Leaving Chicago for W. Denver, Golden, Applewood, or Arvada (Lakewood: sales, real estate)

[skydrvr]

After 20+ years of running my mouth , I and my wife to be are finally going to make Colorado our home opposed to a frequently visited state. Chicago and Mayor Daley and his cronies, along with our 10.25% sales tax can kiss our.. well you know.

Our area's of interest are Golden, Arvada, Applewood and West Denver . Any info/links regarding hospitals, schools, foreclosure rates, crime, mayor and staff, taxes, real estate links, etc.. would be greatly appreciated .

Hiking, camping, fishing, biking, snowboarding.. we like to do all. We looked at Ft. Collins (loved it), but it is too far from what we want access to (city, family, mountains).

Our home goes on the market in a couple of months with a move West by spring of 2010 . Any and all opinions/views/recommendations would be very helpful. I/we have a very strong interest in Golden.. so don't hold back.

Thanks!

[SheridanL]

Although I do like all of your choices,.....I would have to vote for Applewood!!! It is definitely one of my favorite neighborhoods ( that and Evergreen). Applewood has many properties with a lot more land/bigger lots and,...it's the gateway to the rockies being close to every amentity and of course, those gorgeous mountains you are longing to play in!!
The schools are just fine for your family...they have 2 golf courses and you are a hop skip and jump to any and everywhere!!!!
IF I didn't love my home in Canon City soooo much,....I would pick Applewood then Evergreen to live out the rest of my life!! Seriously!!
I am actively looking for a property to invest in for my sons in Evergreen!
Too many deals to mention!! Lovely lifestyle!!!!!!!!!!

[tfox]

You'll definitely have better luck posting this in the "Denver" forum.

But, anyway, you'll probably like Golden the best if you come visit, for good reason. It's one of the very few suburbs of metro Denver that it actually feels like you're in an independent town. It has a great college (CSM), it has a great little downtown, the Clear Creek area is nicely done, and great mountain access. The problem with Golden is that it's hard to find rentals and properties to buy there, and they tend to a bit more expensive. Even a lot of CSM students live in nearby Lakewood or Arvada because of cost. It's not quite as expensive as Boulder, but Boulder usually has a pretty broad range of rentals available at any given time, whereas in Golden you have to pounce on a good one when it comes available. A lot of posters on c-d complain about lack of availability there -- I guess people who live in Golden must stay put; perhaps they're happy there.

As for your other options, Green Mountain in Lakewood is a good choice; I know you didn't mention Lakewood but if you're interested in Golden you should certainly consider it. Applewood, as mentioned, is a great neighborhood. Far Western Arvada runs into the northern stretches of Golden and also is close to the metro area's best recreation center (APEX). Downtown "Old Town" Arvada is also charming.

As for "West Denver", if you're talking about the city of Denver, there are some very nice areas on the western half of the city of Denver, and some not-so-nice areas. With the risk of generalizing too much, Colfax is generally the dividing line. North of Colfax you have Highlands, Sloan's Lake, Berkeley, etc, -- great neighborhoods (this area is normally called, somewhat counter-intuitively, "North Denver", not "West Denver"). Immediately South of Colfax (i.e,. "West Denver") things are improving in anticipation of the new light rail line going in, but it's a bit more in transition as there's still a fair bit of public housing there. South of 6th is pretty rough right now, to be frank, but let that not deter you from visiting the fabulous ethnic markets and restaurants in that part of town -- some of the best eats in the city are along South Federal. This only really applies to the city of Denver, I should point out, south of 6th in Lakewood is generally good.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by skydrvr

After 20+ years of running my mouth , I and my wife to be are finally going to make Colorado our home opposed to a frequently visited state. Chicago and Mayor Daley and his cronies, along with our 10.25% sales tax can kiss our.. well you know.

Our area's of interest are Golden, Arvada, Applewood and West Denver . Any info/links regarding hospitals, schools, foreclosure rates, crime, mayor and staff, taxes, real estate links, etc.. would be greatly appreciated .

Hiking, camping, fishing, biking, snowboarding.. we like to do all. We looked at Ft. Collins (loved it), but it is too far from what we want access to (city, family, mountains).

Our home goes on the market in a couple of months with a move West by spring of 2010 . Any and all opinions/views/recommendations would be very helpful. I/we have a very strong interest in Golden.. so don't hold back.

Thanks!

Do you have jobs lined up? If you wil be working, the job location will help determine where you will live.