Relocating; looking for advice (Denver, Colorado Springs: renting, how much, home)

[stanklerfam]

I'm sure there are already many many posts on this issue, and I've read through a few of them, but here's my spin on it..

We are a family of 5. Myself, wife, 3 daughters (8, 4, &1) looking to relocate to Denver area from Wichita, KS area. I am in healthcare field as a RN/paramedic with approx. 4 yrs of experience, so I'm fairly confident that I can find a job just about anywhere in/aroud the metro area. Wife stays home with kids.

Not crazy about the idea of living in the metro area proper, but would prefer an area just outside of the metro. I'm leaning towards Castle Rock/Parker area, Boulder/Longmont area, or Golden area. I've researched the basics on these areas, and I've been to the Denver area a couple times before, so I'm somewhat familiar with these areas, just wanting some input from those of you who live (or have lived) in these areas.

We will be renting for the first 1-2 yrs after moving, so housing isn't the most pressing issue at the moment. Ultimately, would like to live on small amount of acreage (1-4 acres) either in or out of city limits somewhere.

Specifically wondering which place might be most/least affordable, family friendly, best/worst schools, best/worst commute to denver/aurora metro area, etc.

[davebarnes]

Why are thinking of leaving beautiful Wichita, KS?
How much do you want to spend in rent?
What school system are your kids in now? What do you think of that school system?
What do you want in a rental?
Do you have pets?

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Find a job first, then decide how long you want your commute to be, then start looking in a radius around the job location. Once you find a job location and have answers for Dave's questions, then you can come back to this forum and ask questions that we can all help with. For example, it's hard to give you a "best/worst commute to Denver/Aurora metro area" because it is a really big area and we don't know your starting point or your destination.

BTW, once you narrow down to certain areas, do a forum search because most of your questions have been answered many times here.

[dhden2000]

I moved to Denver 20 years ago and it kind of breaks down like this.

If you are a city person and tons of traffic/congestion does not bother you then Denver proper would be your place. If you want a very conservative place to live and be with like minded folks then anywhere from Colorado Springs to Castle would be your place. If you are more of a middle of the roader polictically and don't like all the congestion/traffic of Denver then seriously consider the Longmont, Loveland, Fort Collins area. I live in Centennial just south of Denver and am planning my future escape to Fort Collins for the future. If I never had to see Denver again with the exception of sporting events I would be fine with me as it's gotten that congested out there.... There is alot of hosptital typs jobs in the Fort Collins metro area. Hands down a much nicer place to live than Denver. It is also more green with trees and has a really cool little downtown area.

[dhden2000]

Forgot to note you made mention of Aurora in your thread. Unless you wanted to live in the far south or eastern portion of Aurora near E-470 I would not even consider it. It's cheap yes but you get what you pay for. Crime, congestion and overall a very ugly area to live in. There are some new developments near E-470 which are nice and away from riff raff.