Colorado mamas? If you could pick an area to live?..***Added home link***.........

[bcafe]

DH and I have always wanted to live out there (we are in WI), and I have lots of family in Loveland. We have been out a great deal. Anyway, we are seriously thinking of moving if/when DH finds a job in his field. He has some great business contacts out there. I would love to live in a city where I can walk to the grocery, shops, restaurants, etc. I *think* Boulder will be to pricey. Any suggestions? We found a great house online, but can't think of where it was located in Denver. It claimed to be in a "hot" neighborhood for ~355K. TIA!

http://www.coldwellbanker.com/servlet/PropertyListing?action=detail&ComColdwellbankerDataProperty_id=8872051&page=property

[mom_hanna]

We live in Fort Collins - moved here from Minneapolis - and love it here! It is a smaller city but still has all the necessary things (home depot, target, restaurants, movie theatres, etc.) We live about two miles from Target, Safeway, King Soopers, Home Depot, Starbucks, Walmart, Michaels, TJ Maxx and more. It's just north of Loveland, as you probably already know. If you are looking at Denver, I really like the Cherry Creek area, although it's very expensive. Boulder is too! HTH

[mcdonald29]

I'm not a CO mama, but DH was born and raised in Loveland so we visit the area frequently. We used to drive up to Fort Collins for "big city" shopping, but they just opened a new mall in Loveland so the only place they seem to be missing there now is Old Navy. Loveland is really growing, even in the 8 years I've known it. They recently opened a third high school, with plans for a fourth underway, so you know the population is growing. Its size makes it a place we would probably love to settle down in someday but that's a decade away (DH has 10+ years left w/Army). It's also only a 1 hour drive to a major airport, which is convenient when family is spread out.

SIL lives in Thornton, northern Denver suburb, and likes it, and I have aunts and uncles in Littleton. We've never looked at real estate there, but your $355K is probably right on track. Littleton looks pretty upscale in many parts.

We've always liked Golden when we drive through it too. HTH a little!

[calebsmama03]

Boulder definitely has the "feel" you describe but it is very, very overpriced. There are some areas around Boulder that are nice and a *little* more reasonable (Louisville and Lafayette come to mind). I am somewhat familiar with the goings on (real estate wise) up that way since we are planning to move north so feel free to e-mail me if you want any more specific info.

As to the $355k house, you didn't mention what it was like (size, #beds, age, etc.). It really depends what you want in a house. Do you prefer new construction? Do you want an old "Victorian" type house? Do you care about school district (or do you plan to private school)? I can tell you that when we were looking to move within our current area (Littleton area) you could get a lot for $355 - 3000 sqf, 4BR, full basement (perhaps walkout, depending on neighborhood), NICE kitchen with upgrades, nice bathrooms, pretty neighborhoods with ammenities, etc. In looking north at Broomfield, Erie, Louisville, etc you don't get nearly the house for the money and there is less on the market to choose from :( Longmont is more affordable but pretty rural and removed, same with Johnstown and some other new developments. I haven't been to Loveland for several years so can't speak to that. There are areas of Denver "proper" that are very affordable but all of the nicer areas (Cherry Creek, Washington Park) are pricey. Golden is lovely and does have that "small town" feel to it and can have some more affordable homes - again, depending on what you want in a home.

So, I really was no help at all, huh? :) If you can give more specifics on what you want in a house I can offer more info. ANother thing to consider is that while they are working to expand things, currently there is not a great public transportation system in the Denver metro area :( You really shouldn't get your heart set on a particular area until you have an idea of where DH might end up working. It is pretty spread out and I can say from experience that living on the far south end and DH working in Boulder, the commute sucks!
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[mamicka]

I didn't know you guys were going to move up north?!?! But I guess that makes sense with DH working in Boulder.

To the OP, I would 2nd all that Lynne has said. *BUT* I would also say that we live in Highlands Ranch which is total & complete suburbia - & we walk to restaurants, the grocery store, the gym, etc. We love it here.

No matter where you go in the Denver area, you just can't beat the weather here.

Lynne, can we get together again before you guys move? :(

Good luck!
Allison

[almostamom]

Allison, you and I have got to chat - my DH and I have been looking at homes in Highlands Ranch for the past few months (just online). We're dreaming/hoping that he can be transferred to the Denver office in the next few years. I've never even been to CO - we're hoping to go visit sometime this spring or summer. I'd love to hear more about the area from you.

