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Old 09-02-2022, 11:58 AM
 
Location: St Paul, MN
587 posts, read 562,879 times
Reputation: 1390

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I recommend the Ken Caryl Ranch and Grant Ranch neighborhoods in Littleton.

https://ken-carylranch.org/
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Old 09-02-2022, 12:09 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,724 posts, read 58,067,115 times
Reputation: 46190
For quick access to Broomfield, consider Gunbarrel or Lafayette.

Boulder County is pretty keen on bicyclist right-of-way... Colorado is great for biking, I would often ride Loveland to Estes Park, then come back through Allenspark to Lyons and Boulder / Golden.

Hurry, be there for fall aspen colors.

I would NOT recommend Highland Park or Aurora, or Centennial if you want to go to Broomfield very often !!! (opposite side of metroplex. +++ you'll always be fighting the traffic as the SE metro recreation seekers fill the highways to paradise... (Often west and NW bound)).

Ft Collins and Loveland are good choices for great family centric communities, good schools, and a slower pace / less brown clouds / traffic than Denver (prevailing winds are from North, winter inversions can be stinky and hazy anywhere near Denver.)

Benefit of Ft Collins / Loveland is that it is very close to WY for GREAT recreation,but not so great biking (windy).

Schools may be very different in 5 more yrs (I sure hope so). We moved international for work as soon as kids were school age, and schooled while traveling. Then came back to USA for free college instead of High School (WA state). Ideally we would have stayed overseas and kids would have got free college there. More ideally... forget working a career while kids are home. You can always go back to work when they leave home (if you must). Start a family business and you can all be retired and kids will have their own revenue for college or whatever. I imagine there will be a lot of free college options in 15 more yrs (And there are plenty now). College and education is no longer what it used to be Give kids a LOT of exposure to life situations and you will be amazed how they turn out! Send them to a USA public school and you will have a very good clue how they will turn out.

Last edited by StealthRabbit; 09-02-2022 at 12:17 PM..
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Old 09-02-2022, 12:09 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,212 posts, read 107,931,771 times
Reputation: 116160
Boulder. I would check out Boulder; could win the "cute downtown" prize, with lots of locally-owned shops, teahouses, and whatnot. Also: scenic as all get-out. The Greater Denver Area is very different from the Bay Area in that regard, which is why you're not getting positive responses on the "cute downtown" and coffeeshops front, OP. There might be some culture shock in that regard, though it sounds like you've visited, so you should have a general idea of what it's like.

The one issue with Boulder is that RE has been skyrocketing, kind of like the Bay Area, but there are still a few (very few) properties in your range, and just a smidge above your range: $880K or so. Working with an agent could turn up more options. Boulder is an easy drive to Broomfield. I can't speak to the schools, though. If you want to have any hope of affording Boulder, though, strike now or you'll lose your chance.

Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 09-02-2022 at 12:58 PM..
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Old 09-02-2022, 01:40 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,212 posts, read 107,931,771 times
Reputation: 116160
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
Boulder. I would check out Boulder; could win the "cute downtown" prize, with lots of locally-owned shops, teahouses, and whatnot. Also: scenic as all get-out. The Greater Denver Area is very different from the Bay Area in that regard, which is why you're not getting positive responses on the "cute downtown" and coffeeshops front, OP. There might be some culture shock in that regard, though it sounds like you've visited, so you should have a general idea of what it's like.

The one issue with Boulder is that RE has been skyrocketing, kind of like the Bay Area, but there are still a few (very few) properties in your range, and just a smidge above your range: $880K or so. Working with an agent could turn up more options. Boulder is an easy drive to Broomfield. I can't speak to the schools, though. If you want to have any hope of affording Boulder, though, strike now or you'll lose your chance.
https://www.redfin.com/CO/Boulder/30.../home/35167928

https://www.redfin.com/CO/Boulder/33.../home/35266826

https://www.redfin.com/CO/Boulder/43.../home/35189953

https://www.redfin.com/CO/Boulder/85.../home/35186755


There are various 3-br. townhouses w/nice yards in your price range, as well. You might get more bang for your buck property-wise elsewhere, but it wouldn't be Boulder. Depends on your priorities.

Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 09-02-2022 at 01:53 PM..
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Old 09-02-2022, 01:41 PM
 
Location: Aurora, CO
8,606 posts, read 14,894,836 times
Reputation: 15400
There are biking trails all over the Denver Metro Area. Littleton sounds like a good first choice given your desires.

Highlands Ranch is a giant, lily-white Stepford-ish subdivision that masquerades as a city. It has no downtown, no diversity, and DougCo schools. Three strikes for me right there.

Dave's suggestion of Arvada is good, as is Golden (although RE is costly).

Boulder is very meh. It's extremely expensive and pretentious.

Keep in mind that generally speaking the closer you get to the hogback, the worse your views get. If you want great but distant views of all the high peaks in the Front Range, Southeast Aurora is a decent choice. No downtown, though, and it puts you pretty far from Broomfield - unless you want to hop on the expensive E-470 tollway.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kyle19125 View Post
I'd recommend Fort Collins which has a vibrant downtown, a huge cycling community, relative low crime, A-rated public schools and a family-friendly vibe.
Just FYI, Fort Collins is not a suburb of Denver. Completely separate MSA that is culturally very different from Denver. I went to school at CSU, and I commuted to a part-time job in Denver in the mid-90s. Back then I could get from NW Fort Collins to SE Denver in a little more than an hour. It was a pleasant, uncrowded commute, but now it's a congested dumpster fire. That same drive takes almost 50% longer. They're adding a Lexus Lane between Fort Collins and Berthoud, and right now that stretch of I-25 is downright dangerous. I've got a kid who just started at CSU a couple weeks ago. We've driven up there a few times since classes started. I would dare to say that, on average, I-25 between Denver and Fort Collins is more congested than I-70 to the mountains even though the latter has significantly worse peak-time traffic. It's not an enjoyable drive at all.

Last edited by Mike from back east; 09-02-2022 at 02:20 PM.. Reason: Would be a personal attack, send the OP a DM instead.
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Old 09-03-2022, 06:04 AM
 
Location: Albuquerque
1,321 posts, read 2,030,720 times
Reputation: 1644
What about Central Park in Denver?
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Old 09-03-2022, 10:40 AM
 
Location: Just south of Denver since 1989
11,828 posts, read 34,440,909 times
Reputation: 8981
I think you’d like Louisville. Adorable downtown bike friendly, views of the foothills, etc.
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Old 09-03-2022, 12:25 PM
 
3,763 posts, read 5,861,321 times
Reputation: 5550
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
https://www.redfin.com/CO/Boulder/30.../home/35167928

https://www.redfin.com/CO/Boulder/33.../home/35266826

https://www.redfin.com/CO/Boulder/43.../home/35189953

https://www.redfin.com/CO/Boulder/85.../home/35186755


There are various 3-br. townhouses w/nice yards in your price range, as well. You might get more bang for your buck property-wise elsewhere, but it wouldn't be Boulder. Depends on your priorities.
Unbelievable for the prices they are asking!! Location, location , location!!


Daughter just closed on a 2bd.2bth condo in Littleton which was no bargain. They were willing to negotiate on the price but it is a great location and, hopefully, she will do okay as far as investment.

Last edited by Rogarven; 09-03-2022 at 12:45 PM..
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Old 09-03-2022, 07:30 PM
 
Location: Berkeley Neighborhood, Denver, CO USA
17,710 posts, read 29,829,274 times
Reputation: 33301
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogarven View Post
hopefully, she will do okay as far as investment.
Your house/condo/home is not an investment!
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Old 09-03-2022, 11:00 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,212 posts, read 107,931,771 times
Reputation: 116160
Quote:
Originally Posted by davebarnes View Post
Your house/condo/home is not an investment!
Sure it is, if it appreciates. You can cash out of it when you're 85 and need to move to an assisted living facility or nursing home. Or roll it over into a SFH as your career and earning power develop.
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