Your typical "where should I move" thread.

[zenkonami]

Originally Posted by nrogers1122

Greetings. I have an interview with a large Federal Government agency which is quickly turning into a very solid prospect. The agency has offices in D.C., New York City, Chicago, Dallas, and Denver. If I get the job, and the opportunity to pick the city, I am strongly considering Denver or Dallas. The other options strike me as too expensive and a bit too urban.

A little bit about me: I am in my late twenties, married with a six year old and one on the way. I am from the Des Moines, IA area and moved to a suburb of Minneapolis about two years ago so that I could go to law school. I enjoy the outdoors, but also have an appreciation for working in a large city. Denver is attractive because my understanding is that it can offer both of these things (although I have never been there). I have also heard that the weather is quite appealing.

Things I am looking for in a neighborhood: I would like to live not more than 40 minutes outside the metro. I am looking at a house budget based upon a household income of $150k, and no down payment (VA loan). Aside from location and price, my parameters are as follows: relatively new construction, very low crime, park-like atmosphere, minimal blighted properties/businesses, many family activities, and above all else - good schools.

I'm sure this thread has been posted a million times before. Nevertheless, I would appreciate feedback on potential neighborhoods/communities that would fall into the category described above.

Live near where you work. Then you can spend more time with your family and less time commuting. Denver is pretty heterogenous and there are nice areas and not so nice areas all over the area.

If you're near Federal Center out in Lakewood, there are a few developments around Morrison that would nicely fit your bill. If you're going to be more toward the east side, then Stapleton would be a good fit (very clean and new, and a wide variety of people and income levels, though mostly starting at middle class on up.) If downtown, you might consider (though older houses) Park Hill or Capitol Hill. Littleton in the south has some newer construction you might like and would even put you along the light rail if you were interested in that...even Highlands Ranch (much as I philosophically loathe the area) might be a good fit for what you are looking for...newer construction, family friendly, low crime.

But unless you are looking for a rural lifestyle, there is little reason to live far from where you work. There are options everywhere around town, particularly with your income.

Good luck!

[Madame Defarge]

Can you get away from Minnesota for a long weekend to do some recon? I would encourage you to visit Denver and drive around a bit to get a feel for all these neighborhoods. I was out there last week for a job interview, and I saw some neighborhoods in Highlands Ranch and Parker. There is a lot of new construction going on in Parker, but I think the commute would be killer. I saw some older (60s to 80s) neighborhoods around the Denver Tech Center which are in the Cherry Creek School District, and I honestly preferred these to the newer areas because you can get more land.