~Linda~
DS 11/9/04

[mamicka]

No problem, Linda. Email me when you want to chat. :)

Allison

[bcafe]

We like Fort Collins too. How are the schools? Thanks!

[bcafe]

I read that the median price in Boulder is $400k!! Gulp!

[mom_hanna]

From what we know through research online, and were told by our real estate agent, neighbors, CSU faculty, etc., the school system in Fort Collins is great. Good schools from elementary through high school, pretty much across the board. If you want to research, the school district is Poudre School District (http://www.psd.k12.co.us/).

And totally unrelated, but coming from Minneapolis, the crime rates here are so low!

Jennifer

[wimama]

I went to high school and college in Colorado. I get sad sometimes that I am not living back there, especially in the wintertime up here in the Midwest. People think Colorado is so cold. Winters are pretty mild out there; you just get a bit of snow from time to time. And there are so many sunny days out there. Bring some good sunglasses when you visit, or you will have trouble driving when the sun is coming up or going down. They actually have sunshine slowing on the highways out there during those times of day.

I think that house may be in the Washington Park if not Cherry Creek neighborhoods. I don't have a map handy to look. It has been a long time since I lived out there. I like both areas a lot. They are both old neighborhoods with great old houses and I am a sucker for old houses. They are the hip areas of Denver to live. They are actually in the city of Denver, though. Cherry Creek is really cool. There is a big, upscale mall and some really cool shops and restaurants in the area.

My parents live in Highlands Ranch. It is a newer city/development. There are quite a few stores there now. The thing about Colorado Denver area is that there is always construction. New houses and stores go up all the time. It gets confusing sometimes driving around, because everything looks different each time I go back.

I have lived both in Boulder and Colorado Springs. Boulder is very much a college town and is pretty liberal. It is also has a history of being pricey for real estate. I would prefer a neighboring suburb if I worked in Boulder.

I think Colorado Springs is the prettiest, most beautiful places I have every lived. There isn’t quite as much to do there as in the Denver Metro area. But it is a good size town. There are a lot of military around the area. Colorado Springs is a quite conservative town.

Please feel free to PM or email me if you like.

[COElizabeth]

I second Lynne's advice to wait to see where the job will be. We used to live in downtown Denver and loved being able to walk downtown, to Cherry Creek, etc. DH hated commuting, though, so we moved up north (between Denver and Boulder) to be closer to his work. We are in a very suburban area now, but we can and do still walk to shops and restaurants on nice days when we have time for a long walk.

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02
and Charlotte, 11-04-04

[jenmcadams]

You'll love CO if you end up deciding to move. We moved from Colorado to South FL last year and are in the process of selling our house here to move back in the next few months. The house you listed is not in Washinton Park/Cherry Creek, but closer to DU (Uinversity of Denver) and might be called University Park. You'd be hard pressed to find a house like that in Wash Park or Cherry Creek for less than $450-500. I'm not super familiar with that neighborhood (our first house was in Wash Park and then we moved west of Denver to Lookout Mountain -- basically the foothills), but my guess is you might be able to walk to some things, but it's not a great urban area. Even in Wash Park, you can walk to a few things, but you'll drive to grocery shop or go to most restaurants. Closer to downtown there are some neighborhoods that might allow you that, but they'll be pricey for the most part.

I'm not as familiar with Loveland or Fort Collins, but think about what your DHs commute will be like. As others have said, if you end up all the way down in Highland's Ranch or up in Loveland and have to commute all the way north or south, it can really impact day to day life. My DH has started consulting to a number of clients out there and we'll probably plan to move back to the Golden area -- either in Golden proper or up in the foothills in Lookout Mountain or Genessee. Golden is a good option for us b/c the commute to Boulder or south to the Tech Center is reasonable and we like the community/schools/proximity to the mountains.

Feel free to email or pm me if you think I could help. I can't wait to be back in CO and I'm sure you'd love it.

[jesseandgrace]

OK, tell the truth here, Colarado is almost perfect, isn't it? With the exception of not having the ocean it sounds ideal - am I right? I always thought it was freezing in the winter, but instead it seems like it is pretty nice all year. We have toyed with moving there too since we can not figure out where in the world to live, lol!

