Evergreen (Denver, Lakewood, Boulder: ski resorts, amusement park, condo)

[JJPCheers]

We are looking to make a permanent move and were thinking that at first Evergeen was a bit too spread out for our 14 year old son, so we started to look at Breck. After further research Breck is not a good option for us. We are back to looking at Evergreen. When my husband and I looked at some houses last month we apparantly missed a big part of town. I looked up all the things our son likes to do in Florida. The mall is only 17 minutes away, he also likes to go the movies with friends and I found a theater right in Evergreen. He plays ice hockey and I found several rinks within 30 minutes away. Also, in Florida many kids meet up at Busch Gardens theme park and Adventure Island water park almost every week in the summer. I found Elitch Gardens is only 30 minutes away. We are looking at North Evergreen. Does anyone have info on the high school? Also, is there one or several neighborhoods where alot of the high school kids live? Our son is very social and I have to make sure we buy in a neighborhood where he can walk/bike to friends. Given his age it is important to make him feel comfortable about the move. We don't need jobs because we own a business in Florida and can work from a computer at home. Our budget is up to 1.3 mil. Even though our budget is higher we may go less to be in a neighborhood with kids.

[2bindenver]

What is it about Evergreen that you find attractive?

[sesamekid]

Originally Posted by JJPCheers

We are looking to make a permanent move and were thinking that at first Evergeen was a bit too spread out for our 14 year old son, so we started to look at Breck. After further research Breck is not a good option for us. We are back to looking at Evergreen. When my husband and I looked at some houses last month we apparantly missed a big part of town. I looked up all the things our son likes to do in Florida. The mall is only 17 minutes away, he also likes to go the movies with friends and I found a theater right in Evergreen. He plays ice hockey and I found several rinks within 30 minutes away. Also, in Florida many kids meet up at Busch Gardens theme park and Adventure Island water park almost every week in the summer. I found Elitch Gardens is only 30 minutes away. We are looking at North Evergreen. Does anyone have info on the high school? Also, is there one or several neighborhoods where alot of the high school kids live? Our son is very social and I have to make sure we buy in a neighborhood where he can walk/bike to friends. Given his age it is important to make him feel comfortable about the move. We don't need jobs because we own a business in Florida and can work from a computer at home. Our budget is up to 1.3 mil. Even though our budget is higher we may go less to be in a neighborhood with kids.

Evergreen is lovely, but I have worked with kids & teens who live there and they always complain about being stranded (ie. no ride to town).
So until your son is old enough to drive, you will probably be taxi-ing him to town (Denver) a lot. Colorado Mills Mall is a straight shot down I-70 and is a hang out spot for tweens & teens.
I have also had conversations with teens about how living in the mountains means a shift in lifestyle. Instead of doing all the big city stuff, kids have to find different things to do for fun. Like outdoor stuff.
With a budget of 1.3 mils you could afford to live in the area of Evergreen that is closest to Denver - North Evergreen, Genesee, Lookout Mountain (which is technically Golden) - rather than way the heck back in the Brook Forest area which could tack another 45 mins onto the commute.
Good luck!

[JJPCheers]

2bindenver - We are attracting to Evergreen because it seems like a good mix of open space yet close to everything. When we were in CO last month we also looked at Golden, Breck and Boulder. Boulder is too busy for us, and we liked the beauty of Evergreen over Golden. We have been going to Colorado twice a year for 10 years but it was never a good time to move with our business expanding in FL.

sesamekid - We are focusing on North Evergreen close to I-70, mainly closing in on the Hiwan neighborhoods. Since our son is ony 14 we are always driving him everywhere but all the parents around our area do. Since you speak with high school kids, do you know what things they like to do on the weekends during the school year and in summer? During the school year there is a party at someone's house almost every weekend. If not a party then the kids meet up at the mall or movies, usually around 20-30 kids meet up. I am trying to see if this is similiar in Evergreen. Although my husband and I are looking for change our son is nervous about his life being turned upside down so I am trying to tell him that teens seem to do the same things everywhere in the country.

