Ikea coming to Centennial. Questions about the area. (Denver, Highlands Ranch: real estate, house)

[Jake Gittes]

Our family might be moving to Colorado to work at the new Ikea store that will be opening in Centennial. We'd be coming from the East/Midwest, have kids. Looking to spend maybe 225k to 325k on a house. The school district is VERY important. I've heard that Cherry Creek is a very good school district. Can you get into a 4 bedroom, ~2,500 sq ft. house for that kind of money in that school district? Also, if anyone has any information on local seeded soccer programs, and competitive cheerleading programs.

I'm sure there are other questions that I'll think of, if anyone is nice enough to respond. Thanks......

[2bindenver]

yes. you can find a 4 bed home for $325 or less in Centennial, in CCSD.

I don't know about soccer or cheerleading.

[Jake Gittes]

Any thoughts on good neighborhoods? We could go the standard suburban neighborhood route, where you need a car for everything. Any cool places that have a quaint downtown, lots of places to walk to (restaurants, stores, etc.), scenic, etc. folded into that school district?

Thanks!

[2bindenver]

How Swede it is: Locals like the idea that IKEA is coming, an article from The Denver Post, reports that on Wednesday, IKEA and Centennial officials announced plans for the store. The company is still in the process of buying the proposed site, which is a 13-acre parcel west of Interstate 25, south of Dry Creek and north of County Line Road near Park Meadows. Plans call for a 400,000-square-foot store on two floors above a two-level parking garage. The store would employ about 400 people, and roughly 500 jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase. IKEA submitted its application and plans for the site to the city Wednesday and IKEA representatives said it's too early to announce an opening date or say when construction will begin. According to city officials, construction usually takes 15 to 18 months. Mary Beth Jenkins, president of the Laramie Co., a commercial real estate brokerage said, "It's a home run for Centennial and for Denver. They are the true definition of a retail anchor."
How Swede it is: Locals like the idea that IKEA is coming - The Denver Post

You could live in Lone Tree or HR or Parker

[steveindenver]

Any cool places that have a quaint downtown, lots of places to walk to (restaurants, stores, etc.), scenic, etc. folded into that school district?

Sadly not in that price and size range, at least nothing I can think of.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by Jake Gittes

Any thoughts on good neighborhoods? We could go the standard suburban neighborhood route, where you need a car for everything. Any cool places that have a quaint downtown, lots of places to walk to (restaurants, stores, etc.), scenic, etc. folded into that school district?

You could try Littleton. It does have a small historic downtown. It is NOT in Cherry Creek Schools, but arguably is on the same level as most of the Cherry Creek Schools.

[Mike from back east]

I saw the Ikea announcement on TV last night, was delighted with that. We had them back east, tons of neat stuff, still have our "Billy" bookcases. The new store is 400,000 sq ft, about NINE acres. The stores back east had a cafeteria featuring, among other things, Swedish Meatballs. Hope everyone gets a chance to visit the new store.

Jake: You're gonna love Colorado. Try using the index for info on many areas and schools. City-Data also has a powerful Search Tool that can be tweaked in many ways to zero in on specific topics that are already covered by thousands of threads in here. Lastly, if you haven't the time, find a good realtor, they can sort out your needs quickly (I'm not a realtor nor in the biz in any way).

Best of luck to you Jake, fear not, this state is glorious in many ways.


EDIT: Now that Ikea is coming here, I'm going to beat up on Trader Joe's, yet again, to get in here.

[zionvier]

Ikea is coming to Denver?!!!!!! I think I might faint... I've been waiting for this day for a long time! I LOVE IKEA! Now all we need is an ocean... come on global warming... give me beach front property (but leave the snow in the mountains too)

[Jake Gittes]

Thanks, Mike. We've been waiting for Ikea to open in Colorado for a long time. Been targeting the state. We've never spent any time in the West, except for California, and can't wait to see all of the natural wonders.

Really, really excited. Hope it all works out (as far as the transfer....the store is a definite).

[bhcompy]

you could also look in Douglas County, which is just south. Highlands Ranch has comparable schools to Cherry Creek and you can find a home in your budget for probably less per square foot than in the better Cherry Creek school areas