Seeking Best Place to Live in Denver, CO with Kids

We lived in Highlands Ranch area for awhile and loved it. It is south of Denver by Littleton. Great family neighborhoods, and schools.

We are in Highlands Ranch, right off of Santa Fe and C-470. We have a son who has a lot of health issues, and most of his doctors are in the downtownish area. It takes us about 30 minutes in traffic to get to the hospitals. We have lots of family friendly things to do, including the Rec. Centers, which are a part of your HOA fees. Parker is nice, other than the drive from Parker to downtown can be a problem as you have to go through the DTC. Lone Tree and Centennial are both in this area. If you want further out, Castle Rock is also very nice. Another place that's a bit more secluded is the Roxborough area. We've thought about moving there someday after our son's surgeries are done. These are all part of Douglas County.

Douglas County has great schools! My son is in Sky View Academy, which is near C-470 and I-25. Check it out. They are adding 6th grade next year. The lottery cutoff is Dec. 1, but if you get a spot, and then change your mind, that's fine. Lakewood area is where I grew up, and you have 6th Ave., which moves fairly decently in the morning. Not sure about the schools there. It's in Jefferson County, and I would guess the schools are good. Cherry Creek schools are good, but the area is incredibly expensive. Everyone I knew that went to school there in high school said drugs were a real issue, because it's a bunch of really rich kids with way too much money, and nothing to spend it one -- not too mention parents who were too busy making the money to support the lifestyle. Littleton and Englewood are in Arapahoe County, and we have friends who are very pleased with them. The homes there are older, so have nice mature, established neighborhoods. There is Littleton Academy, as well as another one that is similar in Littleton that are both very good. The uniforms for LA are very expensive as they require you buy from a specific company.

Aurora is another area we looked at because of Children's Hospital out there. The house values are never good, so what you pay is roughly what you will get out of it in 10 years. Makes it affordable to move into, hard to move out. Aurora has a lot of crime and poverty, so you have to be careful what neighborhood you're in. My cousins had a decent schooling there, but are careful not to raise their kids there, other than in the newer areas on the outskirts.

Hope this helps! I think you'll love the Denver area!

Boulder
Cherry Creek
Denver

I would, if I were you... research the schools in a particular area... first.

Also, in a roundabout way to research it, every State has a Tourism website... and that way, you can see what areas are child friendly... and what things/activities they have in that given area....
Here are the links:
http://www.colorado.com/
http://www.denver.org/

Colorado is very nice... I've been there many times. I like Denver, Boulder, and the ski areas..

Since you have young children... I would really research the schools, first.

ALSO, you said your Husband has a job there... and will be working close to downtown.... so... with that in mind, for me personally... I would NOT want a long commute.... so that is another factor... in this. To me.
Downtown where... is your Husband going to be working??? Denver??? Denver is a wide area... with many different socio-economic areas and diversity... as with any City. So... research that too...
Cherry Creek for example... is a more "rich" area of Denver (and thus, better schools)... for example. But there are many nearby neighborhoods... as well... that are more middle class and nice to live in.

Colorado is a real nice place...

all the best,
Susan

I'm so jealous! I lived in Colorado Springs and LOOOOOOOVED it! Colorado is a beautiful state. I see you are from OK. I also lived in Lawton for about 8 years. You won't be let down. :) Since I lived in the springs and not Denver, I can't really recommend a place to live. However, must sees:

Pikes Peak. In COS. You can drive up or take the cog railroad. Scarey drive. We did it but yikes....
Royal Gorge. It's about 80 minutes south of COS. Beautiful.
Garden of the Gods. It's in Colorado Springs. It's free and really pretty.
Sand Dunes National Park. It's a bit further south but well worth it (NOT in the summer.... the sand is about 160 degrees)
Seven Falls. In COS. Very pretty.
I also really liked Helen Hunt falls. Also in COS.
In Denver we really enjoyed the Aquarium. It was nice. And I'm not entirely sure how it fits in there but they have a tiger there too. LOL!
Eliches amusement park.

