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I'm relocating for a new job in Westminster and trying to get a sense for places to live in prep for a scouting trip.
I've noticed the housing prices in Thornton are quite a bit better than Westminster, Broomfield, Arvada, etc. Any local have a sense as to the driver for this? The homes and neighborhoods look nice from afar.
The demographics make it look like a slightly younger area, so maybe a lot of families with kids relative to the other areas? Location further from the Denver core?
Where is job location ?
Some corners of Westminster could make for a bad commute to/from some corners of Thornton. Same for Broomfield or Arvada. These suburbs tend to wind around each other, and you want to avoid having to cross I-25.
BTW, if schools are a concern, School districts around Denver do not always align with city boundaries.
For instance , the City of Broomfield covers 5 different school districts.
Also be careful of Zip Codes. They don't exactly align either !
I live in the area and can provide my opinion. Thornton is cheaper because it is too far from the Boulder employment base for a comfortable commute. Being west of I-25 makes for an easier commute to the growth limited and very expensive Boulder. Also people of means feel better saying they are from the other cities.
In reality Thornton is just as nice of a place to live. It is heavily suburbs and being on the outskirts of development (with many new home communities) you have to drive back toward I-25 for most shopping. In Broomfield you also have to drive for your shopping, often to the same area of I-25, but you also have shopping in all directions so it feels more in-town.
Thornton has great rec centers, good trails and lots of families with kids that actually play outside together. It reminds me more of how I grew up. In our more tony area kids are mostly involved in activities so seldom play outside. If you see them they are often with parents. In Thornton the kids can be seen playing with each other.
The area around Eastlake is fantastic if you want to take an RTD train downtown for games and such. It is the most northern stop on the RTD line right now. Eastlake is very scenic with some nice short trails for getting exercise and walking the dog.
There are a few neighborhoods where the builder did not do expansive soil mitigation and there have been foundation problems. This is not unique to Thornton and many areas in the Denver metro area have this. But definitely something to check on if you see a screaming deal on a certain neighborhood. However, many Thornton neighborhoods do not have this problem since the builder did the right thing. For new construction you won't know until it has aged a bit if things have been done correctly so that is always a risk (really anywhere in the Denver metro area).
Nothing in this area that is a deal anymore. If you are seeing a difference in price that is significant there is a reason for it and it is well worth asking why. You are doing the right thing.
Thornton has two water systems. One draws from Standley Lake the same as Westminster. The other does not and seems to have the stinky algae bloom water at times. Resident's complain and have water delivered or buy expensive whole house filter systems. Loveland and some other communities also get this so it is not unique to Thornton. Nearby Todd Creek Village (technically in Brighton) for a long time didn't have potable water and people had it trucked in. Now it has a reverse osmosis system since they get their water from the yucky Platte River that flows through Denver and is highly contaminated.
The source of your water is the #1 thing you want to identify when looking at a house in Colorado. Even if it is in a highly developed, dense suburb you want to know who is providing it, does it smell, does it taste ok and is it drinkable from the tap. You will probably pay much more for your water bill than you are used to.
I don't know if the new developments are on Standley Lake water or on the other water source so definitely something to check out. My guess is they have the other water source because their share of Standley Lake is likely tapped out. Both are considered renewable (meaning it falls from the sky) so that is good.
You don't want to buy a house with non-renewable aquifer water because that is running out fast and will really lower the value of the house when it is gone. You will end up paying huge amounts for the development/city to try and contract for scarcely available water and then build treatment plants and a distribution network. I do not think this is a problem (as I do not know of an aquifer below Thornton) in the Thornton area but south of Denver it is often a problem so mention it for other's also shopping in Colorado.
You can end up in this situation if the house has well water or is on a system provided by the development that is using wells. So don't take it for granted if they say they get their water from "NewHomeMetroDistrict" (made up name) that it is a renewable water source.
For resale value I always say pick a house with good school ratings. Again you are doing the right thing. We have some fantastic schools up here but some are not and the ones with poorer ratings are going to be cheaper because there is less demand. The population up here is educated and want strong schools for their kids so it is a big driver in home sales.
