Relocating and Confused with What Area to Move To

All those areas are good choices for an easy commute. Parker can be more of a challenge to get to things. I lived in Wildcat Ridge (between Highlands Ranch and Castle Pines North) for many years and enjoyed it. Have been in Castle Rock for 6 years and love it even more. Love the little town of Castle Rock and all the small town activities. We also have more land than we did before. All Douglas County Schools are a good choice. You will love CO!
Take care,
S.

S., we live in Castle Pines North and we LOVE it! It's a small knit community and the schools are excellent! We love the fact that it's tucked away, but still close enough to the highway. By the way, traffic is not as bad as people say it is. We have lived in the area for a long time and my husband works on I-25 and Dry Creek and it takes him usually no more than 20 min to get home. If there's bad weather, it may take longer between Castle Pines North and Lincoln, but it's not a daily thing..Good luck!

Hi S. - There are so many wonderful areas surrounding DTC. There are all sorts of price ranges in Castle Pines North but the bulk seem to be between $500k-800K. If that is your price range, you are going to be able to look at a great selection of homes.

Douglas County School District and Cherry Creek School District are both very well respected. They tend to be well-funded and have excellent sports and arts programs - Cherry Creek perhaps a bit moreso than Douglas.

In the Parker/Castle Rock area, you might consider Pradera. They have a country club/golf course and homes from $500k up into the million + dollar range. You might also consider Stonegate in Parker. It's a large community with good access to E-470 and a broad price range of homes. They have a lot of community activities and very good amenities.

Also, there are wonderful neighborhoods north of DTC including well-established areas like Cherry Hills East where you can find homes from probably $700-800K on up. There are also many lovely neighborhoods east of I-25 in the vicinity of Orchard road between DTC Blvd on east past Havana St.

Good luck in your house hunting and welcome to Denver!

Hi S.!

You can't go wrong with any of the areas you mention. They are all in the Douglas County school district which is one of the top in the state. People get 'posessive' of their school district, and you can find good teachers and good schools no matter where you live. I believe you get out of things what you put into them, so if you are an involved parent, your kids will be fine no matter where they go. But in general, Douglas County and Cherry Creek are rated highest with test scores, etc.

I live in Highlands Ranch and absolutely love it. They have so many family activities year round, you'll never get to them all. Go to www.hrcaonline.org and you can get an idea of what kinds of things you can do.

We have friends who live in Castle Pines North and they are thrilled there as well. They have found activities for their children that they have really enjoyed.

Again, all of the areas you mention are great. And Colorado in general is family friendly and outdoorsy, so I think you are bound to be happy here!!

Welcome, and enjoy Colorado!

Hi--
We live in Castle Rock, but I grew up here so I know the area well. It really depends on how much money you have. Castle Pines North is beautiful and an easy drive to the DTC. Depending on time of day I-25 can get busy, but that's the same anywhere you are. Both Douglas county schools and Cherry creek schools are good for the kids. I have lived in Highlands Ranch--It's very crowded and the houses are on top of one another, but it has great programs for kids and lots of amenities. The amenities in Castle Pines aren't quite as good yet as the area is still growing, but we just drive a little further if we want a specialty grocery store. The mall, park meadows is accessible from anywhere you choose. Parker is a little out of the way and the only way in and out is on Lincoln, so it is hard to get to the highway. I would recommend the other areas first. Any of the neighborhoods you looked at will be good for kids. There are some areas closer to the DTC but the price for what you get goes up significantly as you move closer to the DTC. From a traffic perspective I think Castle Pines North will be easiest for you husband unless you live in the east side of Highlands Ranch/lone tree area. Any other questions? Like I said, lived here all my life--I hope I can help.
J.

Hi S.. We live in Stonegate subdivision in Parker. It is in unincorporated Douglas County and just east of the new subdivision, Meridian. It has two great elementary schools and Chapparel High School right in the area. There are several community events throughout the year as well as neighborhood pocket activities. The swimming pools are awesome. There are also tennis courts and great walking/biking trails. We absolutely love it! Shopping is close by also. If you're looking for a fun and friendly community, Stonegate would be the choice for you.

Any of the areas you mentioned are nice. A lot will depend on if you want an established neighborhood, price, ect. We live in the Parker area (we are part of unincorporated douglas county). I have only started the schools here with my daughter, but I have heard many good things from other moms, plus Douglas County has a reputation for good schools. My husband works just past the DTC and says his commute is about 30 minutes. Parker is nice because they still have the small town gatherings ( summer farm markets and town festivals) and yet good access to shopping, entertainment, airport ect.. Good luck with your move and Welcome!

I live in Castle Pines North -- people love it here, and there are all sizes of homes, too. The schools are good -- top notch in language.

Three churches which meet at schools plus lots of others nearby. The Hidden Pointe neighborhood has more children per housenold than any other neighborhood in CPN, BUT we don't have a pool. Houses in Hidden Pointe sell very quickly, in general. Almost every other neighborhood has a pool membership.

