Another Moving ? - But want "denver" info, not suburbs (Center: apartment, crime)

[imsosarah]

We are moving to denver area and there is a ton of information on here about what suburbs are great - but we would really like to look at some area's in the city its self.

1. We are a young family with 2 kids, middle and elementary age so school quality and safety is a concern
2. We are professionals and work from home, so commute isn't an issue as long as we are within an hour to the airport
3. We'd love to have the ability to walk to food, stores, activities, etc in the neighborhood
4. We'd love to have a safe, family focused neighborhood

Our budget is 200-300k with some wiggle room if we find something amazing.

If you think there is something else we are overlooking other than the 100's of posts about highlands ranch, littleton, etc, I'm happy to hear them!

[Cupcake77]

You can't find anything for 200-300k unless you are looking for an apartment or a less desirable area.

[davidv]

Originally Posted by imsosarah

We are moving to denver area and there is a ton of information on here about what suburbs are great - but we would really like to look at some area's in the city its self.

1. We are a young family with 2 kids, middle and elementary age so school quality and safety is a concern
2. We are professionals and work from home, so commute isn't an issue as long as we are within an hour to the airport
3. We'd love to have the ability to walk to food, stores, activities, etc in the neighborhood
4. We'd love to have a safe, family focused neighborhood

Our budget is 200-300k with some wiggle room if we find something amazing.

If you think there is something else we are overlooking other than the 100's of posts about highlands ranch, littleton, etc, I'm happy to hear them!

The cost of housing in Colorado is kind of high, and the cost of housing in Central Denver is even higher.

The biggest limiting factor will be schools. There are not that many great schools in Denver. Houses in areas where schools are good are pretty expensive.

Try Stapleton. It is probably your best bet for all your criteria.

[TechMike]

Originally Posted by imsosarah

We are moving to denver area and there is a ton of information on here about what suburbs are great - but we would really like to look at some area's in the city its self.

1. We are a young family with 2 kids, middle and elementary age so school quality and safety is a concern
2. We are professionals and work from home, so commute isn't an issue as long as we are within an hour to the airport
3. We'd love to have the ability to walk to food, stores, activities, etc in the neighborhood
4. We'd love to have a safe, family focused neighborhood

Our budget is 200-300k with some wiggle room if we find something amazing.

If you think there is something else we are overlooking other than the 100's of posts about highlands ranch, littleton, etc, I'm happy to hear them!

You can probably find what you're looking for in southeast Denver. Neighborhoods like University Hills, University Park, Unviersity, Washington Virgina Vale, Virginia Village, Cory-Merrill, and Goldsmith.

Others to consider, Montclair, Hale, South Park Hill, North Park Hill (south of 29th, west of Monaco), and Hilltop

To give an idea, here's a map of Denver neighborhoods:
http://www.denvergov.org/denvermaps/...ghborhoods.pdf

Some of those neighborhoods can have really high home prices, so they might be out of your price range. Many, however, are still affordable.

There are some really nice neighborhoods as you get closer to downtown, but the prices can get really outrageous (Wash Park, Country Club, Cherry Creek, Cheesman Park).

Good luck.

[cowboyxjon]

Just a note about Washington-Virginia Vale: I live here, and my property DOES have a high walk score, but it's not very urban-feeling; for instance, you won't be walking to the corner store on tree-lined streets. If you don't mind walking to strip malls along Leetsdale and Monaco, then it *could* be a good fit if you compromise a bit. The schools aren't the absolute best in DPS, but they aren't bad either. I like walking to the grocery store, the donut shop, 7-11, etc., but just keep in mind that you'll be crossing busy streets.

I love living here. My part of the neighborhood looks a bit 'up and coming', in the sense that some of the properties aren't well-kept, but there are also a few 'scrapes' that have already occurred, and there are two new houses down the street from me that are in the process of being built, even in this economy. I live in a newer townhome that was a scrape. For $200-$300K, you can live in the 'nicer' part of the neighborhood, which is west of the greenbelt that leads to Garland Park. Those homes are all older brick ranches, but the area is nice.

It's really not family-oriented, though, in my opinion. There are kids in my neighborhood, but I don't know of any kid-focused activities that regularly occur in the neighborhood. It's not like Stapleton, for instance, where it seems like there are always movies at the park going on.

The benefit of living in Virginia Vale is that it's close to a lot of things: Downtown, Cherry Creek, even not that bad of a drive to the Tech Center or to the airport. It's very centrally located and in my opinion is kind of a hidden gem if you can get past the fact that some of the streets look a bit rough, even though there is no crime problem here. It has good bus transit, too.

[NicoleinDenver]

I have no idea what home prices are, but Stapleton is great for young families - that's mostly who lives there. THey have lots of community events like concerts and outdoor movies, a farmer's market, and a "town center" where you can do some shopping and the like. It's closer to the airport than most other neighborhoods, and not too far from downtown Denver, either. Their site is stapletondenver.com

[Autodidact]

In addition to what has been named, you will want to check out Congress Park and Park Hill.

[75 South]

I moved here last week from Atlanta. Feel free to get an honest, objective opinion from someone that is actually doing what you re doing.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Cupcake77

You can't find anything for 200-300k unless you are looking for an apartment or a less desirable area.

Dang, I sure hope to aspire to your, ahem, less desirable status in my life.

OP, other areas you might want to look at include the Hampden, Hampden South, and Southmoor neighborhoods. The schools don't score "the best" (with the exception of Southmoor Elem, which does), but my kids attend one of the other schools, and I have nothing bad to say about it.

Look at zips 80237 and 80231.

[NicoleinDenver]

I second the Stapleton recommendations. They have a variety of housing and I know they do have some options in your price range, though I don't know what size.