Charter schools are a factor that you may not be familiar with but if you have kids and don't like the local assigned school you can always send them to a free charter school if they get in through the lottery. Stargate Charter School for gifted children is one of the highest rated schools in Colorado and is in Thornton. https://community.stargateschool.org/home
Pay attention to the property taxes. They vary widely. Older homes have much cheaper property taxes. This again is all across the Denver metro area and is not unique to Thornton. If a home was built before special tax districts were implemented the property taxes are generally very good. However, newer homes that have special tax assessments pay alot more because they are paying for their water/sewer infrastructure, streets etc as a separate assessment.
When looking at taxes be aware that older home owners may have a senior property tax exemption. The senior property tax exemption is available to senior citizens and the surviving spouses of senior citizens. The state reimburses the local governments for the loss in revenue. When the State of Colorado’s budget allows, 50 percent of the first $200,000 of actual value of the qualified applicant’s primary residence is exempted.
Qualifying info is:
The applicant is at least 65 years old on January 1 of the year in which he/she applies; and
The applicant or his/her spouse is the property owner of record and has owned the property for at least 10 consecutive years prior to January 1; and
The applicant occupies the property as his/her primary residence, and has done so for at least 10 consecutive years prior to January 1.
When the house is sold this tax exemption goes away.
Just a note on water issues in Thornton, but the water district there is one of a consortium about to start construction of a huge reservoir north of Fort Collins that will pull and store water directly from the Poudre River for use in Thornton and other areas.
It will be one of the largest water diversion programs in Colorado. Although there has been controversy about this the Glade Reservoir's environmental impacts, it was approved last year with construction to start in 2025. Once the project is completed (and it will take a number of years) Thornton is unlikely to have water issues going forward, assuming things go to schedule.
Aside from that, my sister in law who is single with no kids has owned a home and lived in Thornton for about 15 years and loves living there. She works in downtown Denver. She has a beautiful house, and great neighbors. Although Thorton feels very suburban to me, she seems to have a very active social life, so it can work for singles too. No one can predict the future, of course, but her house has steadily risen in value over the years, so I wouldn't worry too much about it being a bad investment (do pay attention to those foundation issues though!). Good luck with your move!
I live in the area and can provide my opinion. Thornton is cheaper because it is too far from the Boulder employment base for a comfortable commute. Being west of I-25 makes for an easier commute to the growth limited and very expensive Boulder. Also people of means feel better saying they are from the other cities.
In reality Thornton is just as nice of a place to live. It is heavily suburbs and being on the outskirts of development (with many new home communities) you have to drive back toward I-25 for most shopping. In Broomfield you also have to drive for your shopping, often to the same area of I-25, but you also have shopping in all directions so it feels more in-town.
Thornton has great rec centers, good trails and lots of families with kids that actually play outside together. It reminds me more of how I grew up. In our more tony area kids are mostly involved in activities so seldom play outside. If you see them they are often with parents. In Thornton the kids can be seen playing with each other.
The area around Eastlake is fantastic if you want to take an RTD train downtown for games and such. It is the most northern stop on the RTD line right now. Eastlake is very scenic with some nice short trails for getting exercise and walking the dog.
There are a few neighborhoods where the builder did not do expansive soil mitigation and there have been foundation problems. This is not unique to Thornton and many areas in the Denver metro area have this. But definitely something to check on if you see a screaming deal on a certain neighborhood. However, many Thornton neighborhoods do not have this problem since the builder did the right thing. For new construction you won't know until it has aged a bit if things have been done correctly so that is always a risk (really anywhere in the Denver metro area).
Nothing in this area that is a deal anymore. If you are seeing a difference in price that is significant there is a reason for it and it is well worth asking why. You are doing the right thing.
