denver or boulder-diversity and safety (Westminster, Thornton: best cities, renting, homes)

[manub]

We are a family of 4 from India moving to Colorado in Jan 2018 with 2 kids who are 9 years and 5 years age respectively. Based on posts on forums, Denver has been suggested as an area which is more diverse than Boulder (my office). Please advise if this is true.
Also given my office is in Boulder, what would be recommended areas to live that have good school districts(rating 8-10) that have diversity and no bullying due to lack of diversity, are safe for a family to live as well. Also are there residential areas that have known safety issues due to wild animals and snakes stalking for children? Sorry we might be freaking up here but saw mention of snakes, bears and mountain lions in some areas that have trails but any information would help. We love the idea of outdoor activity and would like to make the right decision here and hence being open about what we are thinking at this point.

Thanks a lot for folks taking time out to respond with information.

[Mike from back east]

If it matters there is a decent sized Indian population in the Denver area. If not already done, try using our search tool on the word INDIAN to find existing threads that have a good deal of info. Boulder is very expensive but nearby towns may work well enough.

As far as schools go, there seems a consensus in these forums that Boulder Valley School District is one of the better ones in the region, though others are also excellent. BVSD is another searchable term here.

[mic111]

What is your budget?

Boulder through Broomfield are probably good locations for commuting. Not very diverse. I don't have children but suspect you won't have a problem with bullying but it only takes one bad child so...

Anthem in Broomfield once had a problem with coyotes attacking children. Coyotes do tend to stalk things and are the only real threat in the suburbs.
In two months, three coyote attacks on kids in Broomfield – The Denver Post
The snakes generally don't stalk children. Your kids have to be running in the brush off trail and step on them. If a rattle snake is laying on a open trail it is easier to see it and avoid it. Generally when hiking keep the kids with you, don't let them run ahead or fall behind. Keep them on the trail. If there are mountain lions on a trail alot of the time you won't see them and they will only usually snag a kid if the kid is away from the group. Bears aren't that interested in people unless people get between them and their cubs. Moose will charge so not a good idea to get close accidentally or not. Likely you won't be out in the wilderness too often unless you make a concerted effort to get there. Boulder trails are packed with people so almost no wildlife. Your biggest threats will be off leash dogs and being run down by mountain bikers who feel it is a sin to apply their brakes.

Maybe to ease your integration go for something like Bradburn in Westminster where there is a ton of kids and a tighter community.
Example house.
https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...ct/15_zm/1_fr/

Seems like knowing the parents would help guard against bullying. It is an upscale, more educated community which would lend itself to probably better parenting and thus less bullying. Schools are highly ranked. Much is in walking distance. There is open space behind the community where you can walk on safe trails to the public library.

Schools are excellent.
10 out of 10 Cotton Creek Elementary K-5 0.7 mi

9 out of 10 Westlake Middle 6-8 2.4 mi

8 out of 10 Legacy High 9-12 2.6 mi

If your kids test with high IQs you could try to get them into Stargate for next year.
http://www.stargateschool.org/

[SkyDog77]

If you can afford Boulder, live in Boulder.

Rattlesnakes bite if you step on them, they aren’t hunting children. They eat mice. Bears don’t hunt people. Mountain lion encounters are extremely rare, they usually only pick off a few dozen people a year.

[brown_dog_us]

Since your office is in Boulder, I would live in Boulder if you can afford it.

We really need your housing budget to help point you to the right place.

[NorthDenverGirl]

Boulder, Lafayette, Louisville (I have friends that are Indian that live in Louisville, they love it there), Broomfield. I would stay in the Boulder Valley School District as they have the best reputation in the Boulder and surrounding areas.

Adams 12 also has some 8-10 schools and Gifted and Talented schools including Stargate that you can test in to, just as another area to look at. Stargate has a diverse community, I have a lot of friends who have children that go there.

IOn the north side of town I would say areas like Westminster and Thornton probably have some of the most diverse communities. I would stay on the North side of Thornton and the North to North West side of Westminster. We don't have to worry about bears or mountain lions so much out here. I am an Australian by birth so snakes don't really bother me

[wilberry]

Tum Kesa Ho

Boulder, Colorado % Indians (Asian) in Boulder, CO 118,400 0.62 %
Louisville, Colorado 28,480 0.86 %
Lafayette, Colorado 25,237 0.40 %

Boulder is very happy place to live .

The 10 Happiest Cities – No. 1 – Moneywatch.bnet.com
Top Brainiest Cities – No. 1 – Portfolio.com
Ten Best Cities for the Next Decade – No. 4 – Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine
Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index – No. 1 – USA Today
Best Cities to Raise an Outdoor Kid – No. 1 – Backpacker Magazine

and has the craziest Ideas

in 2005, the city experimented with using goats for weed control in environmentally sensitive areas. Goats naturally consume diffuse knapweed and Canada thistle, and although the program was not as effective as it was hoped, goats will still be considered in the future weed control projects. In 2010, goats were used to keep weeds under control at the Boulder Reservoir.