Would the commute from Erie to DEN Intl airport kill me? (Denver: sales, for rent)

[Fedexacmech]

Moving from Memphis,Love the Erie area,but was thinking Brighton,Littleton or Arvada would be the smarter commute choice for me( I will be working at the Airport).The wife may be working in the Lakewood area.
We would REALLY,REALLY love to have a view of the mountain range from our home if possible.Which is why we love the west side of town.I know Boulder would be too far of a drive for both of us.One and half hour to two hour commute,one way,in bad weather would be ideal.Thirty to forty-five minutes max in good weather.(I hope thats possible?)I wont be driving in rush hour traffic,but the wife will be.
We will be renting for at least a year,until we can sell our home.Then we will be looking for something in the 200 to 300k range.(I am finding alot of nice homes for rent in Brighton,Erie and Arvada.)
Any input will be appreciated.Thanks!

[livecontent]

The best view of the mountain range is not on the west side, it is farther out. The closer you get to the mountains, the less you see, you will see mostly the foothills.

If your wife will be working in Lakewood, Brighton would be a big mistake because it would be a long commute. Lakewood is a big area and you would be better to be closer to her work. You can easily get to the airport from most neighborhoods on the west side.

Arvada is a good choice as it is close enough to both places. I live in Arvada and it has a tremedous park system and backs up to the foothills with a large expanse of open space. You will be able to see some of the peaks from many areas in Arvada but again, a larger view requires, you to step back to see the broad picture. However, you can easily get to the mountains, up many Canyons that come through the foothills from Arvada and have easy access to the highway system. Also, you are very close to the sights of Boulder.

The other suburbs on the west side, Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Westminster are all good choices to live.

Livecontent

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by Fedexacmech

Moving from Memphis,Love the Erie area,but was thinking Brighton,Littleton or Arvada would be the smarter commute choice for me( I will be working at the Airport).The wife may be working in the Lakewood area.
We would REALLY,REALLY love to have a view of the mountain range from our home if possible.Which is why we love the west side of town.I know Boulder would be too far of a drive for both of us.One and half hour to two hour commute,one way,in bad weather would be ideal.Thirty to forty-five minutes max in good weather.(I hope thats possible?)I wont be driving in rush hour traffic,but the wife will be.
We will be renting for at least a year,until we can sell our home.Then we will be looking for something in the 200 to 300k range.(I am finding alot of nice homes for rent in Brighton,Erie and Arvada.)
Any input will be appreciated.Thanks!

The commute won't KILL you, but it would get old very quickly. E-470 would be the most direct route, and that in itself would be $8/day.

The commute from Littleton would be no good as well (for you), it is pretty far from DIA as well.

Originally Posted by Fedexacmech

One and half hour to two hour commute,one way,in bad weather would be ideal.

WHAT?!?!?!?

How could that be considered ideal?

Brighton would be a long commute for you wife. Most of Arvada would be a longish commute for you. Erie would be a very long commute for both of you.

For your wife's commuting purposes, maybe stay in or close to Lakewood. Since you don't mind having a long commute, Lakewood would be about 35-40 minutes to DIA. You can see the mountains quite nicely from Lakewood.

[Fedexacmech]

I meant 1 1/2 to 2 hours MAX in bad weather!
I guess I meant a view of the foothills not the actual range.
Thanks for the quick replies!Keep em coming!

[sunsprit]

Having done the Erie (Hwy 52 at WCR 5, actually much closer to I-25 than all the way into the town of Erie) commute into central Denver for 5 years in the 1990's, before the traffic got as bad as it is now, I'd say that you'd be looking at a very long pair of commutes for both you and your wife. I still call on clients in the Denver area, but make a point of coming down I-25 after 10AM and making most of my sales calls between 10:30AM and 3PM so that I can get out of town before the afternoon rush hour gets heavy.

Getting from Erie to DIA is a slow process, even with the E470 access. You still have to deal with I-25 to connect with E470 and then the access into DIA from E470. If you're an employee at DIA, and heading to the outlying employee parking lots, you're still some distance away from the end of your commute (even with company vans/buses circulating).

I'd be looking at a residential area that is located more centrally to both of your work locations, or has less of a traffic load to deal with ... I agree with LiveContent, the West side suburbs would be a better compromise than heading into the Denver area from the North communities.

On a daily basis, you'd be spending hours on the road in good weather. In bad weather, especially with a couple of traffic accidents or a couple of lanes not running on I-25, the commute can be much longer, especially to Lakewood (even if you're working just off of the 6th Ave corridor).

Would it "kill you" to do this Erie-DIA commute? ... I don't think so, but it will get old very quickly. IMO, there's nothing so "special" about Erie to justify the commute over more accessible locations to your work ... unless you're looking at buying a larger parcel for an equine habit that can't be matched in the West suburbs or other suitable locations.

[Katiana]

Lots of people say the best mountain views are from farther east, rather than the west side of the metro area, but IMO, this is only true of places like way west Boulder or Golden. My younger daughter has an apt. in east Boulder with a nice mountain view. My older daughter lives near I-25 and University Blvd, and her mtn view is good, but the mountains seem so much farther away (which they are). Also, the city blocks some of the view.

But to get back to the main part of the discussion, I agree with the majority. Erie, Brighton, et al would be a long commute for the OP's wife to Lakewood every day, and Erie, especially would be a long commute to DIA. What is it you like so much about Erie? Maybe we could suggest some places with a better commute that are similar.

[Fedexacmech]

Originally Posted by Katiana

What is it you like so much about Erie? Maybe we could suggest some places with a better commute that are similar.

We found a house for rent that we really liked and the view of the foothills was beautiful.We were just wondering.
Looks like I need to take a closer look at the Arvada,Broomfield,Lakewood areas.

[Katiana]

Practically every home in metro Denver has some sort of mtn view. If your windows face west, you'll probably have a mtn view.

[David Aguilar]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Practically every home in metro Denver has some sort of mtn view. If your windows face west, you'll probably have a mtn view.

Haha, my house's back windows face west and the more mature trees and taller houses block any sort of mountain view I would have. I just try and enjoy the mountains when driving down Mississippi or Alameda before I turn to go home.

[steveindenver]

Haha, my house's back windows face west and the more mature trees and taller houses block any sort of mountain view I would have

Build a tower! Or as a cheaper option a periscope.