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Why? And this is not a negative comment, but I see Bradburn as a last resort if you have to live way the hell from anything. Stapleton offers Bradburn with better value retention (at least from what I have seen lately) closer to the urban core (within?) and to the airport.
Well, I work in boulder, live in Northglenn at the moment, and I have at least 10 homes I designed that are currently built in Bradburn.
We're considering a move from Portland to the Denver area. We love Portland but my hubby can't stand the gloom, he grew up in California and we lived there for many years before moving north.
We have two small kids so schools are a big issue, but I also want an open-minded community to raise our kids in. I know some inner-city neighborhoods probably have the right vibe, but I'm wondering about the suburbs. We don't mind brand new houses. We like Boulder but wonder with housing prices if we're just as well to go back to California (not what I want, he wants sun, I want seasons). Don't know about commuting, might be self-employed and just need to get to the airport now and then, or might have to get a job.
Thoughts anyone? We're lost!
Since you started what turned out to be a great thread, I wanted to see your other posts and noticed you posted this on the San Francisco site:
We are considering relocating from Portland, OR (I love it here, my husband hates the weather and he basically commutes to SF where his office is). We have little ones so schools are a big issue. We're also looking for a community that might have a smaller town feel (not just a suburb with no little town), and has respectable access/public transit to the city and SFO. I hate traffic, especially with kids. We obviously know the area generally is very expensive, but any hidden gems with good schools? Marin freaks me out a bit b/c of the drive. I am also really into seasons and hate the thought of the same weather all year, variety (but sun for my husband) is key. We're basically looking to replicate the Portland experience without the gray and better public schools. Any thoughts? Is there a site that "rates" areas for school in the bay area? any place to start?
I couldn't help but notice the phrase: "We're basically looking to replicate the Portland experience." I think I speak on behalf of all of us here in Denver when I say that you should probably stay in Portland or move to San Francisco.
Since I have received 10, count them 10, reputation comments that say I should just ignore you and hope you don't move here, I will take their advice. Denver's version of liberalism doesn't hold a candle to your beloved (though gray) Portland. The grass is not greener...as a matter of a fact, our grass is fairly yellowish brown as we are part of the Great Plains states.
Wow! That was quite a tirade, 3D, and I'm sad to learn that so many others agree with you.
I relocated to Colorado after many years of living in the North Bay of SF, and while my first choice of Castle Rock was not right for my family, I'm now happily settled in Centennial, a traditional suburb that spans the gamut politically. My particular neighborhood leans left. I truly believe there are many Denver communities where the OP would feel welcome, and I sincerely hope that the unfriendliness she's experienced on this board hasn't served to drive her off, because 3D definitely does not speak for all of us in the metro area.
I truly believe there are many Denver communities where the OP would feel welcome
Yeah, I agree with you formercalifornian...
3D's you seem like an intelligent, reasonable person... I really don't understand what nmsegal did that ticked you off so much... seems like she is just looking to find a place that would be a good fit for her kids and family. Is there something wrong with that?
I continue to chuckle at your postings, 3D, particularly from someone who "just wants everyone to get along". I certainly have better things to do with my time than troll your prior postings, but feel free to read mine. What was this "smoking gun" in my SF thread -- that I really like where I live but it seems unsustainable given my husband's winter depressions? Are you somehow classifying me as some crazy liberal b/c I live in Portland and have posted on the SF board when I thought we might move there, or is it because I actually like the city I live in and that's threatening/annoying to you? We've struggled with this geography issue for many years, and recently my husband's job situation has changed (he left his firm in SF and is doing independent work) and we're evaluating our options. I posted here to information-gather and have managed to do so, tirades notwithstanding.