[mamicka]

>OK, tell the truth here, Colarado is almost perfect, isn't
>it? With the exception of not having the ocean it sounds
>ideal - am I right?

Well, I'd say you're right! With the exception of no IKEA or Trader Joe's, it's pretty darn perfect!

[Dcclerk]

My sister and BIL think so. They both grew up in Orange County and have lived in Newport, Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, etc. They now live in Highlands Ranch and LOVE it. Maybe they would have stayed in OC if they could've bought a house since both families live in So-Cal, but they are absolutely thrilled with the move. If you are active, it seems like a pretty ideal place. They snowboard, mountain bike, hike, rock climb, etc. every single weekend.

They just found out that they are going to have to move to Austin or Newark and are totally mourning. They absolutely LOVE it in Colorado.

[calebsmama03]

Yup - it's pretty darn near perfect ;) I"m hoping Trader Joe's will see what a hugely health conscious market they're missing out on and open up here soon, plus I heard that Ikea had been putting the feelers out on several locations - YIPPEE!!!

As to the weather - it is January 6 and it was nearly 70 today! Not "typical" weather, but also not that unusual :) Much nicer than the Chicago burbs where I grew up.
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[calebsmama03]

Well, we were looking up north but the prices there are making me not want to move since we can get so much more in HR for the same money! I'll e-mail or call you - we still haven't officially decided what to do now since both of the houses we loved have either rented or sold :(
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[km]

i know nothing of CO, but if you're trying to figure out 'where' this house is, you do see the 'map' button on the page, right? then you can zoom in or out of the map to get a better idea of near suburbs. (Sorry if i misunderstood the question, but thought you were trying to pinpoint the home location and find a name for that town)

[calebsmama03]

OK, so looking at the map it appears that house is in Englewood. Not sure if that's still University Park neighborhood though? DU is off of University Blvd and Evans, FWIW, which is east and north a few miles form that house. There is a small shopping/restuarant area at Broadway and Hampden (these streets are visible on the map linked bleow the house) and there is a new "city center" off of Hampden and Santa Fe with a light rail train station (only goes north to downtown and south a few miles at this point) and a new restaurant/shopping area. Those would both be in walking distance. The homes in that area are teeny though. This one appears to be a ranch (?) and I'd guess the 2100 sqf also includes the finished basement so it's small on the main floor, but not sure what you're looking for? Also don't know about the schools there but I *think* that would be Cherry Creek SD which is very good.
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[ShayleighCarsensMom]

I so want to pack up and move to Denver!
I cannot believe how cheap that home is!
It looks wonderful, sorry I cant help you with the neighborhood!

[jenmcadams]

I'd agree with this :)

We had to move for a job my DH couldn't turn down and now he's basically working for himself and we could move anywhere with a large airport and we're definitely going back! The only downsides are it's not a cheap place to live (not uber expensive, but pricey relative to salaries), not a lot of lakes/water access, and the no Ikea/Trader's Joes is a bummer :)

[bcafe]

Uh, yeah, I did not see the "map" button! Doh! Anyway, thanks for the run-down. I just spoke to DH tonight (he is in Vegas for a convention) and it seems as this will happen! I am excited and scared(the moving part) at the same time. Definitely need to pinpoint where he will be working before we seriously look at real estate. How are the public schools in Highlands Ranch? Any advice for private? I would love to look in Cherry Creek, but we have been there years ago, and if I remember correctly, it can be very pricey. Thanks very much.

[wimama]

Opps, Sorry! Thats what I get for relying on my memory. I haven't lived out in Colorado for quite a while.

All this talk about Colorado makes me miss it more!

[quartzlynn]

Betsy-
I rew up in Colorado and just moved back after 15 years - its a reat place to raise a family!

The public schools are decent in some areas and not so great in others. If you are looking for public, the cherry creek school district is very good.

In terms of what you are lookin for, I would recommend Lowry. It was an air force base which is now all residential and has its own little "town center" yet its right in Denver. The suburbs are nice but there isnt much to walk to, asnd personally hihlands ranch is too far from downtown for me.

If you have questions please feel free to email me!