Have a wonderful time in Colorado! Seriously & completely jealous!!!! :)

Hello there! I have lived in CO my whole life and have moved around to a couple different places. I grew up in Lakewood. Nice, suburban area, decent schools. The commute to downtown is about 15 minutes, so not to bad. Not to rich, but not real poor area. I lived in Westminster which we liked. Schools aren't too bad there either. That would give hubby a commute of around 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. Longer with snow and traffic and such. I also lived in Littleton. Very suburban feeling. Good schools, lots of community and nice scenery. We moved from there to West Wash Park which is in Denver. We are about a 5-10 minute drive from downtown. We LOVE our neighborhood, and there are many perks of living down here. We are in the middle of everything and this area is really progressing. There is a higher crime rate than the other places I mentioned, but that is to be expected living in the "city". I love the houses down here. They are older and have so much character. The downside is the schools. They are DPS obviously. Our home school is supposedly real good. Our neighbors LOVE it. We have decided to put the kids in private school. And I will mention that they would be in private school even if we were still living in the burbs. I would recommend coming out here and just driving through the communities and see what feels good for you guys. Then have your husband take the drive in the morning and evening. Good luck!!!

Be sure to research schools at www.greatschools.org. I'm a CO native and Denver has many bad schools- be careful to check specific zip codes and not just the city. Good luck!

I almost moved to Denver. It is one of the most beautiful places I have visited. People were more friendly than I heard. They noticed my accent and offered all sorts of advice.
It was so expensive and I was just a teacher, so it didn't work for me. I would drive during the time your husband would be communting. I can't tell you how different Arapahoe is depending on the time of day. Add in snow and ice and it is like bumper to bumper madness.
I liked the Castle Rock area, but the commute would have worn me out. I know Littleton will always remind people of Columbine, but there are some nice areas there with lots of parks and sidewalks.

I moved from Colorado 5 years ago and miss it sooooo much.
We lived north of Denver and loved it there. A lot depends on how much you plan on spending on a house, for areas to live in and how far you want to commute.
We lived in Firestone and I loved it because it was the little town feel. it is kinda "out there" but worked for us. I think Erie is a GREAT area with good schools. If I were to move back there I would be looking in that area. Also Lafayette and Loiusville are nice areas. They are close to Boulder and Denver. I dont know much about the school systems, my kids were little when we moved. I really do think they are all about the same unless you get in to the inner city Denver district. I know Cherry Creek, Highlands Ranch are always talked about having great schools and neighborhoods.
Good Luck with your move and enjoy! It is such a great place to be and raise a family.

Everyone has given great answers - I am happy with cherry creek schools (I have middle school and elementary children), but you have to be careful in the Aurora/Centennial area as not all schools are CC school district. One thing no one has mentioned about hubby's commute yet: if he's working in downtown but you want to live further out, you may want to consider having him take the Light Rail into downtown. You can live in the 'burbs and be 20 min or less from a train/bus station that will save him time and traffic (not to mention parking) frustration with downtown.

We did not have a good experience with Denver public schools. Luckily we were there less than a year before buying a house in Aurora in the Cherry Creek school district. (Not all areas of Aurora are in Cherry Creek, so check carefully. Our zip was 80013.)

We absolutely LOVED it. Our kids attended Summit Elementary, except one of them who was accepted to the Challenge School. Sixth grade is in middle school there. We did have one daughter who attended a year at Horizon middle school. We would loved to have stayed forever, if family circumstances had not moved us.

Things were probably different than because of the economy and all, but our house sold for $25,000 more than we had paid for it. (We moved in about 1995, paying $100,000 for our 3 bedroom house, and out about 1999.)

I'm sure you are going to get a million answers to this question! Really, depends what you are looking for. We live iin Willow Creek, which is a subdivision in Centennial south of downtown. Schools are excellent. Homes are older, though. Don't want to dis anyone's opinion but I wouldn't live in Highlands Ranch for all the tea in China. Too huge and too "tract homeish". That said, alot of people really like it. To each their own and it just depends what you like.

