Relocating to Denver area: Best suburbs for families? (Colorado Springs, Aurora: fit in, home search)

[Coryhaley]

My husband was just hired to work in the new Gaylord Rockies, which is located in Aurora close to the airport (or so we are told). We currently live in the greater New York City area. We have researched as much about Denver and the surrounding suburbs about as much as a person can, without having stepped foot in the state.

We have narrowed our home search area to 3 suburbs... Stapleton, Centennial and Parker. We understand that Stapleton is about 15 mins from the resort and Parker is about 30.

What we would like to know is the opinions of locals regarding these 3 towns. How are the schools? The towns themselves? Do they have downtown areas? Just in general what is the overall consensus?

Also, are there any other towns we may have missed that fit into a similar criteria? We don’t want the commute to be any further than 30mins. Price range has to be comparable to these areas. And we need a single family home with a fenced yard for a dog. Not a huge yard. But a yard. I’ve noticed in some neighborhoods closer to Denver proper, the lot sizes are minimal.

On another side note.... we were told that there is a new development sprouting up very close to the resort. About 5 mins away. Anyone know the name of this development? And thoughts of course.

We would really appreciate any feedback. This is a HUGE move for our family. Cross country. And we need all the info we can get. And remember, we are New Yorkers, we aren’t scared of much. So, please be honest.

Thank you!

[Mike from back east]

Not much out there to be scared of; it will be a very nice change. Low humidity, few bugs, no NY prices.

[Coryhaley]

Thanks Mike!

I love to hear the no bugs thing. Because they are horrendous here. Along with the humidity! We are set to move in July. Just in time. Can’t wait.

[DrDog]

I live in Colorado Springs so can’t help with neighborhoods. The new development near the resort is “High point”. The resort is right on the toll freeway so could be quick commute to other areas along the 470.

[Texas Ag 93]

Stapleton is going to give you the best commute. It's a very large Master Planned Development located within Denver proper, so it's not a suburb, let alone a separate town. It's an urban location with a suburban feel. Very family oriented, tons of kids. Schools are DPS and very good. Multiple town centers with retail and restaurant options. Lots and yards are small by design, but that is offset with lots of green space, parks and community pools.

We lived in Stapleton when we were in Denver 2012-15 and I liked it, though my husband did not. I think for you the commute really puts it over the top compared to the other areas you're looking at, but I would encourage you to visit and make sure you think it would be a good fit for your family.

[reed303]

A couple points to consider:


Stapleton is not a suburb. It is a newer development built on the land of the old airport. It is in the City of Denver.
Of the 3 you listed, it would be best, as Centennial and Parker are just too far from DIA for a day-day commute, especially in winter. (BTW, you do know that E-470 is a toll road ?)


Did you look at the "Reunion" area, which is just west of DIA ? It is technically in the City of Commerce City, but is a newer planned master development.



https://goo.gl/maps/vR3xrtErPH72


http://reunionco.com/wp-content/uplo...nce-090117.pdf


Good Luck in your search, you'll love it in Colorado.

[SkyDog77]

I would 100% look at Stapleton first if I was commuting to Gaylord every day. There is a train commute option from Stapleton as I am sure Gaylord will be running shuttles from the nearby train stop.

[davebarnes]

We don’t do “towns”.
Cities are what we are in greater Denver.
School systems are huge. 50K students.

[bluescreen73]

Most cities in the Denver metro area won't have downtowns like you're used to. Parker has a tiny "downtown" that's a couple blocks in length. Downtown Denver is decent for western city, but nowhere near as urban as NYC. Had a coworker who moved here from Chicago and he hated that he couldn't just hop on a train and get to wherever he wanted to go.

Additionally, we aren't in a lush, forested area. With the exception of Parker and Southeast Aurora the ecology of the east side of the Denver Metro area is dominated by short grass prairie. You won't see a lot of trees, and anything that isn't irrigated will be mostly yellow or brown from early July 'til April. With that in mind, there's something to be said about dry air. It was in the 90s today, and right now it's cooled off into the 70s and our windows are open.

If Gaylord will comp E-470 tolls, Southeast Aurora (Tallyn's Reach, Southshore, Beacon Point, Wheatlands, Blackstone, and Saddle Rock) may be worth looking into. Some of the best, albeit distant, views of the high peaks of the Front Range can be had from this area.

Reunion is a mixed bag. It's cheaper and extremely close to the Gaylord, but it's right under final approach for DIA and the schools aren't that great.

[brown_dog_us]

What is your budget?