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With regards to Brighton schools, I have heard mixed reviews which is typical and very dependant upon the teacher. No real shock there. I do know that the overall student teacher levels have been high since the city (Brighton) has grown a lot over a short period of time.
Other areas to consider that are within a short commute and stronger school districts would be Thornton and Broomfield. Thornton is located within (for the most part) Adams 12 along with Broomfield. Overall this is considered to be a strong district. Additionally Broomfield has certain schools located within Boulder Valley, which is also considered to be tops in the state.
Additionally the Firestone, Frederick (also not to far away) has area has a charter school that goes k-8 that I have heard great things about http://www.imaginefirestone.com. Upside is that you can get more value with regards to housing (median price is 226k). Downside is that you will be further from commercial development.
The city of Westminster has some schools located within the Jefferson County district and I would say that commute times are within 35 to 45 minutes.
Lastly I very much agree that school report sites can provide helpful information but there is a lot more that cannot quantified with these reports.
Last edited by mikejgold; 12-16-2009 at 05:55 PM..
Reason: ms word
We're considering a house in Erie but have some questions about the area we hoped folks could help answer. Any insight is appreciated:
1.) How are the Erie schools? I see that Black Rock Elementry has a good rating but seems to have a high student to teacher ratio. Is anyother elementry school in the works to bring down class size? Also - any plans to add another middle and high school to the area?
2.) What's with the taxes in Erie (at least the newer developments)? I assume this is to help offset the new commerical development and schools, infurstrucutre. Do these taxes go down once those are established or can we expect to see high taxes for areas like Vista Ridge forever?
3.) What's going on with the landfill and mining areas above vista ridge (weld county highway 4)? Erie's town site makes it look like this is proposed future open space but I can't really tell if that's true. Does anyone know also if they plan to connect highway 4 to vista parkway or will that stay undeveloped?
4.) Are there good daycare options in the area? We currently use an affordable homecare system in Arvada and would look for something similar that's not terribly draining on income. Centers are nice but often far more expensive we've found.
5.) Wind - is it always windy in the Vista Ridge area? Is this something that with the planting and growth of trees that will change or is this another Wyomming (major wind)?
6.) Erie Village - the victorican style homes in Erie Village are super cute compared to the cookie-cutter homes in Vista Ridge. Anyone have a view on these areas with pros and cons? I realize Vista Ridge goes to Black Rock Elementry while Erie Village goes to Erie Elementry which has a slightly lower rating.
7.) Ongoing development - any insights into additional building and development of the area? Are commerical builders planning to add to the area soon, any more plans for residential growth?
Having moved to Erie in 2005, I can assure you that you'd be very happy living here if you are already seriously considering the transition. I will do my best to answer each of your questions, but bear with me, as I don't know everything.. at least that's what my partner says.
1. I don't know much about school performance as my partner and I do not have kids, but the town completed construction on a new 61-acre high school the same year we moved in. It is a modern structure with state-of-the-art sporting facilities and a 9-12 enrollment of 600 students. I didn't do intensive research, but I would imagine a reasonable student-teacher ratio somewhere around 20-1. When I was in school, the ratio was much higher (35-1).. and I could be wrong, but it looks as though the school concentrates heavily on having a lower enrollment and the benefits this provides to its students. With respect to a new elementary school, the answer is yes. A new elementary school is currently under construction immediately adjacent to the community we live in (Creekside) off County Line/Telleen just south of Old Town. In doing a little digging, I see the school will be L.E.E.D. certified and constructed with an emphasis on sustainable energy. It looks like they are currently referring to the school as "St. Vrain Elementary #26".. I don't know if this will be a re-badged "Erie Elementary School" or not (school #26 link - Untitled Document). Expectations are that it will open its doors Fall 2011. I would check out www.erieco.gov for more information about St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) and Boulder Valley School District (BVSD). Also, you seem like you really like Vista Ridge - there is a Vista Ridge Academy - don't know if it's public or private, but might be worth some research.
2. Property taxes (and sales tax) will vary depending on your location within the Town of Erie. County Line Road (north/south) splits Erie between Boulder and Weld Counties. Areas to the west of County Line are in Boulder County, those to the east in Weld. Vista Ridge is in Weld County, so checking with the Weld County Assessor's Office would be your best bet (www.co.weld.co.us/departments/assessor). Regarding our property taxes (we're in Boulder County), I haven't seen a huge up-swing or down-swing as far as property taxes are concerned. Local sales tax for Weld County is 7.5% and 8.25% in Boulder County.
3. I don't know much about the landfill/open space situation at Vista Ridge. I know when we were looking at properties back in 2005 there were major concerns with settling at the majority of homes we looked at. Many of the structures are built on top of old landfill.. don't know how much and don't know how extensive the problems are. We have several friends who live in Vista Ridge and in Vista Pointe and they love it. Checking with the Town of Erie regarding these concerns, as well as your concerns with CR 4 connecting with Vista Parkway, would probably get you the answers you're looking for if web searches aren't cutting it. I will say that Erie and Boulder County are big on open space, so I wouldn't be surprised to see much of the open space you see today still there in 20 years. Of course, money changes people, but for now, the open space is one of the main reasons we love it so much.
4. As I stated above, we do not have kids, so I don't have much to offer with respect to your childcare questions. I can't even imagine how expensive childcare centers are these days - I know it was almost prohibitively expensive back in the 80s when Mom had me enrolled at Children's World (something like $300/wk then). Sorry I can't offer more here.
5. It's windy in Erie just as it's windy elsewhere along the Front Range. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are currently in Arvada? During the chinook events we get during winter, Arvada takes a much more brutal beating than Erie due to its proximity to the foothills. During "normal" days, perhaps Erie's a bit breezier as much of the area is "open" and there aren't many natural wind blocks, however, whichever trees you choose to plant in Arvada would be just as happy in Erie. I wouldn't concern yourself too much with the wind as it pertains to living in Erie (15 miles from where you are now.. maybe?).