Sorry, can't quite get the "quoting" thing down here, silly newbie. As to your Portland/Seattle question Denverian, Portland is (statistically) less rainy and overcast than Seattle, but the naked eye would never notice. Nov to April is pretty brutal. But May-Oct is fantastic, and to me weather doesn't get better anywhere in the world than Portland June-Sept. 75-90 degree sunny days, dry, maybe only a week or so where you need AC b/c it cools at night. And you have everything close by to enjoy: mountains, ocean, hiking, etc. Stick those kids in the burley and bike to the farmer's market downtown, or go to a farm on sauvie island and pick berries before watching the free concert and eating a farm-fresh meal for pennies on the dollar. Everything's < 20 minutes away. Even my Newport Beach born and bred husband thinks it's heaven 1/3 of the year. Plus it's absolutely the most kid-friendly town I know of. There are movie theaters here where you can catch a flick, get a good microbrew, popcorn and some pizza AND have your kids entertained in the on-site childcare, all for about $20. Some restaurants and most coffee shops have kid play areas, there are more parks than we know what to do with, I could go on and on. I think of Portland as an incredible place for families, not some "ultra-liberal" bastion...and I live here! It's unfortunate that apparently the stereotype is that we all think it's fine to defecate on flags. It's certainly left of center (and also has some other distinctive attributes, like civility and polite driving) but I personally don't know anyone who uses Portland's liberalism as an excuse to act like a "moron".
Sounds like a great place. You get the same thing in Summer here in Denver, where it cools down at night, so lots of good "sleep with the windows open" weather. Although we use our A/C during the day from about mid May to late September. That may be partially because we live in a 4 year old house and the trees aren't much for shade yet.
I suppose the winter weather is a tradeoff between Portland and Denver. Here you get a lot of sun and even fairly warm days here and there. But then a couple times each winter we get Arctic air and it can get down to zero or below for a couple days. But there are probably more similarities between Denver/Portland than differences.
You might want to consider moving further south. While Colorado Springs is NOT known as a liberal city, it has a very liberal suburb, Manitou Springs. It has good schools and is very affordable. It's a cool little town. Old Colorado City also has a lot of character and sits on the west side of Colorado Springs, right next to Manitou Springs.
This makes tons of sense to me. Great posts on this thread 3Ds!
I'm not going to try and badger the OP (no pun intended), but there would be nearly no sense in leaving Portland to live in the same type of neighborhood/area in Colorado. The only reason I found the OP ('s husband) wanted to leave Portland was the weather. More power to them, but there's got to be more to it than that. By coming to CO, the OP's husband might decide in a few years he hates the snow, or at the very least, snow in late March .
I personally believe the extent of "liberalism" in both Boulder and Portland is blown waaaay out of proportion. I never thought of Portland as a bastion of liberalism until I came onto C-D. Boulder gets the reputation as such due to the university and the lifestyle of some, along with local media's ability to jump on any pro-liberal story coming out of Boulder, such as the kids who wanted to rename their high school after Barack Obama -- that story might not have gotten the attention it did if it had occurred somewhere else, for example.
I don't think politics matters when it comes to neighborhoods, I hardly even talk to my neighbors, let alone talk to them about politics. I'm far more likely to talk politics at work, so why not come on C-D and ask: "What companies in Denver (that are hiring) are liberal/progressive?" Somehow, a question like that makes more sense.
I think it goes both ways.
Some liberals move into the city to "search for acceptance", to be around more open-minded people that will be accepting of differences, etc; however, they do want to section themselves off, from the people with the closed minds.
Some conservatives flee to the new suburbs, the places mostly free from diversity, crime, and full of back-to-basics thought that made the "good 'ol days" so great. These folks aren't out searching for acceptance, and just happen to be not all that different from each other, and are mostly well-insulated from the city and it's "problems".
So basically what I'm trying to say is, both parties are guilty. We always get the newbie posts on both ends, those looking for the accepting/diverse/liberal/progressive areas and those looking for super safe/new homes/(long commute)/great schools areas (pretty much goes without saying, said area would most likely be conservative). This OP just happens to want both.
I would go crazy in both liberal enclaves (Boulder/parts of Central Denver/Stapleton), and typical tract-home suburbia that many conservatives seem to enjoy,(Highlands Ranch, Parker, Castle Rock, SE Aurora). Places that seem to mostly have one type of people come off as really fake to me. I prefer to live in a more normal place. No offense to anybody that lives in any of those places.
I believe "people are people". I think I would hate somebody just like me, probably even somebody just mostly like me. But I love me. I've become great friends with people I don't agree with at all, and can't stand to be around some folks that I mostly agree with.
Everything is a crap-shoot.
