AA and moving to Denver Area, have a few questions :) (Aurora: real estate, to rent)

[LisaCACO]

my family (husband, 2.5 year old, three cats and two rabbits) are moving to Denver from California at the end of April, specifically renting in Highlands Ranch for a few months til we figure out where to live. Since we have a toddler, we thought we'd try HR to see whether it was doable for us, but we have doubts. it's not just that we vote democrat (or that I'm a vegetarian, feminist, progressive Episcopalian, lol) but that we're Black, and diversity seems lacking in CO in general and in the southern suburbs in particular. We thought about living in Denver proper or in Aurora, but we'd like a shorter commute for hubby (working in Lakewood) and we'd like great schools. Any suggestions on locations where we can find ethnic and political diversity, excellent public schools and not small house lots? We don't want to spend more than $650,000 for a house and would love a lot larger than 10,000 sq ft. (yep, we know, we're asking for the moon, lol)

and if anyone has suggestions on a progressive Episcopal Church in the Highlands Ranch or surrounding areas (willing to drive 30 min on a sunday) we'd love it. we're looking for a glbt friendly/activist type of church.

lastly, can someone explain to me why there is no Ikea or Trader Joe's in CO? that is so wrong! if you're a CA transplant, how do you live without them? is there a CO substitute?

thanks,

Lisa

[2bindenver]

There is a whole foods in HR and there is a Wild Oats in south Jeffco.

$650 will buy a lot of house and yard.

I think the most diverse area is Aurora, and from HR to central Denver on a Sunday would fall within your half hour time frame.

Look in the 80126 & 80129 zips (central & west side of HR) for happier hubby.

[TinajaCo]

HR may be in a more Republican, less diverse area but I think that (if you don't mind the seas of houses that all look the same) you'll find it a good fit. Most people in Colorado are live-and-let-live, they don't care what your politics are as long as you're not constantly bringing them up and looking for a fight (this goes for both conservative and liberal areas). Aurora does have the diversity, but it tends to be in the northern areas of the city, where it is rough around the edges. If you don't find HR to be a good fit you could look at some of the newer areas in Lakewood, or even some areas in Denver proper (some areas of Denver proper may be closer to your husband's work than HR is-- Lakewood's big and since I don't know exactly where he will be working this is an "in general" statement).
IKEA and Trader Joe's are both frequently brought up... but both say they will not enter the Denver market in the near future because it's too far from their distribution centers. So currently you have to go to Santa Fe, NM to find the closest Trader Joe's, and Utah to the nearest IKEA. There's nothing comparable to IKEA, but there are some grocery stores that are somewhat similar to Trader Joe's-- Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Sunflower Market. But they are still fairly different from TJs, so you just have to stock up any time you're near a TJs when you live here.

[BlueWillowPlate]

You can afford a nice house in central Denver, and join St John's Cathedral on 13th, or Ascension on 6th Avenue at Gilpin. (My aunt is in the choir at Ascension, but I used to go to St John's because it was simply so beautiful there.)
I have a friend who is a principal at a Lakewood school and he commutes every day from central Denver.

[LisaCACO]

thanks for the church recommendations .

so where exactly should I look for homes in Denver proper? which communities/zip codes? and can I get a large lot there? how are the schools? we really don't want to do private (too elitist).

what's the commute like from central denver out to lakewood? is it brutal? or is the major commute usually from the 'burbs into the city?

I guess we'll see what HR has to offer. I'm just concerned that the general undercurrent will be a conservative one (conservative assumptions, kwim?) and I'm not sure I want my daughter just exposed to that way of thinking. I want her to be exposed to a wide variety of views. And we do a bunch of activism and I don't want her to feel uncomfortable with her views/opinions, I want her to feel like she'll have company.

my husband will be working in SE Lakewood, near 285 if that's any help narrowing it down.

oh and thanks for the info about trader joes and Ikea. thank goodness hubby will make occasional business trips to CA and other TJ states, so he can ship goodies home. So sad...