[Hipchik]

I recognized your screenname from another forum (TA). I am sure you realize this, but living in the mountains is much different than taking a ski vacation in the mountains. Not everyone is cut out for it. Having lived in the mountains for years, I've seen too many people arrive wanting to live their fantasy and after one winter they leave. With your budget you could afford to buy a nice home in the western suburbs of Denver AND a condo at one of the ski resorts. Just a thought...

[JJPCheers]

We have been coming to Colorado for 10 years both in the summer and winter. We also have a 2nd home in the mountains in TN. We are definately more mountain/lake people than beach people. We currently live about 25 minutes from the beach in FL and never go. Hubby and I are ready for the change - 4 seasons, snow in winter, etc. However, our son doesn't want to move because of his friends. P.S. I love TA. Great vacation info.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

JJP, your son's life IS going to be turned upside down if you move now. I moved around a lot growing up, and it is hard to be uprooted and leave all of your friends. Especially in high school! If there is any way possible that you can stay where you are until he finishes high school, then that should take precedence over your desire to live in four seasons for a change.

However, if you have your minds made up to move now, I think it will be more difficult in Evergreen then in town. The closest mall is in Lakewood, and do you want to be driving your kid up and down the mountain roads in the snow? There is a movie theater in Bergen Park, which is close to Hiwan, but not much else there. Distances are further in the foothills, and even worse if there's snow on the road. Is this where you want your son to be learning to drive?

You can find some lovely homes in Ken Caryl on the west side of 470 or in Deer Creek Canyon. Both of these will feel like you are not living in town, but are still close enough that your son will have opportunities similar to what he's used to.

I lived in Conifer for five years when my kids were little, and commuted into Littleon for work. I loved living in the mountains but didn't love the commute. I was glad that I moved back into town when my oldest was 10 because it was a real pain trying to drive him everywhere for all of his activities. When we moved to Conifer we were told that the average person lives there for five years before moving back into town.

You've been looking at houses in the summer. Have you spent much time in the mountains in the winter? Are you ready for that much of a major change from Florida?

[JJPCheers]

Are there any other areas you would recommend besides Ken Caryl with our budget (up to 1.3 mil)? We have been looking at homes in Ken Caryl on the internet and some have great views and seem to be in a neighborhood. This may be a better fit for our son. We did not check out this area when we were out there last month so we are not familiar. We checked out Golden (N of I70), Boulder, and North Evergreen. Do you know how far grocery, shopping mall, ice skating rink is to Ken Caryl? Our son plays ice hockey so were are at the rink usually 2-3 times per week.

[davidv]

Originally Posted by JJPCheers

Are there any other areas you would recommend besides Ken Caryl with our budget (up to 1.3 mil)? We have been looking at homes in Ken Caryl on the internet and some have great views and seem to be in a neighborhood. This may be a better fit for our son. We did not check out this area when we were out there last month so we are not familiar. We checked out Golden (N of I70), Boulder, and North Evergreen. Do you know how far grocery, shopping mall, ice skating rink is to Ken Caryl? Our son plays ice hockey so were are at the rink usually 2-3 times per week.

Search for homes in Ken Caryl Valley. Those houses are behind the hogback and in a mountain-type setting. KCV is like a town; the houses are next to each other on medium to large size lots. Many back up to open space and have no neighbors on one side. There are no businesses in KCV.

The entrance to KCV is Ken Caryl Ave just west of C470. From the entrance you can get to:

1. Grocery stores. There are two grocery stores within 3/4 mile.

2. The public high school is 1 1/4 miles.

3. The Edge Ice Arena is 2 1/2 miles away.

4. Southwest Plaza Mall and Bowles Crossing movie theaters are 5 miles away.

5. The Mineral Station Light Rail stop is 6 1/4 miles away. This will take you downtown, to the stadiums (Invesco Field and Coors Field), Pepsi Center arena and Elitch Gardens Amusement Park.

There are many high school aged children around this area -- this is evidenced by the fact that there are 3 public high schools (Chatfield HS - the hs where your son would go, Dakota Ridge HS, and Columbine HS) with a combined enrollment of over 5000 students in the Columbine/Ken Caryl area.

[Hipchik]

Thanks davidv that's the area I was thinking of, just could not remember the name of it. If I had to be a flatlander again that's the area I'd choose for convenience sake.
PS I'd rep you again if I could.