6. I have only driven by Erie Village, never looked to live there. The homes are amazing even considering their relative newness. It looks as though some have stood the test of time like much of the town has, but most homes are no older than 15 years or so. I don't know this for a fact, but in talking with other locals, that's the impression I get. I don't know that I would consider it better than Vista Ridge - it's just a different neighborhood with a different atmosphere. One thing I will say - Vista Ridge has absolutely spectacular view of the mountains while Erie Village is nestled on flatland with lots of mature trees somewhat restricting visibility. Vista Ridge definitely feels more "airy".
7. Erie has grown from around 6,600 residents in 2005 to 18,500 as of the 2010 census (280%) and an expected 26,000 by 2015. Average HH income is around $90,000. There are 350 acres of parks and open space within the Town of Erie. In 2007, a brand new, gorgeous recreation center opened, as did a new library. Beautiful new baseball fields (4 - with concessions in the middle), along with a soccer field and 4 professional tennis courts just opened this spring. A new Presbyterian church opened recently and a new convenience store/gas station is opening very soon right near the rec center on County Line (BADLY needed - the Conoco in town is JUNK and the next nearest pump is 5 miles away from our part of town). To my knowledge, a retirement village and grocery store are planned along County Line, as well.
7a. Along with all of this incredible (and tasteful) development, Erie hosts festivals and community events year-round. Just this past weekend, they hosted the "Harvest Festival" which had live music, craft booths, food/drink and kid activities. I didn't get to go due to work, unfortunately, but some friends said it was typical small-town vibe - which we love. I heard fireworks going off Saturday night, so the town was definitely doing something, as usual.
I also want to point out that Vista Ridge is not the only community to check out in Erie. Erie Commons (right near the rec center/library/ball fields) is very nice and has homes from 2 or 3 different builders. Our community is kind of on the down-low, as it incorporates only 87 homesites. We're right near all of the new development (and the new elementary school), but far enough off the path that increased traffic flow doesn't really affect us.
Check out the Town of Erie's webpage for more local information. It is an extremely informative site about all the goings-on in Erie and surrounding areas in Boulder and Weld Counties and you should find any and all information you're looking for by perusing the site.
I hope to God I've provided you with at least one sentence of useful information and that it didn't seem I was speaking directly from my arse! I may have gotten one or two things wrong, but I doubt it.
Looking at purchasing a home in the Boulder County (west side) of Erie. Anything I should be weary/concerned of? How are the schools? Is it an overall nice place to live? I like the fact that it is fairly convenient to my work in Boulder so it shouldnt be a bad commute. And of all the nearby communities it seems to be a good value. Thanks!
Looking at purchasing a home in the Boulder County (west side) of Erie. Anything I should be weary/concerned of? How are the schools? Is it an overall nice place to live? I like the fact that it is fairly convenient to my work in Boulder so it shouldnt be a bad commute. And of all the nearby communities it seems to be a good value. Thanks!
Part if Erie goes into Boulder Valley School District, I would recommend looking at those homes. May be a bit of a plus for your property value. Here is the map showing the district boundary in Erie: http://www.bvsd.org/schoolfinder2/hi...AURUS_Area.jpg
I don't want to say anything bad about another school district in Erie - St Vrain Valley SD, but a lot of people are trusting scores from greatschools.org, and St. Vrain seem to be lower rated, in general, than BVSD. In terms of property value, those scores may be important.
Now, if you are looking for good schools because you have kids, those scores may not be as meaningful to you, and you need to check specific schools.
Other than that, I think Erie is a nice place - I love views of Front Range from Erie!
Part if Erie goes into Boulder Valley School District, I would recommend looking at those homes. May be a bit of a plus for your property value. Here is the map showing the district boundary in Erie: http://www.bvsd.org/schoolfinder2/hi...AURUS_Area.jpg
I don't want to say anything bad about another school district in Erie - St Vrain Valley SD, but a lot of people are trusting scores from greatschools.org, and St. Vrain seem to be lower rated, in general, than BVSD. In terms of property value, those scores may be important.
Now, if you are looking for good schools because you have kids, those scores may not be as meaningful to you, and you need to check specific schools.
Other than that, I think Erie is a nice place - I love views of Front Range from Erie!
we actually put an offer on one that fell within BVSD a couple weeks ago, but lost it. Most recently put an offer on one literally a few blocks away but within st vrain. I don't even have any kids, mainly looking at it for property values and future kids!
I hear you about buying blues! We are buying in Gunbarrel, and in certain price ranges it is crazy competitive right now. Forget about "buyer's market", inventory is low, and I think these houses will be more expensive even next year. Good luck with your search!
Location: Fort Collins / Boulder , CO ( and Sometimes LA)
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I lived in Lafayette and commuted to boulder every day for 3 years, it gets old. i can't imagine the pain Erie folk have to go though. Deal with the extra price and move to inner boulder or Louisville... eire just doesn't cut it no matter what the SQ ft you can get is.
I lived in Lafayette and commuted to boulder every day for 3 years, it gets old. i can't imagine the pain Erie folk have to go though. Deal with the extra price and move to inner boulder or Louisville... eire just doesn't cut it no matter what the SQ ft you can get is.
If i could find a house under $250k in Boulder or Louisville I wouldn't be looking in Erie
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Questions about Erie, CO
I may have gotten one or two things wrong, but I doubt it. 
Most recently put an offer on one literally a few blocks away but within st vrain. I don't even have any kids, mainly looking at it for property values and future kids!
