Philly family moving to Denver (Boulder, Vail: to rent, house, neighborhoods)

[ndw27]

Hey Everyone!

My husband and I have been sitting on a decision to move to Denver for quite some time. We currently live in the fishtown area of Philadelphia (not exactly an IDEAL neighborhood for us) and our house is on the market (has been for awhile now) and when it sells we are preparing to make a move. We plan to rent for about a year before we buy so we can take our time and feel it out. I'd like to land in a great neighborhood though so we don't have to move far when we buy.

We are in love with your mountains and access to breathtaking scenery. We took a trip to the San Luis Valley Hot Springs in Feb. and the night sky made me swoon.

Our daughter currently goes to a private quaker school here in Philly but I really would love to put her in the public school system when we move. But we would love to move to a neighborhood with like minded & diverse families. We are very active (mountain biking/backpacking/climbing/hiking) and also quite liberal. I'm an artist/musician and I'd love to be in an area where I can find inspiration and meet other moms who are creative.

Our price point is anywhere from $250,000-$400,000

We love modern construction but would also be interested in buying a place that we can work on ourselves.
Dwell - At Home in the Modern World

So specific requirements would be:

*close to green space/parks
*a neighborhood with a community feel and lots of families
*close to shopping and restaurants
*good elementary school

If there are any artsy neighborhoods just outside of denver I would be interested to check those out too...I'm only familiar with Boulder but not too crazy about living there.

Also, are there farmers markets in Denver? I'm a stickler about buying local and fresh and would love to take advantage of any farmers markets in the area.

I've spent a pretty decent amount of time in these neighborhoods: Cherry Creek, Congress Park, Highlands and Downtown and have traveled to Copper Mountain, Vail and Boulder. So I can say I sort of know my way around.

Thank you so much for your time here!!!

Warmly,

~N

[Augie Daugie]

There are Farmer's Markets all throughout the Denver metro area. I think Cherry Creek has one of the bigger markets in CO. Other markets I've been to are the one in Stapleton, City Park Esplanade, and Civic Center. Here is a list of markets in CO - Farm Fresh Markets:Colorado.

I don't know much about elementary schools - so I won't have any recommendations. For $400,000, you should be able to live in most Denver neighborhoods.

[LDC08]

Ahhh, Fishtown! I have a few good friends that live there. My husband and I lived in Philly for quit a few years and moved to Denver almost 3 years ago. We rented in the Highlands for the first year and loved being able to walk to the restaurants on 32nd, Denver in general is not as walkable as philly. The highlands has that community feel. I felt the heart of the highlands was lacking in diversity though, compared to philly that is. You could find a house in that nieghborhood and most Denver neighborhoods in that price point and of modern design.

I should say though that my first year here was a little difficult. I really missed philly which suprised me a bit since I was very ready for a change, like you we are very active and I had visited Colorado many times. It's just a different city but I do love it now. I'm happy to raise my daughter here.

We bought our "dream" fixer-upper in the Cole neighborhood (Northeast denver), opposite end of the spectrum from the highlands. It's an up and coming nighborhood and may be considered the only really "bad" neighborhood in Denver. Compared to a bad neighborhood in Philly it's nothing though. Eventually we would like to move a little further south of Cole. There are lots of parks, big and small, throughout Denver.

I can't really speak for the schools, my daughter is still young. I've heard they're not great but you can choose to some degree where to send your child. And I do know people that are happy with DPS.

There are also farm shares available in Denver.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

L

[Jerry Bckr]

As previously noted there are farmers markets in Denver, but mostly during the warm months. There's a great grocery chain that's gaining a lot of traction called Sunflower Market, that's know for it's produce and great prices. They're always packed but they aren't in all areas, yet. I saw in the paper where they're negotiating to put a store in NE Denver. There are a couple of areas in Denver where you can get the Eichler style of homes, if that's you cup of tea.

[steveindenver]

Stapleton comes to mind first, a master planned community in the city with 1/3 dedicated to parks, tons of bike lanes and walkable living with shops and food around - although 400 won't get you much in that area. Maybe parts of South Park Hill, Mayfair or Belcaro if you want to buy something that requires fixing in that price range.

There are other areas that would meet your requirements but the schools might be an issue. While you can technically go to any school in the state; your chances of getting into any of the well rated DPS grade schools are small if you don't live in the area that is automatically enrolled in that school.

Best of luck with your move.

http://www.denvergov.com/Portals/144/documents/DENVER_NEIGH_Map.pdf (broken link)

[mdhaegele]

This has been posted a long time ago, but I wanted to see where you chose! I too, currently live in Fishtown, Philly and am looking for a change. Do you love it or was it hard leaving Philly? I can't decide between CO and AZ to be honest but would love to hear how your move went!

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by mdhaegele

This has been posted a long time ago, but I wanted to see where you chose! I too, currently live in Fishtown, Philly and am looking for a change. Do you love it or was it hard leaving Philly? I can't decide between CO and AZ to be honest but would love to hear how your move went!

I think it all depends on where in AZ you are thinking of moving too. Do you want the extreme summer heat or the more tolerable summer heat? I find AZ beautiful now that I have visited thanks to my folks moving there. I still choose CO over it though. Are you trying to get away from the cold? I have never been to Philly but from I have read on here it is a different type of cold compared to Colorado.