I have two boys (5 and 7) + two dogs, and we're looking to move from Seattle to Denver to be closer to family. I'm overwhelmed with choices for places to live!
My husband is a teacher (so he can move anywhere), but I'm in tech, so most of the jobs I see popping up are in the Boulder area or the Denver Tech Center area. Is there a happy medium, locationwise, between the two areas with a reasonable commute either way?
Are there specific neighborhood names (not just cities) anyone has had experience with that they'd recommend? Things I love about my current location that would be great to find in our next home:
- Mature landscaping/tree-lined streets
- Proximity to trails & bike paths
- Walking distance to grocery stores
- Community events (movies in the park, neighborhood parades, etc.)
- Community pool
- People always walking in the community
- Easy access to unique stores/shops and restaurants
Sounds pie in the sky! But any help is appreciated :)
My sister lived downtown by the ball field, but “aged out”. She now lives north west by Regent? College. She loves it. It’s an established community with good bus system, close to stores and restaurants. No HOA.
My best friend is from Denver. She's on a flight here...I'll ask her and update.
Her whole life has been in Denver - Thornton, Aurora, etc.
The more mature neighborhoods (and less expensive) are Wheatridge and Lakewood and Golden. Golden is in the foothills with lots of bike paths (an unsually high number of triathletes live there!) Lakewood and Wheatridge have easy access to most parts of Denver and they still have lots of wooded areas (I sort of call it country in the city)...
You might look for something with easy access to 6th Avenue. It connects to I25 which goes to the Tech Center.
The area around the tech center is really populated and lots of traffic. I don't like going down there for that reason.
Aurora is kind of known for higher crime, etc. but it is really a big city so there are good and bad parts...but I wouldn't live there.
Hi there Stacy - We lived in Denver with my husband's computer career and very near the Denver Tech Center in the Willow Springs Subdivision that we loved. Our daughter was on their Swim Team and this is a lovely neighborhood and would meet many of the requirements that you mentioned. Then we moved to Westminster Co when his company moved to N. of Denver -which for you would be not as far to Boulder if you wind up with a job there and we also loved that area. We still to this day have 3 really close friends that we keep in touch with that could really be helpful. One in particular has lived there for a really long time in Arvada now- but she is the most knowledgeable of all and could be extremely helpful in steering you in the right direction.
I really miss Denver in a lot of ways and I think you will really like the way of life there and I wish you and your family all the best. If you would like further information, don't hesitate to contact me - Best of luck and Merry Christmas. M.
The tech center is really nice, but pretty pricey. I don't know the neighborhood names there, but I think they all check the boxes you mention. The further away from the freeway, the better (just like anywhere I suppose).
Closer to Boulder would be Golden, Arvada, possibly Lakewood. Arvada is big and has lots of different types of neighborhoods, so there are some good and some not so good, but people really seem to like it there. I really love Golden, it's beautiful and doesn't feel so crowded.
Commuting stinks here now- it's getting pretty crowded. I still love it here, but I would pick a place to live closer to where you will work. But Denver is an amazing place to be, hope you love it here!!
