center. I have a post with more details on this great town.

Good luck

[emm74]

Originally Posted by MsMetal

Cherry Creek does have walkable areas, especially Cherry Creek North which is a shopping & restaurant district, but with lots of houses too, across from Cherry Creek Mall. Also Bonnie Brae has some walkable stuff to do. Cherry Creek is quite expensive though & most of the homes are older homes. Lovely area though.

Cherry Creek North does not feed intothe Cherry Creek school district which is what the OP was talking about. She does not want to be in DPS.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by MsMetal

Cherry Creek does have walkable areas, especially Cherry Creek North which is a shopping & restaurant district, but with lots of houses too, across from Cherry Creek Mall. Also Bonnie Brae has some walkable stuff to do. Cherry Creek is quite expensive though & most of the homes are older homes. Lovely area though.

Most of the homes in Cherry Creek are not what I would consider to be "older". They are late 20th century/early 21st century. All the older stuff was torn down. Moot point though since this discussion was about CCSD, not the neighborhood.

[mic111]

You may want to look around the Streets of SouthGlenn. It is one of the new fangled outdoor malls with restaurants, grocery and stores. There are extensive trails near there. A good rec. center in Goodson Rec Center and the schools are good.

The Streets at SouthGlenn | Shopping & Dining

https://www.ssprd.org/Goodson-Recreation-Center

Maybe something in Cherry Knolls like this:
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...94_rect/12_zm/

Do check to see if there is room to get into the neighborhood schools if you buy into the neighborhood mid to late summer. I know in my area which has alot of newer homes the schools are brimming and you can't always get into the neighborhood schools. The very excellent gifted and lotto schools can be applied to for the next school year. You may have better luck in neighborhoods like this one which are older and the demographics are not all young kids.

If you wanted to be closer/walking distance to light rail there is much to walk to along Arapahoe (grocery/restaurants/library/movies etc). Here is an example in the neighborhood just south of there.
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...28_rect/12_zm/

Another neighborhood to look at in the area is Heritage Place. This is all I could find in there right now but something bigger may come up.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7...13129570_zpid/