Commute -- Ken Caryl area Littleton to Tech Center (Denver: house, neighborhood)

[davidv]

Originally Posted by leosmama

My father in law does this commute daily. It takes him between an hour and 75 minutes.

Really? What time does he leave? What route does he take?

It takes me 60-75 min for this commute only during a bad snowstorm.

[leosmama]

I have no idea, that's just what he says. He's actually really pleased with his commute, as his commute when he lived in South Brooklyn and worked in Manhattan was 2+ hours, so I guess it's all relative. I'll ask him next time I see him, I'm sure he'd appreciate an alternative route. Happily, I do not live down there and do not commute at all.

[stricklandia]

Hi, this is related to my other thread about commuting from Golden to DTC. Now considering Ken Caryl Valley (west of 470). What's that commute like to the Tech Center? As far as I can tell, the 470 has issues at rush hour. Is this commute as bad as the Golden/DTC commute? Not as bad, but still bad? Not bad at all?

Any route suggestions (besides just 470-25) also welcome. Thanks!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

I don't know why you keep looking west when your job is in the Tech Center. One problem is that you will always (both morning and night) be driving with the sun in your eyes. I feel that there are plenty of really nice neighborhoods in really good school districts within a very easy commute to the DTC.

As others said before, Englewood, Littleton, Greenwood Village, Arapahoe County, Parker and Centennial should be considered. You can find all sorts of different kinds of housing ranging from apartments to townhouses to single family homes to huge mansions. There are older homes in established neighborhoods and there are brand new homes. And there are plenty of parks and trails scattered throughout.

[randomparent]

OMG, don't do it! I know how inviting Ken-Caryl is -- really, I do -- but that commute will make you miserable if you must make it every day. If you can work at home regularly, only then should you consider it.

[stricklandia]

OK, thanks. We won't consider it—now that we know. That's why we're asking the questions.

Part of why we're moving to Colorado is to live a bit of the mountain life. Some of the suburbs feel like they could be anywhere in the U.S. In Golden and Ken Caryl, you get a bit of the mountains without being deep in them (though, apparently, you might as well be deep in the mountains if your work is in the Tech Center). We also like the close-in Denver areas (Wash Park, Platt Park, etc.) but they are simply way overpriced. Beginning to wonder why, other than the mountains, we left San Diego, considering real estate here is not really much more of a bargain.....

In any case, thanks as always for the responses. Seems like Centennial is the way to go for us. At least you get a nice mountain view there from many of the thoroughfares.

[bluescreen73]

Smoky Hill Ridge in Southeast Aurora sits at 6100 feet. It's pretty cool looking down on downtown from out on the plains. The commute from out here to the tech center isn't bad and the mountains are still relatively close by.

[davidv]

I am a big believer in living where you work, however, I do the Ken Caryl - DTC commute because I believe it is a better quality of life.

Like everywhere else, your commute will depend on the time of day and time of year. Commuting before 6:30 am means the trip takes 30 - 35 min. (I commute to I-225 and DTC Blvd ). Commuting after 6:30 am means a commute of 40 -45 min for me. Arapahoe and I-25 would be 5 min shorter. There will be periods during the year when the commute slows down because you will be driving into the sun, but it adds only a few minutes.

If you live out in Centennial, traveling on Arapahoe Rd from Quebec to Havana can take 15 - 20 min for the 3 mile stretch because there are 8 lights that you must contend with in that area. Furthermore, the traffic is so congested much of the time that it will take longer to do your everyday tasks because you must drive everywhere.

I leave at 6:30 am to be at work by 7:00 am. Many people where I work live in Centennial and they must leave at 6:35 - 6:40 am to be at work by 7:00 am. They only save a few minutes every morning.

[dnvrsoul]

Originally Posted by BacktoCO

Is the commute from the Ken Caryl area of Littleton to the Tech Center rough? Does anyone do this drive on a regular basis? My husband generally leaves for work before 7 am and returns around 4 pm or so. We love that part of Littleton because it is closer to 285 and the mountains but are hesitant because of his drive to work. He wants less than 30 minutes.

Drove it everyday up until Thursday (new job in Downtown). Wasn't bad...about 30minute commute C470 is your best bet...straight shot..because you will merge onto I25. My job was off of I25 and Arapahoe.

[stricklandia]

Originally Posted by davidv

If you live out in Centennial, traveling on Arapahoe Rd from Quebec to Havana can take 15 - 20 min for the 3 mile stretch because there are 8 lights that you must contend with in that area. Furthermore, the traffic is so congested much of the time that it will take longer to do your everyday tasks because you must drive everywhere.

Centennial covers a wide area both west and east of I-25. The house we are considering is west of I-25 (Willow Creek neighborhood), and close enough to my office (Arapahoe & 25) that I can probably ride my bike. At the very least, I won't need to even get on the highway.

But now I don't know what to think. That's two responses that make it seem like a reasonable commute from Ken Caryl, with several other responses above that call it a commute from hell. You can't all be right, so who do I believe?