[TinajaCo]

Hey, now, us conservatives aren't that bad....
And you can find groups that fit your own personal preferences anywhere-- I know of friends that are involved in liberal politics in Douglas County (and conversely, I have even found a few Republicans in Denver!!). After all, nearly 40,000 people in Douglas County did vote for Kerry.

If your husband is working near 285 than he should be able to have a pretty smooth commute no matter where you live... easy access via highways from many Denver neighborhoods. Most of the traffic is going from the suburbs to downtown, or to the Tech Center, so he should be able to avoid most of the rush hour problems.

There are a lot of great areas in Denver proper, and I think you can find areas with lot sizes you are looking for. $650K should give you a number of good options. I'd look at zip codes 80210 (Observatory Park/University area), 80206 (Hilltop), 80237 (Southmoor/Hampden), and 80222 (Wellshire). Denver schools can be hit-and-miss, but you also have the option to open enroll (which most of my neighbors do, as the Denver Public Schools in my area aren't great). But Denver does have some good schools as well-- Slavens, Bromwell, etc. One thing you may want to do is research CSAP scores (the statewide proficiency test), which should give you a good starting point to researching schools.

[tfox]

Perhaps if you post your husband's work location, that would help, as Lakewood is very spread out along both the south, southwest, and west metro areas. Depending on where in Lakewood, a commute from Denver proper could be very easy -- reverse commuting along hwy 6, for example, usually has little traffic.

Much of Denver proper is highly desirable and I think it might be a good fit for your situation, so I urge you to take a look at it.

There's virtually no diversity in the south metro, which is also reliably Republican and elected one of the most conservative representatives in Congress (Tancredo). As you know, most of the state's minorities are concentrated in Denver and Aurora, but even they are still not majority-minority. Outside of that, Adams County (the north metro: Thornton, Westminster, etc) has a somewhat more diverse population than the other suburban areas and is also one of the most politically middle-of-the-road (currently represented by a Democrat). Boulder County to the northwest tends to be more liberal but is not at all diverse.

We've had several posts on TJ's but I doubt we'll see one here anytime soon due to our liquor laws here. Ikea probably will arrive within the next few years.

[newportbeachsmostwanted]

I think that most AA's, glbts, or very-liberal-type persons would be unhappy in Highlands Ranch(or nearby). As you know, Tom Tancredo(elected and presidential candidate) is very pro America and representitive of a good portion of the people down in highlands. You may want to look closer to/in Denver.

[LisaCACO]

Originally Posted by newportbeachsmostwanted

I think that most AA's, glbts, or very-liberal-type persons would be unhappy in Highlands Ranch(or nearby). As you know, Tom Tancredo(elected and presidential candidate) is very pro America and representitive of a good portion of the people down in highlands. You may want to look closer to/in Denver.

hey, i'm very pro-america too, just not tom tancredo's vision of america () . I did check out and see that a consistent 40% vote against the man every two years *sigh* . At least my toddler and I will have a built-in activity, lol.

tinajaCO, you're right. some of my best friends are conservatives .

thanks for the zipcodes and community suggestions! that's very helpful . it's so hard to find a house from far away, which is why we chose to rent for a few months to check out the area. i didn't want to take the real estate agent's word for things, and interestingly enough, she can't talk about race, even if we view diversity in a positive manner . I guess it's a legacy of denver's issues with desegregation and white flight. anyway, makes it hard to find a neighborhood, lol. since we're on our own in that regard, we're going to check it out slowly. given real estate prices there, there's clearly no rush.

[2bindenver]

Originally Posted by LisaCACO

i didn't want to take the real estate agent's word for things, and interestingly enough, she can't talk about race, even if we view diversity in a positive manner . I guess it's a legacy of Denver's issues with desegregation and white flight.

Uh, clearly it is a federal fair housing violation to discuss anything regarding race, creed, color, marital or familial status, sex, handicap or disability, national origin...

see http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/FHLaws/index.cfm

The law is unclear about prosecution in a buyer directed manner. If a buyer instructs their real estate broker (with a signed valid agency agreement) to show them properties within certain demographics...that broker may still be in violation and subject to huge fines and possible revocation of license.

Demographics can be looked up via the Federal Census Bureau.