Personally, I would also stay away from the northern suburbs - Northglenn, Thornton, Westminser. Again, alot of people like them but I lived up there for awhile and really disliked it. Plus, the commute is very challenging in the morning and evening.

My husband and I were talking the other day and said that if we had to do it again, we would buy in Stapleton. Newer homes, fun floorplans and layouts, TONS of kids, and great charter schools. Stay away from Denver Public Schools. Stapleton is in DPS but they have some wonderful Charter schools there. Good luck with your search!

Updated

I'm sure you are going to get a million answers to this question! Really, depends what you are looking for. We live iin Willow Creek, which is a subdivision in Centennial south of downtown. Schools are excellent. Homes are older, though. Don't want to dis anyone's opinion but I wouldn't live in Highlands Ranch for all the tea in China. Too huge and too "tract homeish". That said, alot of people really like it. To each their own and it just depends what you like.

Personally, I would also stay away from the northern suburbs - Northglenn, Thornton, Westminser. Again, alot of people like them but I lived up there for awhile and really disliked it. Plus, the commute is very challenging in the morning and evening.

My husband and I were talking the other day and said that if we had to do it again, we would buy in Stapleton. Newer homes, fun floorplans and layouts, TONS of kids, and great charter schools. Stay away from Denver Public Schools. Stapleton is in DPS but they have some wonderful Charter schools there. Good luck with your search!

We live in an older area of Lakewood, in East Alameda Heights/Meadowlark. I have lived downtown and just west of downtown Denver. I highly recommend Lakewood for families.

Jefferson County public schools are generally good and there are option schools and open enrollment, including the "Open School", which is good if you have a child who doesn't do well in a traditional setting. Housing prices are pretty stable (when the bubble burst, property values went down, but they did NOT crash).

We are about 10 minutes from downtown. Right now the house next door is for sale below it's county assessed value. I will send you a private message with the address, so you can see what his area can offer.

Lakewood Highschool is one of the best in the country. If you pick a house in that district, you go to the top of the list for enrollment. My kids go to South Lakewood Elementary and I like it fine. Many neighbors choose to lottery their kids into Dennison. Dennison is a nearby option school that is very good.

Regardless of where you choose, I recommend Derek Camunez as a realtor if you are buying. He owns the ReMax at Lowry and is the former President of the realtors board of ethics. I have bought 2 houses with him over his career. He is honest & will look out for you.

By the way, this is a very low crime area.

Stapleton. It is in Denver so a short commute for your husband. It is in Denver but has a lot og good school choices and its a great community.

We moved from Denver to Pennsylvania about a year ago, so right now I'm sitting here feeling super jealous of you. It is an awesome city with LOTS of stuff to do with kids. Unfortunately, Denver Public Schools isn't too great. You'll need to head out to Cherry Creek School District or Douglas County School District (both are fantastic) or one of the other suburban school districts, which encompass a huge area and will give your hubs a bit of a commute to downtown. Within DPS, there are a few good schools at the Elem. level, but once you hit Middle and High, you'll get the same problems as you'd find in any inner city school district (budget issues, student/teacher ratios, etc). You really need to evaluate quality of schools vs length of husband's commute. Which is more important to you? Of course there's always the option of going private or parochial, then you can still live in Denver and have good schools. My kids went to one of the best elementary schools in Denver (our neighborhood luckily fed into it) and I truly thought my kids were getting a fabulous educational experience, but once we moved here to PA, I realized just how lacking that school was. There's really no comparison between Denver Public Schools and our current school district. I could go on and on, but if you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a message.

Hi N. - welcome to Denver! Research the schools mostly. I dont want to diss Denver public schools but truthfully Cherry Creek and Douglas County are best rated but Jefferson, Arapahoe are also good. Dont know much about north Denver.

Which community you choose will depend on your price range. Your realtor should be able to help you in that regard.