Great post. I'll chime in on the subject really quick -
My wife and I moved to Lone Tree (right next to Highlands Ranch) from San Jose, CA. Being raised in San Jose means you are a little more likely to have some liberal views compared to other parts of the country, which we do. My wife is a bit more liberal than I and she is of Latin descent, so we were a little concerned about moving to a conservative area. Having been here for almost 4 years now, I can say that it hasn't been all that bad for us. People here in Colorado are pretty accepting for the most part - more than we imagined. Granted, I've heard quite a bit more not-so-politically-correct comments made about gays and minorities than I ever did in California, but I somewhat expected that.
You'll have to make a choice on what matters more to you. The city of Denver is pretty diverse and very neutral in terms of politics - maybe even a little left-leaning. But the suburbs have better schools and are generally a bit more conservative. Having lived near Santa Cruz for so many years, I can tell you that Boulder is not as "liberal" as most out here make it out to be. Where we live, many call it the "Republic of Boulder", as if it's full of crazy left-wingers. Though I'm sure it has some, it seems to be blown out of proportion a little.
We like where we live for the most part. Though lately, my wife has been talking about the idea of living in an area with a few more people that share her views - most all of the friends she's made here are more conservative and she feels she doesn't have many people to bond with on certain levels. For me, I don't mind either way. Some of my closest friends are more conservative and I find that our difference of opinion forces us to challenge our own beliefs. I don't find I bond with people based on their political views anyway. And I don't think people should avoid talking politics just because they might disagree. Doing so is what helps us grow and learn. I understand that politics and religion can destroy friendships, but personally, I don't think that people should allow that to happen. I think we've all become a little too sensitive over the years and put too much emphasis on political views.
So basically, I wouldn't just choose an area based solely on political views. And don't limit yourself to being around only those who agree with your views. From what we've seen so far, Colorado has a good mix of liberals and conservatives. It's pretty close to the center of the spectrum. And for the most part, everyone is welcoming no matter what your viewpoint. I'm sure you can be happy here coming from Portland. I like it here and always suggest people consider it when looking for a great place to live. The weather is much better here than most people think. The winters are fairly mild in terms of snow fall and the summers are great. Coming from California, I really can't complain - I love sunny days, and even San Diego doesn't get as many sunny days as we do. Though I do miss the moisture. It is VERY dry out here - be prepared to buy a lot of lotion
3D's you seem like an intelligent, reasonable person... I really don't understand what nmsegal did that ticked you off so much... seems like she is just looking to find a place that would be a good fit for her kids and family. Is there something wrong with that?
I consider myself intelligent and reasonable too. I have always tried to contribute to the questions as it wasn't long ago when I was searching for a place to live after moving to Denver as well. As someone who has those qualities, the last thing we in Denver need is another person to move here and talk non-stop about how much better their last place was. How many people do we need to hear from who talk about how much more snow they had in their old city, or how much more intelligent their old city was or how much better the drivers were in the old place? Good grief. The question did not have anything positive that is pulling them towards Denver except that it has sunny days. That's not a good enough reason to move to Denver. Many of us have found ourselves here because of job transfers and, like my family, are finding ourselves adapting and enjoying our new city. Denver is not Portland. Not the attitudes nor the climate. Her post on the SF site specifically said she wanted to recreate Portland and that is ridiculous.
Actually, it annoys me when people pretend that they are "oh so above societal rules" and ask weird questions like "where's a good progressive/liberal place to live?" and then goes on to say that an "inner city" neighborhood would have a good vibe? Even the people who say that Stapleton is more "liberal" admit freely that there are those who live there who are not open minded. I am sure that despite it's reputation, Highlands Ranch has many "liberal" residents too. Assuming she's intelligent (which all clues point to her being), the term "inner city" is not the same thing as "downtown" or close to the urban core. Inner city is specifically used to describe an area that has fallen to urban decay as the suburbs sprouted up. So basically, she's asking, "where can I move to prove to everyone how cool my family is that we don't want to move somewhere safe with good schools. Oh no, we want to find a place to live to subject our kids to failing schools, rampant voilence and homeless shelters and in order to show how "modern" we are." She didn't say an area that was diverse, or a great downtown place to live for families. I don't even think those who live in the "inner city" want to live there.
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