West Side/Evergreen Questions (Denver, Golden: houses, construction, income)

[hopz2it]

We are thinking about relocation and would appreciate hearing what the West side and Evergreen area might be like.... mostly ambiance and quality of life opinions.

Things like weather... snow quality- is it mostly wet and heavy (East coast style) or powder and easy (like Utah style)?

Do you see real 4-seasons or is it Winter, more winter, and a little Spring/Summer?

Political climate... ? We do not particularly enjoy crazy people on either side of the spectrum. Would not enjoy feeling like my tax money is being used in bad ways. Your thoughts?

Income tax and property taxes seem reasonable, or getting crazy?

Does your area lead or lag in economic/business cycles?

What is the predominant industry? Tourism?, construction-development?, Hi-tech? etc.

Good health care options available? Travel, ease of in/out year round?

"Feels" like...? Mountain man?, beautiful people/classy/status-y, do your own thing-ishness, kid-centric?, exciting or laid back? etc.

I know that what you see depends a lot on where you stand, but it has been my experience that different places have different personalities... what do you think?

I appreciate your thoughts and feelings.

[Nav]

We are thinking about relocation and would appreciate hearing what the West side and Evergreen area might be like.... mostly ambiance and quality of life opinions.

Things like weather... snow quality- is it mostly wet and heavy (East coast style) or powder and easy (like Utah style)?

Both, snows Oct - Feb are usually dry. Snow March - May are usually wet.
Either way, once on the roads they get packed down and make ice.

Do you see real 4-seasons or is it Winter, more winter, and a little Spring/Summer?

You get the full 4 seasons, although the temps usually only get to the low 80's during the summer month. Assuming you mean evergreen downtown, the temps are only about 5-10 degrees lower than denver due to the 8k altitude. If you are up in the higher areas around 10k feet, the weather will be different. It all depends on where you live.


Political climate... ? We do not particularly enjoy crazy people on either side of the spectrum. Would not enjoy feeling like my tax money is being used in bad ways. Your thoughts?

Mix of both parties, but teetering more on the conservative side. The closer you get to the heart of denver, the more liberal the views. Some downtown areas are quite extreme in their views on how the government should spend you hard earned money. Evergreen has a mountain community feel and politics are not a dominating part of the social fabric.

Income tax and property taxes seem reasonable, or getting crazy?

Both are very reasonable and relatively inexpensive

Does your area lead or lag in economic/business cycles?

There are no economic/business cycles in evergreen

What is the predominant industry? Tourism?, construction-development?, Hi-tech? etc.

No industry either

Good health care options available? Travel, ease of in/out year round?

You travel into Denver for healthcare. Travel in and out is usually pretty good. I-70 is a traffic jam on Friday and Sunday afternoons. Inclement weather can easily turn a 40 minute commute into 2+ hours each way.

"Feels" like...? Mountain man?, beautiful people/classy/status-y, do your own thing-ishness, kid-centric?, exciting or laid back? etc.

In the central part of town, its more like suburbia with houses scarring the landscape. As you move out its a mixture of old cottages and new mansions. The fringe areas are where you will find a few who moved to escape civilization and value solitude. Its a melting pot of all different types of people. Basically Laid Back, nature loving people, many of whom work professional jobs in denver.

I know that what you see depends a lot on where you stand, but it has been my experience that different places have different personalities... what do you think?

Evergreen gives you the mountain town feel without being deep in the mountains. Many people visit there in the summer and then move there, only to move to denver after the first winter. It is a mountain town that gets a lot of snow. The 10 minute trip to walmart in July will take you 40 minutes in January. You can either cope or you cant. Its a personal choice. Those who stay are usually lifers.


Nav

[hopz2it]

Thanks for comments- it was helpful.

[Jerry Bckr]

Val did a great job of answering your Evergreen questions, especially the part about people moving back to the lower elevations. In most parts of the country, people measure the climate difference in hundreds of miles, while in Colorado we measure it in hundreds of feet. I've got a California client that wants me to sell his home in West Evergreen next year because he want's to move to the west side of the metro area.
Speaking of the west side of town, you may want to consider Ken-Caryl Ranch. It's located in the southwest part of the metro area and straddles C-470, where it makes the quadrant curve. The area west of C-470 is called Ken-Caryl Valley (also the North Ranch) and has a mountain feel, yet has a gentler climate and easy access to where you need to go. Golden can be cool, but it's hard to get homes in the land locked town. There are some newer customs around Fossil Trace Golf Course. There are also some newer homes south of town and on the west edge, across from Highway 93. I've got some pictures of some of these areas on flicker.
Jerry Bckr's photosets on Flickr

[High Altitude]

I have lived in Evergreen for over 5 years. Just about every single work day either my wife or myself have driven to downtown denver.

It usually takes us 45 min, we live in South Evergreen so we are some distance from I-70. Usually 2-3 times a year the commute will take a little longer due to weather. It has NEVER taken 2 hours. The longest has been 1hr 15min. and I have driven to Denver the day after some of the biggest snow storms in the last few years.

If you live on the north side of Evergreen your commute to downtown Denver will be about 30 min.

For basic healthcare, like normal doctor visits, there is no need to leave Evergreen. Anything more than basic doctor visits will require a trip down the hill.