Let me know if you have more specific questions. I know the school principals at one school, the politics, the churches, and more.

I just have to put in, I live in Willow Creek too and would not live anywhere else. We absolutly love it! My husband grew up in the neighborhood and when we moved back to Colorado I wouldn't look anywhere else. The schools are top notch, your kids can walk or bike to school. It is honestly a little utopia here!

Good Luck with the move!

M.

Hi S.,

I am also originally from the Dallas area and love this area of CO. My husband works in the DTC area and I work off of Lincoln and 25. We also loved the Castle Rock area but are so thankful we decided on Parker. It seems there is daily traffic between the Lincoln exit and the Castle Rock exits on 25. Castle Rock also gets more weather, which is nice when you can stay home and enjoy it but a pain when driving through it to get to work b/c traffic will be that much slower. We just built a house in Parker at Meridian Village so it's not all the way into Parker and therefore less of a commute.
Hope this helps! Good luck with the move. I love it here. I feel like it's Dallas with Mountains. ;)
Julie

Hi S.,

You've had some really good comments already. I just wanted to add that the traffic is and will be getting better between Castle Rock and Lincoln. They are creating a fourth lane in each direction that are due open soon. If your husband has any flexibility in his work schedule, you can miss most of the heavy commute traffic.

I moved to this area three years ago from the Bay Area. I was looking at the same areas you are and was working in the DTC. I ended up in Castle Rock. It does have a small town feel, but also has most of the box stores, which is convenient, unlike Castle Pines.

As many have said, the Douglas County schools are very good, so you can't go wrong there. Good luck with your decision and your move!

Douglas Co is a great place to be. It really depends on what you want. We live in rural Douglas Co, about 10 or 12 miles from Castle Rock and Parker. We've been here for 10 years and frequent both. If you want the suburbs, Highlands Ranch and Parker are fine. If you want a more small town feel, Castle Rock is great. There are plenty of more rural areas, and great schools through out the county. Some areas of the county have year round schools for elementary schools, I don't know if this is a factor for you.

It also will depend on how much of a commute you want, my DH has worked in the DTC area most of the last 12 years, for him, it is about a 45 minute commute, obviously much closer from Parker or Highlands Ranch, and 30 minutes from Castle Rock.

Hi S.,
You are moving to a great area! You will find that people that live in CO are extremely passionate about living here. I haven't met one person who doesn't love living here. I live in Castle Rock and LOVE IT! It is a small town with a small town feel. It all depends on what you are looking for in a neighborhood and town. If you want a place that has all kinds of shops, the mall, tons and tons of restaurants then Castle Rock is not for you. But if you want a place that has Mom and Pop shops, homey diners, people that want to know your name, sweet small town festivals like The Star Lighting at Christmas or the chili cook off at the fire station or the County Fair then Castle Rock is a fit for you. We are in a great location. My husband works at DTC and in the morning it takes him between 20-30 minutes depending on what time he goes. It is not a bad commute at all... but then we moved here from Seattle so anything would be better traffic-wise. Sky Ridge Medical Center (a very nice, fairly new hospital) is only 15-20 minutes. Park Meadows Mall is only about 20 minutes. Parker is only about 15 minutes. We are half way between Colorado Springs and Denver which is nice. For a great neighborhood with lots of young families.. The Meadows would be a great place to live. Hope this helps you a little.

Good luck in your journey,
K.

Lots to think about...I have lived and worked in and around Denver my entire life and have also sold real estate. My favorite area, especially for families is an area called Governors Ranch in southwest Littleton. The neighborhood is built around a pool, elementary school and tennis courts and is a great community. It is close enough you could walk to everything, ie. movies, banks, restraunts, shopping, coffee and groceries, dentist, if you choose. Several people work in th DTC and it takes about twney five minutes drive, depending on the area. Several people in the area have moved up two and three times in the same neighborhood. The school is great!
Good Luck.

All three of the areas you visited are with Douglas County schools--which is a good district. If he is working in the DTC, you might also consider the Littleton school system area, and the Cherry Creek area. Cherry creek is going to be a more expensive area to live. I have lived in Littleton my whole life, and love the area. The Castle Pines area is a nice area as well. I think any of the areas you are looking at you will be able to find a network of people to get to know and be friends with--whether it is through church or boy scouts or some other group like that. Good luck!

We love, love, love Willow Creek. It would be about a 10 minute drive for your husband. Willow Creek is a subdivision that takes up the whole area between Yosemite and Quebec, and Dry Creek and County Line roads. Lots of kids, mature trees, 3 great swimming pools, tennis courts, great school district (Cherry Creek) and top rated elementry school (Willow Creek). 5 minutes away from Park Meadows Mall. Lots of open space. Personally, I wouldn't live anywhere else. Highlands Ranch is way too sprawling and doesn't have enough of a community feel for me. I Drive through the area and check it out. . . I think you'll like it! PS: Your husband will have to contend with really bad traffic from Castle Pines North area.