Moving to Denver-Boulder corridor: Louisville vs. Superior vs. Westminster vs. Lafayette?

[Katarina Witt]

Of the three, if it were me, I'd go with Broomfield. I live in Louisville, but my kids did gymnastics for Broomfield High, and I found Bfld to have a great sense of community. It's also a little closer to Denver (than the others), if that's important, and has lots of nice housing, many different housing types from the "mid-century modern" types to brand new.

Just my 2c worth, BTW.

[AceShopper]

Correct ! You will get more house for your money in Broomfield compared to Louisville or Superior (and lot of different floor plans to choose over Superior). If you want to stay in Boulder Valley SD and do not wish to open-enroll, check the school boundaries very carefully. I think you have to stay North and West of 120th & Sheridian (but I could be wrong - check the BVSD website)

Also, with lots of shopping areas clustered around Broomfield it gets more traffic than Louisville or Superior. Since Superior is more of a bedroom community, we all go shopping in Broomfield - That's how I know :-)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by AceShopper

Correct ! You will get more house for your money in Broomfield compared to Louisville or Superior (and lot of different floor plans to choose over Superior). If you want to stay in Boulder Valley SD and do not wish to open-enroll, check the school boundaries very carefully. I think you have to stay North and West of 120th & Sheridian (but I could be wrong - check the BVSD website)

Also, with lots of shopping areas clustered around Broomfield it gets more traffic than Louisville or Superior. Since Superior is more of a bedroom community, we all go shopping in Broomfield - That's how I know :-)

Never, EVER buy a house in one school district with the intention of open-enrolling in another.

[scrapper105]

Originally Posted by scrapper105

Ace Shopper, could I ask you to talk a little bit more about Superior ? We are relocating this summer from DC to Denver. Location is flexible, but we need to be within 45 minutes of the airport (husband can use tollway and employer will pay). Superior is on the list because once a week I'll be driving kids to a class in the southeast part of Boulder. But we are coming from a very quaint Mayberry type town nestled in with the crowded DC suburbs, and we'd like to maintain that sense of character and strong community.

I know I need to see Superior to see if I can stomach the cookie cutter aspects of it (in fact, we are going this weekend) but could you talk about the community and the quality of the high school ? I'm not necessarily concerned with test scores - I look for innovative programs, a great principal, and teachers who love their school.

And finally, any chance you know of an active and vibrant Catholic church with a great high school youth group ?

Thanks for the time - appreciate it.

Just a little update . . . So my husband was in Denver for work this past weekend and took some time to spend in Superior. Um, yes, we can definitely stomach the cookie cutter aspects in most of the developments in exchange for the abundance of trails, the walking distance to elementary schools (including a K-8 school, - I LOVE the K-8 concept), and the proximity to the toll road and the Denver-Boulder Road. The development my husband looked at (Rock Creek ?) also had a pool in the development which is one of the things that can contribute to a well-connected community (which is what we want).

So there are some areas of Superior that are more cookie cutter than others. Frankly, I like that it has a diversity of housing prices in the same school district.

[AceShopper]

Originally Posted by scrapper105

Just a little update . . . So my husband was in Denver for work this past weekend and took some time to spend in Superior. Um, yes, we can definitely stomach the cookie cutter aspects in most of the developments in exchange for the abundance of trails, the walking distance to elementary schools (including a K-8 school, - I LOVE the K-8 concept), and the proximity to the toll road and the Denver-Boulder Road. The development my husband looked at (Rock Creek ?) also had a pool in the development which is one of the things that can contribute to a well-connected community (which is what we want).

So there are some areas of Superior that are more cookie cutter than others. Frankly, I like that it has a diversity of housing prices in the same school district.

We ended up making the same decision - except for the toll road. I avoid it The RTD Skyride is a good option with $13 one way ticket. You can board at McCaslin PnR and it drops you right outside the terminal.

With three elementary age children, for us the K-8 concept works great. All three will be in the same school for next few years !

If you plan to buy a home, be aware of Chinook winds which hit Superior hard (so check the location) and check the basement/foundation of the home due to the shifting soils. Also review the HOA rules - They are strict with some things - right down to the color of your fence

Good luck with your decision!

[drewjensen]

Virtually all of Superior is "Rock Creek" except for "original town" over by the Costco. The town is divided pretty evenly North and South with Coalton road as the dividing point. The south side feeds into El Dorado K-8, and the north side feeds into Superior Elementary (also excellent). Both sides go to El Dorado starting in 6th grade.

Both North and South have community pools, too, but the south pool has a zero entry side and a slide and water fall, so needless to say that's where all the kids/families go regardless of where they live. It's actually only about 1/4 mile from El Dorado....so super nice if you can find someplace walking distance to both.

On the south side, the most expensive/nicest homes are behind El Dorado (on the mountains side of the school) and south of the school/pool up the hill a little. It's a farther walk to the pool, but we'd live there if we could afford it. We live down pretty close to the pool and the houses around here are more in the 350-425 range. Fine houses, just not as big or fancy. Good luck.

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by drewjensen

...On the south side, the most expensive/nicest homes are behind El Dorado (on the mountains side of the school) and south of the school/pool up the hill a little. It's a farther walk to the pool, but we'd live there if we could afford it. We live down pretty close to the pool and the houses around here are more in the 350-425 range. Fine houses, just not as big or fancy. Good luck.

Is it the big and fancy, the square footage or something else that makes this area more desirable? I'm guessing this is an area that the developer/builder put nicer houses, but is it instead a nicer community?

Thanks

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

Is it the big and fancy, the square footage or something else that makes this area more desirable? I'm guessing this is an area that the developer/builder put nicer houses, but is it instead a nicer community?

Thanks

No, the community is the same. The houses, however, tend to be a lot bigger, some a lot newer, and, generally, they have more character because each one appears more unique than those in other pockets of Superior.

[drewjensen]

Exactly so.

Some neighbors of ours (down near the pool) just sold their 2100 square foot home plus 500 square foot basement:






and bought a 2800 sf home further up the hill (with 1000 square foot basement)

[brown_dog_us]

Gotcha. I can see the details around the garage, cornice, and architecture.

Thanks.