Subdivisions in Aurora, CO (Denver, Pueblo: foreclosed, mortgage, refinance)

[snowangel907]

hello everyone!
I am possibly moving to Denver, CO in the near future. Can anyone tell me about what the southwestern part of Aurora, CO is like? I noticed that there are huge subdivisions there and home prices are extremely cheap. Is this a good place to raise a family? Are there good public schools? Are the homes reliably built?

thanks in advance!

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by snowangel907

hello everyone!
I am possibly moving to Denver, CO in the near future. Can anyone tell me about what the southwestern part of Aurora, CO is like? I noticed that there are huge subdivisions there and home prices are extremely cheap. Is this a good place to raise a family? Are there good public schools? Are the homes reliably built?

thanks in advance!

I don't know that area or if the area I am about to describe are the same. The subdivisions off of Smokey Hill and E470 are nice. I have family that live over there and is very safe and clean.

[shukertj]

Hi Snowangel,

Which part of Aurora are you referring to? What are the street boundaries? And what are the names of the subdivisions you're looking at? There's not really an area referred to as SW Aurora--it's the SE part of the city that is regarded as its own little world. This is the area Timmyy mentioned--near Smoky Hill and Orchard Roads.

The schools in SE Aurora are outstanding--all in the Cherry Creek School District. The homes are generally newer, nice, and in pleasant, family-oriented neighborhoods. Single-family homes range from the low 200s, but there's something in every price range. They are reasonably well-built overall.

The rest of Aurora (landwise the city is larger than Denver and will soon surpass Denver in population as well) is very urban and diverse--and I think interesting for that reason. There are many ethnic restaurants, thrift stores, and also lower-income neighborhoods. Many of the Aurora Public Schools are not very highly rated, and middle/upper income families tend to flock to the SE part of the city primarily for the Cherry Creek Schools. Don't ask me why two parts of the same city would be in different school districts--I have no idea! ; )

Hope this helps!

[snowangel907]

Thanks! Yes, I guess the southeastern part of the city is what I was referring to. Do you know how diverse the Cherry Creek School District is? I want to live in a family-friendly, safe neighborhood yet still get to meet different types of people from all races, religions, etc. Thanks again for your help

[davidv]

Originally Posted by snowangel907

Thanks! Yes, I guess the southeastern part of the city is what I was referring to. Do you know how diverse the Cherry Creek School District is? I want to live in a family-friendly, safe neighborhood yet still get to meet different types of people from all races, religions, etc. Thanks again for your help

CCSD is not a model of diversity, but there are definitely diverse areas inside the district.

The most diverse area is near Overland High School - Jewell Ave and Peoria. This area has a large African American population. Academically, Overland is the poorest performing school, but a new STEM program is being implemented.

The area around Smoky Hill High School - Smoky Hill Rd and Buckley Rd - has a decent population of South Asian students, East Asian students, and African American Students. SHHS has an IB program that attracts a lot of high achieving students

Cherry Creek High School is 78% white, but it has a population of East Asian, South Asian, and Hispanic students. There are large numbers of Jewish students and Muslim students as well. It is the highest achieving school in the district and one of the top in the state.

Eaglecrest HS - Picadilly St, north of Smoky Hill Rd- has a decent population of African American students.

Grandview HS and Cherokee Trail HS- both near E470 and Smoky Hill Rd- are the least diverse of the CCSD schools. They are located in SE Aurora.

The reason CCSD is the school district for southern Aurora is because the district was formed 60 years ago when the area was largely rural and before Aurora started sprawling south its subdivisions all the way to Douglas County.

[shukertj]

I was worried about a lack of diversity also when I moved from the city out to the 'burbs, but I needn't have worried . . . the suburbs of SE Aurora/Centennial are surprisingly diverse--with just about every cultural heritage and faith represented. All the residents seem to be joined by a desire to live in a safe, comfortable neighborhood and send their children to good schools.

The CC high schools in the SE Aurora area are Smoky Hill, Grandview, and Eaglecrest. Our son goes to Grandview and we've been very impressed with the quality of education there. You can look up the statistics on each of these schools to get a better idea of their demographics. You can research the elementary and middle schools as well--there were just too many to list. : )

SE Aurora is a great place to live and raise a family. If you don't mind houses that all look pretty similar you will probably like the area.

[aurora303]

Having grown up in SE Aurora (off Hampden & Himalaya to be specific) and spending my childhood years there, I'd say it would be a great place to raise a family. Although CCSD isn't the most diverse, it isn't anywhere near the least diverse either. The neighborhoods themselves are very family oriented with many walking paths and parks, usually at least one for each neighborhood. I never felt unsafe there, even as a 10 year old alone in the middle of the night, and the homes are generally newer tract housing. I think the oldest neighborhoods south of Iliff are from the 70's or early 80's, although I'm not totally sure. Overall, I've found it to be a great place to live and I'm actually planning to relocate back there when it's time for me to have kids because I much prefer CCSD over Pueblo County Schools!

