Hello -
My husband and I are considering moving to the Denver area from Phoenix and would like some advice from you all. We have 2 small children ages 2 & 3. We need suggestions of areas that would be good for families. We would like your input on where the best school districts are and what areas to stay away from. We have been looking at homes from all of the surrounding areas of Lakewood, Englewood, Aurora, Arvada, Westminster, etc. Any advice is appreciated.
Thank you very much!
~R.
South Jefferson county, Littleton Public schools( small little gem of a district). Douglas county did not pass the last bond issue in the election so they are making cuts. Anything south and west really is nice. Maybe not Arvada. If you want diversity Cherry Creek on the east side is good, west side of Cherry Creek is pretty expensive.
Colorado is wonderful - I've lived here all my life and haven't found anywhere else I'd like to live. If you consider Aurora, I suggest staying toward the southeast part. Other areas may not have the schools or environment you want. The Cherry Creek and Jefferson County schools are better than many, but I don't know about other counties that may be in the areas you mentioned. You might also watch out for high water bills in certain areas. D.
I live in Henderson in the 27J School District. Our home is in a nice suburban neighborhood with a park and elementary school within 3-5 minutes (walking) from it. I really love this area as it isn't too developed and noisy.
In this state, where you choose to live is all a matter of preference. Hope you enjoy it when you do move here.
Make it a GREAT week!
S.
I think that if you move here you will love it. Where you work should certainly influence what part of the Denver metro area you look at in order to limit your commute. There are nice areas both south and north of town. The newest built areas are up north closer to Boulder (Lousiville, Northglenn, Loveland) and far south close to Castle Rock.
BVSD and Cherry Creek school districts have the best reputations. Jefferson Cnty schools is a HUGE district and very respectable. Adams 12 (north east part of town) is ok, some issues. I'd steer clear of Commerce City. Adams 50 (a small district in south Westminster) is . . . a troubled district, but they are implementing some very drastic, creative, interesting solutions.
I grew up in Arvada and still love it there(+being half way between Boulder and Denver has its advantages). Arvada and Wheatridge are old farming communities and have some left over charm because of it. Aurora varies a lot depending on what part- the north part is a bit rough. The farther south you go in Lakewood, the nicer it is. Englewood is close enough to the inner city that it has some issues, but some really charming old houses at more reasonable home prices than some of the gentrified Denver neighborhoods, such as North Denver [please note that North Denver is actually North West of downtown, not directly north- it is more commonly called the Highlands these days and has very nice, expensive turn-of the century homes.]West Denver needs help and luckily is beginning to see a lot of overdue clean up/investment by the city.
That's my two cents!
Good luck!
Hello! and Early welcome to Colorado! Just so you know Louisville just won the #1 place to live in America. (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009/snaps... ) I live in Lafayette which is the next town over, but they are basically the same. Except Lafayette is less expensive. Both have close communities, lots of family activities, great schools ( Boulder County school district). Plus the towns are about 10 minutes from Boulder and mountanin hiking, 25 minutes from Denver. Since they used to be minig towns, both have a "Downtown" historic area that is a main street with small shops and restaurants. But not so small you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.
Hope that helps, See you soon. Oh, I moved here from California and don't regret it at all.
Hi R.! I moved here from PHX too! I lived in Aurora when I first came out here (like you, had NO IDEA where to set up shop!). I now live in Broomfield & LOVE IT! I would look in Boulder Valley or Cherry Creek districts for schools. (Broomfield is in BVSD). I know the Highlands area in West Denver is a big area for families with small kiddos, but the schools aren't great & it's fairly pricey if you're buying a home. If you want my opinion, I'd look up northwest (Broomfield, Superior, Lafayette...). Lots of families, good variety in home prices & all in the Boulder Valley District. Also, there are a TON of rec centers, parks, open spaces in these areas for families to enjoy FREE! Good luck :O)
Stay south. REALLY south. I grew up in west Denver and then lived downtown for a while and am now in Aurora. The best schools and neighborhoods always seem to be very far south like Parker. I drove through an area called Pinehurst which was really pretty. Also, North Denver isn't too bad. I have family there. It'd probably be best to just come visit for a weekend and drive around especially now with rates so low. Good luck.
I am also from PHX as well.
We are in a growing town/ neighborhood and the school district is keeping up- They offer several options in what type of public schools:Charter and Traditional. Our town also has several private schools.
This past school year the free preschool program more than doubled it's size with a new separate building in addition to preschool at the local elementary schools. They offered bussing with the k kids so that made it possible for my son to attend (with work I could not drop off/pick up).
I would suggest getting with a realtor and they should be able to give you a realistic look at what is what and websites for school info etc...
