Moving to Denver-Boulder corridor: Louisville vs. Superior vs. Westminster vs. Lafayette? (Aurora: HOA, houses)

[RockTheGlobe]

Hello, all... Trying to do some due diligence and get some input from the locals on this matter. My wife, 17-month-old son and I moved from Los Angeles to Highlands Ranch about 5 months ago, and we're not really happy with the area, so we're looking to relocate to somewhere north of Denver and more towards Boulder. Several different places have been suggested to us, so I wanted to get some more feedback on what might be better for us to look at.

A bit of history and explanation: My wife and I are both originally from New England and spent more than a decade in L.A. before moving to Denver to take advantage of the lower cost of living and higher standard of living. On paper, Highlands Ranch looked good to us because of the rec centers, plentiful housing and availability of stuff (meaning that a lot of stores are very close so anything we would need to buy is 5-10 minutes away and not a drive). However, we also found the area is extremely generic and lacking in personality, with everywhere permeated by chain stores and mediocre chain restaurants. We're also liberal Jews and find ourselves in the minority on both counts -- we're one of two houses on our entire street with an Obama sign up despite a majority of Romney signs, and we're Reform Jews and while we don't practice that much, there are a ton of churches in HR, and we just don't want our son to be the only Jew in his school.

What we're looking for: Someplace that would better reflect all the wonderfulness that Colorado has to offer -- including more of a local personality, and someplace where we could find ourselves among more people who are a bit more like-minded as us so we don't keenly feel like we're as much of a minority. We'd obviously like an area that has good schools, since one of the main reasons why we moved out of Los Angeles was because the public school system there is broken. We'd like to find something along the lines of a 4BDR/3ba for under $500K, though if it means a better area with better schools, we can push that boundary a little. Again, while we don't practice all that much, we'd like to not be the only Jews in town or have our son be the only Jew in his school. Someplace where we don't have to drive 20 minutes to get to a supermarket if we need something in the middle of the night, as well as someplace where we don't have to drive half an hour to get to a good restaurant (and someplace where the locals don't consider Red Robin to be "a good restaurant"). Commute is not much of an issue since my wife and I are both used to long drives and traffic having come from L.A., and I'm close to a job offer in Boulder.

That said, I liked Louisville when I briefly drove through there a few days ago and it reminded me of a small New England town, and I've been told Superior is very similar and feeds into Louisville's high school. A couple of people have also suggested Lafayette and Westminster, and I wanted to get people's opinions on these places and what they thought might fit our needs/desires best. Many thanks!

[reed303]

Given the issues you explained, you may want to contact the area synagogues and ask where their people find to their liking. There is a listing here: Synagogues in Colorado - Shuls in Colorado - Jewish Temples in Colorado

From the list, check Westminster, Boulder, Erie, Longmont. If you liked "small-town" Louisville, take a look at Longmont also. Personally I prefer the Boulder Valley school section of Broomfield, but it's not very New England-ish !

[Marc Wishner]

I think your instincts are good. I would encourage Louisville over the others because it does have a little flavor and is a dynamic area with good schools and lots for kids. That said, I live in the Gunbarrel area just a few miles NE of Boulder , virtually 5-10 minutes to town from the west side ( a nice bike ride) , and there are homes available in your range and you would be in Boulder with great schools, food and activities. A little more house than Boulder proper and nice open space and sub urban feel. Good Luck !

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

OP, where are you working? Is it close to where you are now? Just wondering about any commute you might be looking at.

We have quite a few Jewish friends in the category you describe. One couple lives in Superior (I'm not a fan of that area - I can't tell the houses apart where they are) and others in Boulder.

[RockTheGlobe]

Don't have a full-time job right now but have been freelancing out of my house, though my wife has a job in Aurora -- we know that if we move up to Boulder County, she either would have a hellish commute or would have to find something closer to where we'd be living.

[Katarina Witt]

I've lived in Louisville for 30 years; we raised a family here. I'm a big Louisville "cheerleader". You can do a search for some of my posts about it.

There's not a huge Jewish community here in Lsvl, though there are a few Jewish families around. Since you hate HR I won't try to talk you into staying there, although it's obviously better for your wife's job than any of the communities you mentioned. I do know some Jewish families in HR; they seemed to find it acceptable.

My daughter lives in Westminster and commutes to the Health Science Center in Aurora. You might consider Westminster or Broomfield if your wife is going to keep this job (perhaps out of necessity?). They are closer to Aurora. Neither is a New England-style town, but both are nice, IMO.

[TarkaK9]

I too think your instincts are good. One merit to the area in particular is the abundance and ease of access to open space. A snippet: Louisville has quite the impressionable downtown (altho turning into a food court imo), charismatic place to live; Superior is overshadowed by Rock Creek, which is a scaled HR in comparison imo, albeit a very high ranked schools which is why people gravitate to there. Layette is viable option too, but depends on where due to school factors/boundaries. Westminster, imo, just the typical metropolitan urban environment.
All the areas have good access to Denver and Boulder alike... a commute to Aurora from the area is going to grow old VERY quick as it is a haul. Areas of Denver (eg Wash Park, Highlands) will be a good compromise but traffic and commute time too will be a factor.

[RockTheGlobe]

We've pretty much ruled out Wash Park and the Highlands, despite the nice environments there, because the school systems there are sub-par. I've talked to too many people who live there and are either sending their kids to private school or are just hoping that an influx of good students will force DPS to improve the schools in those areas.

[qfrost]

Having been trapped in LA for over 20 years, but having grown up in Indiana, I know exactly how you feel. I would rule out Superior, it's exactly what you don't want in terms of generic, speaking as someone who lived there briefly at Rock Creek. Not a bad area, but not in fitting with what you desire. I can't speak to the Jewish angle, but I can agree with all here Louisville is awesome for it's charm and local town feel. And like a lot of areas in Colorado, good schools. Best of luck!

[AceShopper]

Originally Posted by qfrost

I would rule out Superior, it's exactly what you don't want in terms of generic, speaking as someone who lived there briefly at Rock Creek. Not a bad area, but not in fitting with what you desire.

Hey qfrost, You moved out of Horizons @ Rock Creek ?

Agreed! Superior Rock Creek HOA rules would be on par with what you described for HR. And cookie cutter homes - I still have a hard time determining which driveway is mine But our neighbors are great, lots of families with children, great walkable school and everything is so nearby. So far, we love it