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Ill try to make this somewhat different than the others
Looking at a likely job relocation out to the Denver area, specifically down in the tech center. Im looking at Parker as a place to live most likely due to the somewhat more affordable prices, friends that happened to relocate out there last year in the area and the schools being decent.
Im not 100% on our budget yet, Im thinking we will need to keep the monthly payments (rent at first) under 2k which seems like a doable thing. After a year or so, my wife should be able to get her career rolling and hopefully purchase a house.
From what I see on the "great schools" site is that most of the schools in parker seem pretty decent, would you guys agree with that?
What is the overall atmosphere like? What I am use to (and like) is a bit out of the main part of town, I commute about 45 minutes per day now to my office, id like a tad bit shorter but 45 minutes is fine. I like a little bit of space between my houses, not a huge fan of the cookie cutter neighborhoods where every house is the same. I also despise HOA's lol. We have a good mix of young families and older people who have lived in their houses for 20+ years
Entertainment - one of the biggest reasons id be willing to accept the transfer is for the mountains and the outdoors. If everything works out, I plan to have some fun off roading and camping out there. I understand that the mountains are about 45 minutes away from parker. That will get us some trails for light hiking probably, but where are the decent places to go off roading? Are there any near the Denver area or are they all quite a drive away? (talking legal places here) Also, most off roading things I see out that way are all Jeeps. Jeeps are cool but I think id rather a side by side/atv or something - do a lot of people out there have them? Also, is most of the off roading rock crawling or are there any sand dunes to play in or places to play in the mud?
My kids are 3 and 6 (will likely be 4 and 7 by the time we got there). Something I am a little weary of is the legal pot thing. While i'm not against it, I have this weird idea that there are a bunch of stoners hanging out on the street corners getting high. Im sure i'm being over dramatic and not realistic but please let me know what to expect lol..
General utilities - My comparison is for central florida - we keep our AC cold and spend roughly 250/month in the summer for electricity, half that in the winter. Our auto insurance is quite high (about 325/month for 2 cars with full coverage and good driving records). What would I expect there? if we kept the house at 74 in the summer and maybe 70 in the winter, would we be nuts expecting to pay the same or less per month in power? how about water/sewer?
Parks - here in FL, nice parks are hard to come by. Generally they are dirt with old play grounds that nobody plays on. when its 90+ degrees for most of the year with 90% humidity, playing outside on playgrounds kinda sucks. Do you guys have nice parks there? any pictures of some of them? We frequently visit Salt Lake city and LOVE their beautiful parks, im hoping you guys have some similiar
Snow/Road cleaning - how well does the city do with cleaning the roads during storms? when I lived in SLC (1 winter worth) they did fantastic, we rarely had issues getting around in our 2 wheel drive car, im hoping the same is there in Denver, any insight?
Thanks in advance guys, appreciate the help. I have been lurking over here for a bit now but haven't really seen answers to these questions
Snow is going to be an issue for you and your wife. They do close roads, we do have blizzards, and try doubling or tripling your commute on those days. Start by looking 10 miles from the job first & then expand your radius.
We have better parks.
Utilities are dependant on your property and your use.
You won't see people standing on the corner smoking pot in the average neighborhood in the Denver area. On the 16th Street Mall downtown you will encounter an assortment of hustlers and panhandlers, including some who may be honest with you that they're raising money to buy weed. My solution is to avoid downtown, which is kinda sad since I used to like working downtown and walking the Mall on my lunch hour.
Some people believe - and I haven't checked to see if there are any real stats - that legalization of Teh Ebil Weed has brought a influx of grifters/drifters into the state. Lately I've seen more panhandlers at intersections in parts of town other than near downtown, than I recall seeing a few years ago.
I have no clue if legalization has made any difference to things like drug problems in schools. Which exist everywhere regardless of the laws, though severity and details will of course vary from school to school.
Depending where you are in the Tech Center (and that can be an elastic term which covers a lot of ground), you could be able to commute to work using RTD's light rail. Ask your employer; some of them offer passes or subsidies for that. If I have to go downtown I much prefer driving only to my nearby light rail station, parking there, and letting RTD get me the rest of the way. I REALLY prefer that on a crappy snowy day! As to Tech Center area light rail stations, I think there may be some shuttles connecting those stations to the nearby office buildings which are a bit of a long hike on foot. (Basically I'm talking about the LR stations from Belleview to Lincoln on that map I linked.)
You won't see people standing on the corner smoking pot in the average neighborhood in the Denver area. On the 16th Street Mall downtown you will encounter an assortment of hustlers and panhandlers, including some who may be honest with you that they're raising money to buy weed. My solution is to avoid downtown, which is kinda sad since I used to like working downtown and walking the Mall on my lunch hour.
Some people believe - and I haven't checked to see if there are any real stats - that legalization of Teh Ebil Weed has brought a influx of grifters/drifters into the state. Lately I've seen more panhandlers at intersections in parts of town other than near downtown, than I recall seeing a few years ago.
I have no clue if legalization has made any difference to things like drug problems in schools. Which exist everywhere regardless of the laws, though severity and details will of course vary from school to school.
