Relocating to Denver from the Bay Area with a young family - advice please (Boulder: to rent, house prices)

[a4qual]

Hi
This is my first post to this forum. I'm relocating to the Denver area from San Francisco in late Dec / Early Jan. I've a wife and infant child.

I thought I'd ask your opinion on relocating to Denver. We are moving from a cool, lively place in down town San Francisco and are looking for an area in Denver with a mix of walking distance amenities such as parks and museums and cafes, restaurants etc.

We know that Denver ain't San Francisco but we also know it's a cool town - we want to strike the right balance between cool culture and kid friendly.

We're looking to rent and then buy after 6 months either in Denver or Boulder (but the commute would be a challenge for me).

So far we're looking at Highland (diverse), Cherry Creek (safe, cool boutiques, near my office), Stapleton (new, kid friendly), Washington park (near a big park!). I also like the vibe in LoDo but probably not the best place to live for an infant.

Any advice?

Much obliged,
AH

[bhcompy]

I would think that Stapleton would be your best bet for what you're looking for.

[a4qual]

Thanks!
I hear that area is very new. What advantages do you think it has over the other kid-friendly areas?

[2bindenver]

The Mayor lived in Lodo until his boy was school age. So I don't think having an infant in LoDo is a deal breaker, if you are moving in 6 months anyway.

Where is work?

[a4qual]

Hey.
Work is Cherry Creek. Stapleton sounds good - we'll rent for 6 months then buy hopefully.
LoDo seems lively also.
What a tough decision!

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by a4qual

Thanks!
I hear that area is very new. What advantages do you think it has over the other kid-friendly areas?

well, considering you want walkability, it adds a lot compared to other family friendly areas like highlands ranch, parker, etc which are flatout suburban or semi-rural in the case of (some parts of) parker. i think there is an area in englewood or littleton that is a downtown type area with some housing, but i dont know what its called. that area has decent schools as well i believe.

[tfox]

You're looking in the right places -- Highland, Wash Park, and Stapleton are some of the most sought-after neighborhoods in Denver.

I wouldn't recommend Cherry Creek itself -- not really a lot of families there, and the culture there is a bit too materialistic for my taste. It's also a bit of an older set there; rich older set, of course, but older.

I also would not recommend LoDo as a place to live as it's WAY too noisy -- too many in their early twenties see LoDo as a place to get drunk every night and it kind of spoils it for people who live there.

If you're working in Cherry Creek I would also look at Congress Park. It's close to Cherry Creek but not part of it.

Also recommended might be Platt Park, which is something like a poor persons' Wash Park, and (South) Park Hill, which is known to be a great family-oriented neighborhood.

[caelia]

I'd suggest Stapleton too. I grew up in Marin, and I now live in Stapleton with my husband and two kids (ages 4 and 6). We chose to move to Denver specifically because we fell in love with Stapleton, I just think it is such an awesome place to raise kids. There are lots of community activities and parks and pools within walking distance of most residences. Also, the public schools are top-notch. Plus, if you are moving here from San Francisco, the house prices are downright reasonable. :-)

[a4qual]

Thanks for this! When you say walkability - what do you mean? You can walk to shops / parks / other amenities / cherry creek etc?

[a4qual]

Originally Posted by tfox

You're looking in the right places -- Highland, Wash Park, and Stapleton are some of the most sought-after neighborhoods in Denver.

I wouldn't recommend Cherry Creek itself -- not really a lot of families there, and the culture there is a bit too materialistic for my taste. It's also a bit of an older set there; rich older set, of course, but older.

I also would not recommend LoDo as a place to live as it's WAY too noisy -- too many in their early twenties see LoDo as a place to get drunk every night and it kind of spoils it for people who live there.

If you're working in Cherry Creek I would also look at Congress Park. It's close to Cherry Creek but not part of it.

Also recommended might be Platt Park, which is something like a poor persons' Wash Park, and (South) Park Hill, which is known to be a great family-oriented neighborhood.

Thanks for this. It echoes my perceptions about these areas. It's looking like Stapleton.... Cherry Creek seems a little sanitized, LoDo is a little noisy / sporty. The only thing that worries me about Stapleton is that fact that it's so new - while lots of families I'm concerned it may be a little lacking in diversity and energy. We've got a young family but I'm not convinced that we only want to socialize with other young families! Thanks for the advice!!