Considering move from DC to Denver - good move for outdoor-loving family? (live, native)

[Claire S.]

Originally Posted by Solla Sollew

I will have to drive around Stapleton when we visit. It definitely has a lot of what we're looking for on paper, I will have to see if we like the vibe. It seems very family oriented, which would probably be good for our kids, who will have to make all new friends when we move. Would you say that it is friendly and open to newcomers? Or are people pretty ensconced in their existing relationships and friendship networks?

Stapleton is a big community and everyone's experience is different, but I feel like everyone is open and friendly to newcomers. Our house wasn't finished yet and we were invited to have a beer or come to a neighborhood party. It is far more social than my previous neighborhood in Denver. My biggest gripe is that there is less of a funky, creative vibe than I've experienced elsewhere, but there are pockets of people still doing cool things if you look. Plus, lots of playmates for my son!

About schools - the Stapleton (name will be different) high school is going to open fall 2015. East High School can be difficult to choice into if you are not living in its boundary area.

[scrapper105]

We moved from a close-in DC suburb to Denver area 6 months ago. I don't know anything about downtown, so can't advise you there. I will say that although it was incredibly difficult to leave our "village" it was absolutely the right decision for our family. We moved to Broomfield - doesn't have any of the downtown vibe but everything is focused on the family. Also, we sold our house in MD and bought a house in Broomfield for the EXACT same price. But we gained 1,000 square feet, a brand new kitchen, and an attached 2 car garage. Yes, I miss having a house and neighborhood of charm and character, but I sure do like an attached garage!

[Moonpuppet]

I have a very different opinion about schools. I believe schools play a major roll in developing social skills of a child, and we as parents have to put a little effort to develop other skills. By vesting too much in the school system we are raising our expectations from the schools and our kids. We need to do our part too.

That being said, we (my wife and I) put in more time in researching for our sons pre-school program and school selection 4 years ago than in our masters program and at the end are pleased with the DPS.

I think your initial thought process about being in Congress Park hits the target. But from pricing point of view $450K is on the lower end of the spectrum in that area. You may want to look into other neighborhood like Whittier, Skyland, Park Hill or even Washington Park. Park Hill (North and South) might be the best of both world as you will be able to get an older (turn of the 19th century) home and have a close proximity to the Stapleton (new development) and amenities.

Otherwise the other members have very well covered the weather and water issues.

[denver dude]

Originally Posted by woob

One thing you should know is that Denver is not a beautiful city. It sits on the plains and is very drab and brown. Since you mostly work from home you could live 30 minutes to the west with amazing mountain views but then you lose the urban amenities. Denver does have good access to the outdoors, you just have to drive (often in horrible weekend traffic) to get there. Seattle is definitely a more "beautiful" city.

There are a lot of beautiful spots in the city such as Cheesman Park or City Park. If you're out in neighborhoods like Lowry or north Denver then yeah it's pretty ugly. I think it just depends where in the metro you are.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Moonpuppet

I have a very different opinion about schools. I believe schools play a major roll in developing social skills of a child, and we as parents have to put a little effort to develop other skills. By vesting too much in the school system we are raising our expectations from the schools and our kids. We need to do our part too.

That being said, we (my wife and I) put in more time in researching for our sons pre-school program and school selection 4 years ago than in our masters program and at the end are pleased with the DPS.

I think your initial thought process about being in Congress Park hits the target. But from pricing point of view $450K is on the lower end of the spectrum in that area. You may want to look into other neighborhood like Whittier, Skyland, Park Hill or even Washington Park. Park Hill (North and South) might be the best of both world as you will be able to get an older (turn of the 19th century) home and have a close proximity to the Stapleton (new development) and amenities.

Otherwise the other members have very well covered the weather and water issues.

If Congress Park is out of the budget, Washington Park is not in it either.

[JBPisgah]

Originally Posted by woob

One thing you should know is that Denver is not a beautiful city. It sits on the plains and is very drab and brown. Since you mostly work from home you could live 30 minutes to the west with amazing mountain views but then you lose the urban amenities. Denver does have good access to the outdoors, you just have to drive (often in horrible weekend traffic) to get there. Seattle is definitely a more "beautiful" city.

I've lived in all three. Seattle is arguably not more user friendly weather-wise than DC, especially since you aren't going skiing, and don't love hiking, mountain biking, or camping. The rain, drizzle and fog can put a damper on things for people like yourself who are only very casually outdoorsy. If an 80 degree day stops you in your tracks in DC, don't be so sure a 40 degree day full of rain won't do the same in Seattle. There are a lot of coffee shops for a reason.