Depending where you are in the Tech Center (and that can be an elastic term which covers a lot of ground), you could be able to commute to work using RTD's light rail. Ask your employer; some of them offer passes or subsidies for that. If I have to go downtown I much prefer driving only to my nearby light rail station, parking there, and letting RTD get me the rest of the way. I REALLY prefer that on a crappy snowy day! As to Tech Center area light rail stations, I think there may be some shuttles connecting those stations to the nearby office buildings which are a bit of a long hike on foot. (Basically I'm talking about the LR stations from Belleview to Lincoln on that map I linked.)
Looks like the location is just north of E-470. Im thinking the rail wont work as I doubt ill be able to afford to go closer to the city with my first years budget, maybe on year 2+
Weed: People, and people who usually I'm assuming are late teenager types, will try to smoke marijuana in public places, but often they are kicked out or asked to stop.
I've encountered this at the Zoo, City Park, hiking, and that's all I can remember right now. There was also a group of adults vaping at the Children's Museum, and teenagers at SW Plaza. They weren't e-cigarettes, both were asked to stop.
As for 16th street mall there has always been people getting high there since I was a kid! I remember being 8 and noticing that. Nothing new, not a place to avoid but last time there were groups of what appeared to be young people in plaid with unwashed hair getting high....but back when I was in highschool there were groups of pre- gentrified 5 points crips smoking and selling on 16th ..so...I don't think it's a big concern comparatively.
As a parent what's more concerning to me is the sheer number and noticeability of dispensaries everywhere. I think that it normalizes drug use. There are way more dispensaries than say strip clubs, which I also don't want my child exposed to, so that they are unavoidable while stuck in traffic. My three year old has already started to ask, and I'm just hoping we can move away before I have to give a real answer.
Utilities: I'm thinking you will pay less here. Maybe around $250 at least depending on the home. We typically don't use the A/C in the summer & just open windows unless our dog looks hot...you can probably go without heat or cooling for spring & fall (we do) mostly as well. This will counter the higher winter/summer bills. When you buy a home get solar panels! My parent's pay around $40/month with the rental fee for a 4000 sq. ft house! Water is less than $150.00 just FYI for comparison
Insurance: I'm thinking you will definitely pay less here. We pay 1/2 that for two newer cars with not so stellar records.
Lots of nice parks, schools should be fine, not sure where to ATV - people I know with them live in the mountains, hiking trails are about 45 minutes from Parker - get there early as we've noticed the last couple years they get really crowded & there's often no parking. There is lots of camping, again plan ahead. City does okay during storms, the different counties post their plow priority online. And general atmosphere sounds like what you listed, although not cookie cutter with space would probably be easier in an older neighborhood. There are some subdivisions built without HOAs, but they are mostly pre-2000.
My kids are 3 and 6 (will likely be 4 and 7 by the time we got there). Something I am a little weary of is the legal pot thing. While i'm not against it, I have this weird idea that there are a bunch of stoners hanging out on the street corners getting high. Im sure i'm being over dramatic and not realistic but please let me know what to expect lol..
It's not really that bad. I live in the Lakewood area and at most occasionally smell it late at night around my apartment complex. I would expect Parker is the same, you will occasionally smell pot from someones backyard but that's about it. Most of the stoners in Colorado are very quiet and laid back people.
Weed: People, and people who usually I'm assuming are late teenager types, will try to smoke marijuana in public places, but often they are kicked out or asked to stop.
I've encountered this at the Zoo, City Park, hiking, and that's all I can remember right now. There was also a group of adults vaping at the Children's Museum, and teenagers at SW Plaza. They weren't e-cigarettes, both were asked to stop.
As for 16th street mall there has always been people getting high there since I was a kid! I remember being 8 and noticing that. Nothing new, not a place to avoid but last time there were groups of what appeared to be young people in plaid with unwashed hair getting high....but back when I was in highschool there were groups of pre- gentrified 5 points crips smoking and selling on 16th ..so...I don't think it's a big concern comparatively.
As a parent what's more concerning to me is the sheer number and noticeability of dispensaries everywhere. I think that it normalizes drug use. There are way more dispensaries than say strip clubs, which I also don't want my child exposed to, so that they are unavoidable while stuck in traffic. My three year old has already started to ask, and I'm just hoping we can move away before I have to give a real answer.
There should definitely be advertising restrictions for pot shops.
I also find the pawn shops and massage parlors are a huge eyesore.
I am a little weary of is the legal pot thing. While i'm not against it, I have this weird idea that there are a bunch of stoners hanging out on the street corners getting high. Im sure i'm being over dramatic and not realistic but please let me know what to expect lol.
I find this so funny.
The other day while out bike riding, we stopped at a neighbor's house to chat about his awesome homemade fence and life in general. I noticed Bill (age 65+) had grow lights in the garage and what appeared to be tomato and basil plants. So, I teased him with: "I see your marijuana grow looks good." His response: "Not yet. I will start the marijuana after I put out the tomato plants."
We rode away laughing.
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Relax and smoke a J
