good schools in urban area? (Denver: days on market, townhomes, neighborhood)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by denverian

I personally believe it's all about parental involvement, and we plan to be very involved. I heard from a teacher at Westerly Creek that some parents are a little "too involved" for their comfort!

Sorry for the double post, my computer is doing funny things. I'd like to respond to this one, as well.

That is a common complaint among elementary schools. The parental involvement drops off in middle school, and the high schools really have to recruit volunteers. I know, I was a reluctant recruit for many activities.

[2bindenver]

I think Denver - as a city; is mostly suburban. It's not like other older larger cities.

There are some "urban" neighborhoods in Denver, and Littleton, Arvada, Golden...depending on your definition of "urban" is....that is why I asked.

[AustinMama]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

why urban?

My husband and I are drawn to urban areas for multiple reasons. We like the character of older homes, we like mature trees. We like being central and having short commutes. We like to shop local, and we're not crazy about big box stores and chain restaurants. We like having neighbors who share those values.

However, our current neighborhood in Austin, which is central and lovely in many ways, has high crime and poor schools. That is easy to overlook with no kids or babies, but gets harder as the kids get older.

There are neighborhoods in Austin that are not right in the center of town that have less crime and better schools. I'm trying to find those in Denver.

The Bradburn development is intriguing because it seems like a compromise, at least in theory. I'll definitely visit when we make a trip to scout things out. The schools there look OK but not as good as some. I did not see a school within walking distance of the neighborhood? Did I miss it?

What about Washington Park? My husband is kind of zeroing in on that neighborhood. There are some good schools nearby - Asbury, Cory and Slavens are all close. I'm trying to figure out how the neighborhood school thing works in Denver. The school choice thing is kind of confusing.

Thanks for the replies. The recommendation of 80210 was helpful.

[AustinMama]

Originally Posted by denverian

I personally believe it's all about parental involvement, and we plan to be very involved. I heard from a teacher at Westerly Creek that some parents are a little "too involved" for their comfort!

I agree, but in our current situation (which is kind of unusual), the school is 75% economically disadvantaged. The other 25% are homeowners in an affluent community. So it isn't diverse, it's polarized. The parents from the housing projects are too busy making ends meet to come to PTA meetings. So the 25% who live in the neighborhood shoulder the load of "parental involvement" for 100% of the school. It gets old, seeing the same 10 parents at every meeting.

I hear what you are saying about overly involved parents, and I wouldn't really want one of those situations where you're expected to raise $1,000 in wrapping paper sales, either. Occasional involvement but not a part-time job would be a nice balance.

[2bindenver]

You'll pay a premium to live in neighborhoods like Wash Park, Bonnie Brae, Park Hill - but here are others like Highlands, Berkeley, Sloan's, Cory Merrill, Observatory Park that could draw your interest.

Denver is a very suburban city.

[AustinMama]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

You'll pay a premium to live in neighborhoods like Wash Park, Bonnie Brae, Park Hill - but here are others like Highlands, Berkeley, Sloan's, Cory Merrill, Observatory Park that could draw your interest.

Denver is a very suburban city.

The general rule in Austin is that the closer to downtown, the faster the home appreciates in value. Despite the downturn, our central neighborhood is still doing well. We have almost doubled our value in 4 years. Does that rule hold in Denver, as well? That is one of our concerns about being more suburban.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by AustinMama

I agree, but in our current situation (which is kind of unusual), the school is 75% economically disadvantaged. The other 25% are homeowners in an affluent community. So it isn't diverse, it's polarized. The parents from the housing projects are too busy making ends meet to come to PTA meetings. So the 25% who live in the neighborhood shoulder the load of "parental involvement" for 100% of the school. It gets old, seeing the same 10 parents at every meeting.

I hear what you are saying about overly involved parents, and I wouldn't really want one of those situations where you're expected to raise $1,000 in wrapping paper sales, either. Occasional involvement but not a part-time job would be a nice balance.

This happens even in "affluent" areas. There are the parents who are overly-involved, and those that are not involved at all. Whatever the reasons, work, disinterest, etc, it makes it hard on those who are left to do the work. I do think the schools could make an effort to call the parents who have not helped at all before enlisting the same ones over and over again. Most of the super-involved have other obligations as well.

[2bindenver]

I don't think any area in Denver had doubled in value in the last 10 years.

[AustinMama]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

I don't think any area in Denver had doubled in value in the last 10 years.

According to Trulia, avg. sales price in Washington Park was $285,894 in May-July 03, went up to $592,845 Feb-Apr. 08, and is $535,272 May-July 08. So even with the dip, it's nearly doubled (1.87x) in 5 years.

[2bindenver]

Sorry not at all true. What is the average age and size of the property in 2003 compared to the ones in 2008?

People are scraiping off 100 year old properties and building new McMansions for a million plus.

Originally Posted by AustinMama

According to Trulia, avg. sales price in Washington Park was $285,894 in May-July 03, went up to $592,845 Feb-Apr. 08, and is $535,272 May-July 08. So even with the dip, it's nearly doubled (1.87x) in 5 years.