I Need Information on the Best Places to Live in Colorado!

I agree with Kristin. You don't want your kids in Denver Public Schools. I did a lot of research before we bought our home in the eastern part of Englewood. We wanted to be in the #1 school district in Colorado, Cherry Creek School District, but we couldn't afford to buy the typical home in the area (around $500K). That is for homes in the cities of Greenwood Village and Centennial, both of which overlap into the Cherry Creek School District. So our real estate agent found us a home for the low $300s in this little sliver of Englewood that is sandwiched between the more expensive cities of the Cherry Creek district. The neighborhood is called Cherry Creek Vista. We live, specifically, in "The Hills at Cherry Creek South." Our property taxes are $2700/year versus twice that amount that we would have paid if we were 1/4 of a mile further north and in the city of Greenwood Village.

My husband likes our location because we are 10 minutes from three major freeways: I-25, I-225, and C-470. You can get just about anywhere in the Denver metro area within 20 minutes from our home.

I like our area because we're 5 minutes from Cherry Creek State Park (great for dogs, kids, and people who like water sports). We also have great restaurants and shopping. The crime rate is super low and our neighbors are not snobby, keep-up-with-the-Joneses types. The Castle Rock outlet mall is only 15 minutes south of us and Colorado Springs is another 10 minutes past that. Oh, and there is a Light Rail (our so-so form of public transportation from the suburbs to Downtown) station 1/2 a mile west of us.

Downsides to our area: (1) Centennial Airport is just south of us and the corporate jets make a ton of noise. I hear them a few times a week. You won't hear them when your windows are closed, but if they're open or you're outside it can be really annoying. My personal theory is that airport will move someday because the land is becoming too valuable for runways, but you can't count on it. (2) We have to get Denver Water, which is great quality, but is rationed during drought years. (3) You have to drive everywhere, unlike downtown Denver. But you're probably used to that, coming from TX and CA.

My personal opinion on Colorado Springs: It's perfect for big-time Christians but a bit too conservative for the rest of us. Sorry if I'm offending anyone but I'm Jewish and would not want to live there for cultural reasons. There is also a very strong, rapidly-growing Hispanic population there, which could be great for you if that is your culture. I love the fiestas they have a few times a year. Other pluses: The Springs is beautiful and very close to the mountains. It is ideal for horse lovers who also want to be close to a metropolitan area.

I agree with Carole W about Parker, Castle Rock, Elizabeth, Boulder and The Highlands. All are great places. Parker and Elizabeth will have more affordable housing but are still full of very nice middle to upper-middle class people. Castle Rock, Boulder, and The Highlands are more pricey.

Hi! We moved to Denver from SanFrancisco about 10 years ago before we had any kids. It was the best move we made! This is a great place for families. You're right about the weather, but the people here are wonderful, too. I've lived on the EastCoast and the WestCoast and this is the place where people will stike up conversations in line at the supermarket, etc. We live right in Denver about 10 minutes from downtown. We've considered moving to the suburbs, but we like being near everything...zoo and museums within 10-15 minutes, walk to parks and the mall, great (not chain) restaurants nearby. The nice thing about Denver is you can be near all the city has to offer and still be in a "neighborhood"...we have Halloween parades, July4th picnics, Easter Egg hunts, all organized by us moms in the neighborhood. There are lots of nice neighborhoods to choose from. Here are some of my favs:
Belcaro, BonnieBrae, WashPark, UniversityPark, ObservatoryPark, Hilltop, ParkHill.
As far as schools go, DenverPublicSchools is certainly not the best in the country (and from what I understand the schools in Texas are great) so you may be giving something up there. There are some great schools within DPS, but the CherryCreekSchoolDistrict (right outside Denver) is generally known to be one of the best in the area. Of course, if you'd prefer, there are a WHOLE BUNCH of private schools.
As far as builders go, if you want a new home, you'd either have to go to the suburbs or check out the new developments at Lowry and Stapleton (I think they both have their own websites). A good friend of mine lives in Stapleton and loves it: lots of kids, nice new homes, still within Denver. Other than that, the above mentioned neighborhoods all have lots of new homes built by developers within the last couple of years. Expect to pay anywhere from $700,000 to over $2mil for new homes there. Coming from TX, you may get sticker shock, but if you're familiar with Northern CA, this will seem very reasonable. All in all, this is really a great place to raise a family. Everyone I know who has moved here from somewhere else absolutely loves it...like us! And of course, the RockyMountains are right there. Yeah, those same places people pay thousands to visit are within driving distance! Lucky us!!

Wow we moved here in the fall from Texas as well.
We just headed up. Colorado Springs is a bit slower pace really nice. Parker, castle rock, elizabeth, are great places and are south of Denver. I have heard boulder is nice and the highlands.

We are actually in South Aurora which is nice as we are close to Parker, cenntennial and so on. Lots of Developing going on. Housing is more expensive than Texas. Depending on what you do for a living the pay could be higher as the cost of living is a bit higher.

Hope that helps!
C.
www.ahomecareer.com