Need suggestions for neighborhoods to scout... (Denver, Westminster: sex offender, custom home, safe neighborhood)

[Chatterbot]

Sorry folks, it's yet another prospective Coloradan-to-be looking for suggestions on where to settle. We are looking to visit Denver towards end of August to see how well we like it (currently in LA). Our priorities (roughly ranked in order of preference) are:
-Safe neighborhood
-Excellent schools
-Outside Denver county (so Jefferson, Arapahoe or El Paso), but within commuting distance to Denver proper.
-Relatively upscale (our house hunting budget is around ~800K).
-Larger lots (1/2 acre+) and newer houses

What can you suggest? So far we've been thinking of visiting Littleton and maybe Cherry Creek, but would love to hear more areas which fit the criteria above. Much obliged!

[mic111]

You may want to look at Huntington Trails in Westminster. They have alot of 1/2 acre + lots. Here is a link to one of the builders.

Sopris Homes - Sanctuary at Huntington Trails, Westminster, CO

They also have a custom home center where you can choose from a number of builders. Here is a link for one.
http://www.csico.net/available_prope...stminster.html

Near the same lake as Huntington Trails is The Preserves at McKay Lake. They have some 1/2 acre lots.
Toll Brothers - The Preserve at McKay Shores

Forgot to mention. The Preserves at McKay Lake is in Broomfield county. Huntington Trails is in Adams county. Both are adjacent to the same lake. It is about 20 min. to the Denver Performing Arts center downtown on off commute hours.

[2bindenver]

El Paso County would not be considered a good commute to central Denver.

Where might work be?

I'd suggest Foxfield in Arapahoe County or Todd Creek Farms, or Castle Pines, depending on your work location.

[davidv]

Since you are from Los Angeles, you are familiar with sprawl and traffic. The first advice you will get from many people here is to find a place that is close to where you work. You say that you are commuting to Denver, but which part of Denver?

Without more information to draw from, I will offer the following information:

Excellent Schools: Cherry Creek School District (esp. Cherry Creek HS), Littleton Public Schools (City of Littleton), Douglas County Schools (esp. Rock Canyon HS), Boulder Valley Schools (esp. Fairview HS) and selected Jefferson County Schools (South Jeffco and North Jeffco).

Most houses here are NOT on large lots, even in the suburbs. There are some areas within the school districts that I mentioned above, but they tend to be pretty pricey and $800k is at the bottom end of houses with 1/2 acre lots. You can find some empty lots on which you can build if you desire.

Areas to look:
City of Littleton between the following streets: Prince St on the west, Ridge Rd on the North, Mineral Ave on the South and Windermere St on the East and the area west of Platte Canyon Rd on Bowles

City of Greenwood Village along Belleview Ave between University Blvd and Monaco St.

City of Centennial along Arapahoe Rd. east of Parker Rd.

Town of Parker.

Town of Bow Mar.

Town of Columbine Valley,

[evan arellano]

What is your max driving time to Denver? A great place to look at if you looking for that larger lot is Castle Rock. It is a longer drive(45 min) to downtown Denver but I believe well worth it.

Check out MLS# 1109314, 1084703, 1112414

I also second Foxfield but the problem with that area is those houses go very fast so its good to have a few other areas you like.

Check out Arapahoe Estates, Cherry Hills, some areas in Highlands Ranch.

[Chatterbot]

Regarding job location: right now I'm self-employed - but those things can shift, so I'd like to preserve my options by not buying something out in the countyside.

[evan arellano]

Castle Rock is more of a Suburb not really countryside. If you are in the area you can take a quick look but there are plenty of great places in Denver Metro you should have no problem finding a great home.

Denver Tech Center is another place where a lot of jobs are available.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Chatterbot

Regarding job location: right now I'm self-employed - but those things can shift, so I'd like to preserve my options by not buying something out in the countyside.

El Paso County is not all "countryside", but as 2beinDenver stated, it's a long drive to Denver, even from northern El Paso Co.

[pitriz]

800K housing budget? Wow you can't go wrong anywhere on that in Denver. Nice

[makennamomerin]

You might think you can get more for 800k here, but if you are looking in the really nice areas with great schools and newer homes, your options are more limited. Cherry Hills and Greenwood Village are great and your home will appreciate, but if you do a search, 800k won't get you many choices and probably no new houses. If you want suburbia and new/newer, try Englewood and Highlands Ranch. Newer and way north of Denver you want to llok at Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, but not any easy daily commute. All mentioned have good public and private schools. Denver has many cool neighborhoods worth considering and you can get a new home, but schools you want would be private with the exception of the Cherry Creek school district. Searching on a 800k newer home in Denver will put you in a good neighborhood. Check the national sex offender registry too which can also pinpoint good areas and streets from bad ones. I moved to Denver from Northern CA and am surprised how expensive Denver has gotten in the past 10 years.