[blobbin]

The rest of Aurora (landwise the city is larger than Denver and will soon surpass Denver in population as well) is very urban and diversep

I uhh, well I am scratching my head at that urban and diverse part. The old original part of Aurora is urbanish, but the other 95 percent is just like any other bit of suburbia in any city. You could drive through most of Aurora and not tell the difference between say the outskirts of Phoenix or LA. Fewer Hawaiian BBQ places here, but has anyone else noticed they are starting to appear in the metro area?

Diversity is more than different colored faces, socio-economic diversity should be included, and if we are talking about the very edges of SE Aurora (the newer areas around Southlands mall) there is not much of that. On the upside this is good for the schools and makes it much easier for lazy teachers to teach to a test and get away with good numbers, on the downside it can make the already cookie cutter nature of the area even more dreary for some people.

Anyhow I think we are getting off topic. The original question was about SW Aurora and in many ways it really answers itself.

I am possibly moving to Denver, CO in the near future. Can anyone tell me about what the southwestern part of Aurora, CO is like? I noticed that there are huge subdivisions there and home prices are extremely cheap. Is this a good place to raise a family? Are there good public schools? Are the homes reliably built?

This reminds me of


If it sounds too good to be true it likely is.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by snowangel907

hello everyone!
I am possibly moving to Denver, CO in the near future. Can anyone tell me about what the southwestern part of Aurora, CO is like? I noticed that there are huge subdivisions there and home prices are extremely cheap. Is this a good place to raise a family? Are there good public schools? Are the homes reliably built?

thanks in advance!

I always shudder when people claim that homes are "extremely cheap." In comparison to what? Since millions of homes are being foreclosed on in this country and numerous people are finding out that a home that seems "extremely cheap" is still too expensive once you lose your job...I would caution you to compare any homes in this area with homes in any other part of the country. We purchased our home in 2008 for $265,000. We just refinanced and were told it is now worth $247,000. Since we put 20% down, we are not "underwater" (not that it would matter since we plan to stay here for the LOOOOONG term), but that still means a nearly $1500 mortgage payment. Seems "cheap" after living in Florida (where we came from), but not if we think in terms of having to come up with $18,000 just to stay in it for a year if we lost our jobs...and that's just to keep a roof over our heads, not to eat or use any electricity. Nothing is "cheap" unless it's free or you have a significant amount of money sitting around (or easy-to-get) in case of an emergency.

I live in SE Aurora, off Smoky Hill and the E-470. If I came into a good deal of money, I'd still live here. My kids are in the Cherry Creek School District and as a school volunteer and parent who prioritizes my children's education above the "new home smell," I can only tell you that this area is great. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any neighborhood off of Smoky Hill Rd. Safe, friendly, convenient, great schools, etc. As someone who is involved in the school district, I can only tell you that I like Cherry Creek's approach to education, the fact that the residents voted FOR their bond/levy despite the economy, and I love that my daughter's class has 19 kids in it.

As to diversity, the elementary school that my kids go to probably does have more families who are Middle Eastern and Indian than other places, but overall, my daughter's school is not at all "white", and we have a fantastic club called the Multi-Cultural Club that includes a ton of kids and puts on a huge Multi-Cultural Night each Spring that encourages kids and families to share information/food/dances/language, etc about their culture with their fellow students.

As for "reliably built"...again, it depends on what you are comparing them to. New homes nowadays aren't built that great. Most are built quickly and as cheaply as possible unless you spend a great deal more. My neighborhood is a basic suburb. When the area was built, the developer sold lots and then gave the buyers a choice of 3 or 4 homestyles to choose from. Our house suits us perfectly and we haven't had any issues. Our next door neighbor has had a ton of problems, from the heating system, his windows, a leak in his basement and a huge crack in his foundation. He is to the immediate right of us. Everytime he has something else fixed, he is told by his repairman "well, it looks like you live in the lemon." Not very reassuring, but again, we haven't had any major issues yet.

The only way to know if you are going to like an area is to see it for yourself. When we moved to Denver from Florida, we didn't know a soul. I spent a lot of time on C-D trying to determine where we should begin our househunt and then we rented for a year. Take your time and make a good decision for YOU and your family. None of us can tell you where to live...one person's paradise is another's hell. For every person like me who loves my neighborhood, there is another who loves theirs. There is no perfect place for everyone.

[Count David]

When it comes to SE Aurora, what you see is what you get. It's about as typical American suburbia as there is. Good, bad, or indifferent, if that's what you're looking for, go for it.