searching for our niche (Denver, Boulder: housing, rent, job)

[sjr9628]

Hello all! I'm seeking advice and input. We have moved all over the country at this point and can't seem to find the place for us. I grew up in NYC, my husband in Boston we've lived in Montana, Portland, OR. Sun Valley, ID and now Charlotte, NC We LOVED Montana but the schools were not good for our three kids and my husband is a chef and there were just not enough job oppurtunities. We moved to NC thinking we could find the outdoors while embracing a more urban setting for the kids but I'm miserable. So, we think Colorado might be the mix we're looking for. Mountains and urban. We were thinking somewhere between Boulder and Denver to start looking. Any suggestions or comments are apppreciated.

[steveco.]

Boulder is a good place for you to start looking being that its a college town and tons of good restaurants nearby. There is a variety of choices from suburban living to lofts to rural to ranches. Also depends largely on your price range as well

[Charles]

Originally Posted by sjr9628

Hello all! I'm seeking advice and input. We have moved all over the country at this point and can't seem to find the place for us. I grew up in NYC, my husband in Boston we've lived in Montana, Portland, OR. Sun Valley, ID and now Charlotte, NC We LOVED Montana but the schools were not good for our three kids and my husband is a chef and there were just not enough job oppurtunities. We moved to NC thinking we could find the outdoors while embracing a more urban setting for the kids but I'm miserable. So, we think Colorado might be the mix we're looking for. Mountains and urban. We were thinking somewhere between Boulder and Denver to start looking. Any suggestions or comments are apppreciated.

What is your price range (rent or buy) for housing?

[sjr9628]

Range 350k-650k Would prefer in town for the kids, but what town...don't know

[steveco.]

Well in the boulder area there is a ton of little to mid sized cities. Then as you get closer to denver its more of your traditional suburban areas. Louisville and Broomfield are both midsized cities with their own feel but close enough to both denver and boulder that you could still commute reasonably well. Boulder itself is fairly expensive as the town strictly limits new construction and home prices skyrocketed over the past 15 years or so. There are also smaller town such as erie that are farther north. The best thing to do is come for a visit or rent a place until you get the feel of the area and get a chance to explore and see what you like.

[ktk9]

What size home are you looking for?... how old are your children? Would you consider finding land and building a new home?

[sjr9628]

I would LOVE to build, I assumed it would be too difficult to find a good parcel of land. The size of the house wouldn't matter too much as long as I could alter it. I would like to try to stay away from a subdivision if possible. We have little kids 3yrs (2) and 4yrs.

[ktk9]

Well, I think the best thing for you to do is at least look at the option of building, since that would be your first choice. Get an agent to start looking for vacent land in the metro area... I would use recolorado.com to search yourself and to get an idea of where you would like to build. In your price range, I would look for land $0-<$200,000. That will give you a good match and keep you with in your budget of $350k-$650k.

The difficult part is finding out if the land is "build-able"... some lots will already have that information available, and others you will have to dig deeper through the county records.

So, it really depends on your time frame. You could probably have a home (designed by you, and for you) built in less than a year (finding a lot, making sure it is buildable, and then having plans for your house drawn up, and finally the building of your home.)

[DenverR.E.Helper]

Your family will absolutely love living in Denver. Lots of blue sky days, much more mild temperatures than some of the other places you have lived, no bug, great activities for the entire family, friendly people….

The metro Denver area has several excellent schools systems too. You might visit some of these web site for more detailed information.
A national database of school demographic information can be found on the National Center for Education Statistics Web site. Click on the "School, College and Library Search" tab at the top in order to view data including a particular school's student-to-teacher ratio or enrollment by race and ethnicity.

For a snapshot of academic performance and to compare schools, a prospective homeowner might browse the School Matters Web site, a service of Standard & Poor's.

Another site, Great Schools, offers similar tools.

Cherry Creek School District’s web site is at:
Home - CCSD
Home - CCSD

Cherry Creek School System Boundary Map
Page Not Found - 404 - CCSD
CCSD

Douglas County School District's web site.
http://www.dcsdk12.org]DCSD

Littleton School District’s site is at:
http://www.littletonpublicschools.net]
Littleton Public Schools > Home
Jefferson County School District's site is at:
http://www.co.jefferson.co.us/ext/dp...rning.htm#jcps

and also see
jeffco online college loan university at jeffcoonline.net

Denver Public Schools
Denver Public Schools

Denver Public Schools
Denver Public Schools Boundary Maps
District Maps
District Maps
State Of Colorado’s Official Web Site - Education
State of Colorado - www.Colorado.gov
State of Colorado - colorado.gov
Colorado K-12 Schools Web Sites
Colorado]Page Not Found
K-12 School Districts and BOCES on the Web

Colorado School Districts - Web Sites
Colorado K-12 School Districts and BOCES on the Web
Colorado K-12 School Districts and BOCES on the Web
Colorado]Page Not Found
Department of Education Home Page



As far as where to live goes. The choices are endless. Newer communities such as Stapleton, Lowery may be of interest to you. The lots are generally smaller but the close in location, newer home features, and vibrancy within the areas is sure worth checking out. The community of Louisville is right between Denver and Boulder and has been showing good appreciation even while other parts of Denver have not. Be sure to also check out Highlands Ranch. Although it is on the very southern part of metro Denver, it offers great schools and there are lots of children of all ages for your children to develop friendships wiht. Another “hot” & up and coming area of town is the Highlands – just west of downtown Denver.
Each of these areas is considerably different from the others and will give you a great cross section of the types of homes and communities that Denver has to offer.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by sjr9628

Hello all! I'm seeking advice and input. We have moved all over the country at this point and can't seem to find the place for us. I grew up in NYC, my husband in Boston we've lived in Montana, Portland, OR. Sun Valley, ID and now Charlotte, NC We LOVED Montana but the schools were not good for our three kids and my husband is a chef and there were just not enough job oppurtunities. We moved to NC thinking we could find the outdoors while embracing a more urban setting for the kids but I'm miserable. So, we think Colorado might be the mix we're looking for. Mountains and urban. We were thinking somewhere between Boulder and Denver to start looking. Any suggestions or comments are apppreciated.

Considering the difficulties you are having finding your niche, I would rent first and see if "this is the place".