Thornton has two water systems. One draws from Standley Lake the same as Westminster. The other does not and seems to have the stinky algae bloom water at times. Resident's complain and have water delivered or buy expensive whole house filter systems. Loveland and some other communities also get this so it is not unique to Thornton. Nearby Todd Creek Village (technically in Brighton) for a long time didn't have potable water and people had it trucked in. Now it has a reverse osmosis system since they get their water from the yucky Platte River that flows through Denver and is highly contaminated.
The source of your water is the #1 thing you want to identify when looking at a house in Colorado. Even if it is in a highly developed, dense suburb you want to know who is providing it, does it smell, does it taste ok and is it drinkable from the tap. You will probably pay much more for your water bill than you are used to.
I don't know if the new developments are on Standley Lake water or on the other water source so definitely something to check out. My guess is they have the other water source because their share of Standley Lake is likely tapped out. Both are considered renewable (meaning it falls from the sky) so that is good.
You don't want to buy a house with non-renewable aquifer water because that is running out fast and will really lower the value of the house when it is gone. You will end up paying huge amounts for the development/city to try and contract for scarcely available water and then build treatment plants and a distribution network. I do not think this is a problem (as I do not know of an aquifer below Thornton) in the Thornton area but south of Denver it is often a problem so mention it for other's also shopping in Colorado.
You can end up in this situation if the house has well water or is on a system provided by the development that is using wells. So don't take it for granted if they say they get their water from "NewHomeMetroDistrict" (made up name) that it is a renewable water source.
For resale value I always say pick a house with good school ratings. Again you are doing the right thing. We have some fantastic schools up here but some are not and the ones with poorer ratings are going to be cheaper because there is less demand. The population up here is educated and want strong schools for their kids so it is a big driver in home sales.
Charter schools are a factor that you may not be familiar with but if you have kids and don't like the local assigned school you can always send them to a free charter school if they get in through the lottery. Stargate Charter School for gifted children is one of the highest rated schools in Colorado and is in Thornton. https://community.stargateschool.org/home
Pay attention to the property taxes. They vary widely. Older homes have much cheaper property taxes. This again is all across the Denver metro area and is not unique to Thornton. If a home was built before special tax districts were implemented the property taxes are generally very good. However, newer homes that have special tax assessments pay alot more because they are paying for their water/sewer infrastructure, streets etc as a separate assessment.
When looking at taxes be aware that older home owners may have a senior property tax exemption. The senior property tax exemption is available to senior citizens and the surviving spouses of senior citizens. The state reimburses the local governments for the loss in revenue. When the State of Colorado’s budget allows, 50 percent of the first $200,000 of actual value of the qualified applicant’s primary residence is exempted.
Qualifying info is:
The applicant is at least 65 years old on January 1 of the year in which he/she applies; and
The applicant or his/her spouse is the property owner of record and has owned the property for at least 10 consecutive years prior to January 1; and
The applicant occupies the property as his/her primary residence, and has done so for at least 10 consecutive years prior to January 1.
When the house is sold this tax exemption goes away.
Happy to answer questions.
Yeah, I used to live in Thornton.
Some of it is kind of ghetto and some is not so much. Ranum HS was where my cousins went and they did fine. I never heard much great about Thornton HS nor Mapleton for that matter, nor the Commerce City area, which is close to parts of Thornton.
How about Northglenn?
How about Lafayette, Louisville?
How about somewhere between Northglenn and Brighton.
I don't really know. I haven't lived in that area for 30 years or so.
But, I'm not sure I'd want to live smack dab between Rocky Mountain Arsenal and Rocky Flats but hey, that's just me, ymmv, yada yada.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieSD
Just a note on water issues in Thornton, but the water district there is one of a consortium about to start construction of a huge reservoir north of Fort Collins that will pull and store water directly from the Poudre River for use in Thornton and other areas ... with construction to start in 2025. Once the project is completed (and it will take a number of years) Thornton is unlikely to have water issues going forward, assuming ...
Wow.
I'm just so fascinated how the Front Range can move water around to where the people are rather than people moving to where the water is, but hey, that's just me, ymmv yada yada.
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