Best communities for young family (Denver, Aurora: crime, daycare, houses)

[srtella2000]

I am looking for information in the order

1) Best Schools ( starting from Elementary to High School)
2) Close to 20 minutes drive to IT jobs
3) 4Bed/2 Bath House, 2500SF, budget ~350K

Thanks for your info.

[2bindenver]

Boulder is out, maybe Longmont, Louisville, Broomfield, Arvada, Centennial, Denver (SE), Aurora (southern), Lone Tree, Parker, Littleton (Highlands Ranch in Douglas County) and Littleton in Arapahoe County...

[bhcompy]

Northern Douglas suburbs for sure.. Parker, Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock maybe.. centennial, littleton, etc are all nice as well

[steveindenver]

That price puts you in the sticks -- which adds to the equation -- and worst for the environment.

Nothing overtly wrong with that I supposed but beware of places (many) that are sucking from wells -- they are due to dry up in the very near future.

[Katarina Witt]

It's a lot of house for the money here. The "best" schools are hard to define, too. I would concentrate on the job first; it sounds like you have kids. You don't want to spend months w/o income.

[mczabe]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

That price puts you in the sticks -- which adds to the equation -- and worst for the environment.

Nothing overtly wrong with that I supposed but beware of places (many) that are sucking from wells -- they are due to dry up in the very near future.

Well, I guess it depends on how you define the sticks...

We just bought in Highlands Ranch and there are many houses on the market around that price point. I don't feel like this is the sticks at all. We're close to stores, close to school, close to public transit, safe, tons of activities for kids...I know tons of people hate HR, but for us, it is a perfect fit. OP may want to give it a look-see.

[bhcompy]

yea mczabe.. it may be the sticks when coming from a small midwest city, but its better than most commutes by half compared to a lot of people here in LA

[Pilot1]

Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Parker, Littleton would all be OK. Yes, its urban sprawl, yes the houses are close together for the most part, but its convenient to just about everything. Parker is a little farther out but no biggie.

[Nav]

I would look at the castle Rock area. Its only a 15 minute drive to the tech center area. Highlands ranch is like an ant colony. 120,000 residents living in a single sprawling community. I guess it really depends on what you value for your quality of live. There are those who like to live downtown, throw their kids in daycare full time, and spend most of their lives eating out and satisfying their own self indulgences. To them, proximity to entertainment and restaurants are the biggest factor. Other's value a more family oriented atmosphere where you get a "small town feel". Life is a bit slower and you may have to drive a few minutes but its worth it. You need to decide where your personal priorities are.
As for Castle Rock, you have most of the amenities you need to live but with out the knarly traffic congestion found in the city. The mountains are a short drive away. Douglas county has one of the best schools systems in the state. Plus crime is extremely low.

Nav

[steveindenver]

Castle Rock is currently sucking out of an aquifer system which is nearly dry. It and the surrounding communities are in for a world of hurt.

I'm not a fan of Highlands Ranch, but they pull some (not all) of their water from the South Platte.

All of these drive until you qualify exurbs are going to see the most depreciation as energy prices climb, those with additional natural resource issues will likely see more.