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Old 05-27-2014, 02:52 AM
 
Location: Tennessee
10,688 posts, read 7,665,557 times
Reputation: 4674

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Just a thought Texanmom, but living west of where your husband will work will put him driving into the sun morning and evenings throughout the summer. Might not be a problem, but there will be plenty of times it may be unpleasant.

My wife and i just got back to Denver last month after a four year stint in Dallas. Generally Texans will find these economic differences.
Sales tax close to that of Texas
State income tax that is almost five percent of taxable income
Car registration fees that will knock your socks off--hundreds of dollars for a late model vehicle.
Many school districts that basically have to charge for some things. My granddaughter pays a dollar a day to ride the bus (Douglas County).
Food prices are higher overall.
Housing prices are astronomical compared to anywhere in Texas.
We found auto insurance much less expensive than Dallas and we stayed with the same major company.
Absolutely do not make the winter driving mistake of thinking that a four wheel or all wheel drive vehicle will give you less chance of having an accident. Those vehicles provide better initial traction to start moving, but at 60 miles per hour you will slide like any two wheel drive vehicle.

But comparing Dallas to Denver, Dallas doesn't stand a chance. It may have more variety in restaurants and more and bigger malls, but it just can't compete with Denver for variety of outdoor events. Warning---you cannot find really good Tex-Mex food in Denver, and my personal opinion of barbecue in this state is rather low, though a few acceptable, not great places can be found.

And here is a great one about the summer weather. Although the thermometer may hit a hundred, you can generally walk into shade and be reasonably cooler, unlike Texas where it is like turning down the broiler a couple of notches with no real relief. But be prepared for cold weather at any time. Our second year in Colorado we sat out on the deck in 90 degree weather one Saturday afternoon in early September. We awoke Sunday morning to find six inches of snow covering the same deck.

I think you'll find things far different than you imagined, and other than the sticker shock of CoL, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Good luck.
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Old 05-27-2014, 06:14 AM
 
Location: Berkeley Neighborhood, Denver, CO USA
17,678 posts, read 29,607,847 times
Reputation: 33227
West Highland (Edison Elementary) in Denver
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Old 05-27-2014, 07:19 AM
 
26,646 posts, read 13,616,801 times
Reputation: 19104
Broomfield would be closer to work then Highlands Ranch. Other places to consider would be Westminster, Arvada, Wheat Ridge and Lakewood.
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Old 05-27-2014, 08:03 AM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,300,450 times
Reputation: 35920
Quote:
Originally Posted by texanmomof2 View Post
My husband has commuted before so he is willing to commute up to an hour. I would like to keep it around 30 minutes since neither of us has much experience driving in the snow.
^^This. Actually, even if you have tons of experience driving in the snow, as we did when we came here, the weather is more of a factor here in determining where to live than it is in Dallas. Snow can really make it bad for at least a day or two.

I live up north and like Broomfield; it wouldn't be too far for you. Highlands Ranch is way too far for the job location.
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Old 05-27-2014, 10:22 AM
 
Location: Aurora, CO
8,595 posts, read 14,778,113 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana View Post
^^This. Actually, even if you have tons of experience driving in the snow, as we did when we came here, the weather is more of a factor here in determining where to live than it is in Dallas. Snow can really make it bad for at least a day or two.

I live up north and like Broomfield; it wouldn't be too far for you. Highlands Ranch is way too far for the job location.
That being said, I'll take driving on heavy snow here over driving in a Dallas ice storm any day. Ice is considerably more difficult to drive on than snow.
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Old 05-27-2014, 01:59 PM
 
28 posts, read 42,158 times
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Thank you all for the feedback! We are fairly conservative (my husband is conservative and I'm moderate) Catholics and we like life in "the 'burbs." I actually love the look and feel of Stapleton but it just doesn't seem like a great fit. Everything that I have read about HR seems like a good place for a SAHM so I am drawn to that area but I also don't want my hubby to have an awful commute. Our first concern is safety (in all honesty the shootings in the Denver 'burbs have me a little nervous even though I realize that they can happen anywhere) and our second concern is great schools with a record of continually being good. We would like to be around a good, active community that has a ton of young kids with good programs. I only know about the suburbs what I can read online. Do any of these other areas fit what I am looking for? Thanks again for the helpful suggestions.
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Old 05-27-2014, 02:23 PM
 
Location: Just south of Denver since 1989
11,815 posts, read 34,303,497 times
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Add Applewood in Wheat Ridge and , Golden to your list.

What about this one? Golden Colorado Homes For Sale & Golden Real Estate - Zillow
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Old 05-27-2014, 02:47 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,300,450 times
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The main drag through Broomfield is 287 (Wadsworth Blvd). I think Broomfield would be an excellent choice!
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Old 05-27-2014, 04:43 PM
 
Location: Arvada, CO
13,824 posts, read 29,809,949 times
Reputation: 14418
Far west Arvada.

80005.
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Moderator for Los Angeles, The Inland Empire, and the Washington state forums.
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Old 05-27-2014, 08:20 PM
 
28 posts, read 42,158 times
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I'm open to Golden as well but we ruled about the other western suburbs early on for one reason or another. I think it will make a huge difference when we get to come up and drive around for a few days before we decide. For now, if you had to vote on an area in terms of schools, safety and a close community for a young family and the opportunity for good resale value, would you pick Highlands Ranch, Broomfield or Golden? I realize Cherry Creek ISD fits the bill the best but the homes in the area that I would be interested in are $1M+. Who knew CO was so pricey?
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