Denver is just as the above says. The Denver weather is amazing. Although, it's also super dry, which I never liked or even got used to. It seemed to me that a whole chunk of what it meant to be outdoors, green and damp and the smells and feeling that go with that, just ceased to exist.

I'm not saying don't move. I loath DC personally. But the outdoors environment around DC is really not bad. There's lots of forest, waterways, mountains. The Maryland countryside is often beautiful. As I say, DC truly bites as far as I'm concerned, but the outdoors is something that works for lots of people, and there's quite a bit of mild weather.

Not that DC is in the same outdoors league as Denver or Seattle. Not even close. I'm sure you'll do more outdoor things in either than in DC. I just want to be sure you're thinking realistically, as opposed to just romantically, which I think is pretty common for people in the East or Midwest thinking about heading west.

[chopps]

Denverian,

Stapleton sounds like a fun area to live in! A friend of mine just moved to Stapleton about 4 months ago and said it's a great area. Like my friend, I fall exactly into the demographic you just mentioned.

Originally Posted by denverian

Yes, very friendly. The majority of Stapleton residents are non-natives/outsiders lol! A typical Stapleton family is a mom and dad in their late 30s to late 40s with 2 kids under 15. Many babies to grade school age. They are typically liberal, although not "in your face Granola liberals", if that makes sense. People are social, tend to make friends with neighbors, and there are so many kids for your kids to play with. People tend to be active/healthy and like biking, skiing, hiking, etc., but we also do a lot of "happy hours" and fun gatherings with our neighbors, like our annual Easter Egg hunt, pumpkin carving party at Halloween, 4th of July parade, Christmas parties, barbeques, etc. (that's just things our block and surrounding blocks do in our parks). There are also a fair number of gay/lesbian couples with kids in Stapleton.

Stapleton is building it's own high school that opens in a couple years, I believe. It also has DSST (Denver School of Science and Technology) which is a highly rated middle and high school charter school. I've heard East High is rated well. I would suspect very diverse, socio-economically and racially.

[jpjays]

Denver is fantastic. We've lived in the Bay Area, Southeast Michigan, and DC and like Denver the best so far. We've only been here for one summer so far, but it rained more than I was expecting (every night for several hours). Other than that, it was quite nice. It's warm, but not humid, so I was never uncomfortable. As for the lack of greenery, I think it depends on where you are living and how much rain we've gotten. Looking out my window right now, it's very green and quite pretty.

Good luck!

[kuhnmom]

Or....you can live in the foothills and enjoy peace & tranquility. You can get to Denver in 1/2 hour and Southwest Plaza in 20 minutes. Indian Hills is one of those cities that enjoy that peace & tranquility. It's a well kept secret. We only have 1200 families. You can have a million dollar estate or you can settle for a lesser value...from $250K to 750K. You will enjoy hiking, horseback riding, and just enjoy the great outdoors. Mountain views, deer and elk grazing in your own pasture and if your lucky you will have your own "water rights". Parmalee Elementary is one of the top schools in Jefferson County and feeds into the new Conifer High School or Evergreen High School. We enjoy the same weather as Denver, only a few degrees lower or higher. We are from Michigan, have traveled quite a lot, California, Nevada, Boston. Colorado is one of the most beautiful states we have ever seen! When they say sunshine is 365 days a year, it really is! You can enjoy the arts when you want, we are 20 minutes away from the new lite rail in Golden, which will get you to downtown in 15 minutes...don't even have to drive there!

[xeric]

Originally Posted by kuhnmom

Or....you can live in the foothills and enjoy peace & tranquility. You can get to Denver in 1/2 hour and Southwest Plaza in 20 minutes. Indian Hills is one of those cities that enjoy that peace & tranquility. It's a well kept secret. We only have 1200 families. You can have a million dollar estate or you can settle for a lesser value...from $250K to 750K. You will enjoy hiking, horseback riding, and just enjoy the great outdoors. Mountain views, deer and elk grazing in your own pasture and if your lucky you will have your own "water rights". Parmalee Elementary is one of the top schools in Jefferson County and feeds into the new Conifer High School or Evergreen High School. We enjoy the same weather as Denver, only a few degrees lower or higher. We are from Michigan, have traveled quite a lot, California, Nevada, Boston. Colorado is one of the most beautiful states we have ever seen! When they say sunshine is 365 days a year, it really is! You can enjoy the arts when you want, we are 20 minutes away from the new lite rail in Golden, which will get you to downtown in 15 minutes...don't even have to drive there!

Now it's 365 days of sunshine per year? Every day is sunny here? What the heck, let's just go with 400 days of sunshine per year.