Neighborhoods in Longmont (Boulder, Niwot, Eagle: for sale, houses, middle school)

[cincykate]

I have been reading posts on this site for awhile now and have gotten tons of useful info.. so I am hoping I can get some recommendations on family-friendly/oriented neighborhoods.

My husband, myself, three kids (ages 4 and 2) and our dog are making the move to Boulder at the end of the summer- we are coming from Cincinnati. I have been researching many of the suburbs of Boulder and would like some more information on Longmont. I have read in other posts that the best area of Longmont is the SW side (still true?). My question is this: can any of you recommend neighborhoods there? Does anyone have any information on Stoney Ridge?

Schools are of major interest of us as well.

We are looking to stay as close to $300K as possible and my husband will be working in Boulder.

Thanks for the guidance!!

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

You are probably seeing some of my posts when you see anything in regards to the southwest side. You really need to come just get a feel for the different areas of Longmont.
Stoney Ridge is up on the east side - we have friends in that area. It's okay - but for me, a sea of houses. I guess that's why we like the southwest side. Doesn't have that feel of the ever expanding neighborhood upon neighborhood that I feel when I go in other areas.
I haven't heard too much complaining regarding the schools up there. But on the south side the schools do feed into one of the top high schools in the state - Niwot. You're children are very young, so I'm not so sure I'd worry about high schools at this point. The dividing lines on the southwest side are funny. We are actually closer to other schools - Eagle Crest Elementary, Altona Middle and Silvercreek High, but my son was zoned for Indian Peaks Elementary, Sunset Middle and Niwot High (he goes into Niwot this next year).
Many people will say things about Indian Peaks because it is a bi-lingual school. We loved it. I loved the teachers, the diversity. My son is in advanced math, and will be taking honors classes next year, so in my opinion, his education has been top notch. Sunset Middle school was wonderful as well. The music program is fantastic.
Our neighborhood on the southwest side it older, but more established, larger trees, and there is more room between the houses than what you see if the newer neighborhoods. We back up to a park and a great trail system that I run on every day. I love our neighborhood because it's small - 4 streets really.
If your husband is working in Boulder than considering this side of town is a good idea. That's why we chose it when we moved here 10 years ago.

[cincykate]

Thanks so much for the feedback. I have heard wonderful things about the southwest side of Longmont and some less wonderful things about the east side- such as it being more run down and more crime, etc.

We will be making a trip there in the next couple of weeks to do some house hunting.. I agree about getting a feel for the place.

What I am really looking for are some recommendations on specific neighborhoods that are in the southwest side of Longmont. I have been on mls quite a bit and also have done a ton of googling, but have had some trouble identifying where the different neighborhoods lie (are the east, south, etc.). Any specifics would be greatly appreciated.

Any of you have SW Longmont neighborhoods to guide us to or away from? Thanks so much for the guidance!!

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

I like anything west of Hover.
We are in the Nelson Park Subdivision.
Anything west of that is in the other schools. I believe our neighborhood is the cutoff.
To the east of Hover there is the Creekside subdivision which is a good one.
Avoid Southmoor.

[cincykate]

jkcoop- thanks so much, just what I was looking for. I will check MLS for those particular areas. Are the houses reasonable in your area? We are looking for a 4 bdrm house if possible, but 3 would work if there was a study on the first floor. With the three kids, a finished basement and nice yard are always a plus...but, I realize we have been very spoiled with the cost of living here in Cincinnati!

Anyone else with neighborhood recommendations are highly appreciated! The shorter the commute to Boulder for my husband the better!!

[cincykate]

When I check the mls listings I am having trouble locating Hover on the maps they give. Are there any other streets that divide the North from the South? What is NW Longmont like? I am getting nervous that we are not going to be able to find a house in an area we like!

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

I'm going to have to admit, I don't know what they are going for in the neighborhood, but I think they are in your price range. I think Creekside is higher.
Our ultimate neighborhood, when we retire, is the one next to us. Schlagel. It's older homes, but most are on large pieces of property, many have horses. It's so peaceful.

[cincykate]

What do you know about Clarendon rd? How about Spring Valley, Rider Ridge and Quail Crossing subdivisions? There seems to be a few listings in those neighborhoods. What is the NW part of Longmont like? (Just call me the "Question Queen.")

I did locate Hover on the MLS map finally and it looks like most of Longmont is to the West of it..true? So is there just a small area on the east side to avoid?

It looks like all of the houses in our price range are not in the areas that feed into NIWOT, but I will keep hunting.

Your neighborhood looks nice, I think I saw house that recently sold there but didn't see much else. I would love to be in something comparable to where we are now- with a nice fenced in yard, finished basement. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I know there is only so much I can do/research before our trip out there, but I figured as much knowledge I can gain about certain areas ahead of time, the better off we will be- and hopefully not waste our time!

You've been so helpful!

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

Okay, all those you mentioned are out north east. More out in the plains. Not a lot of mature trees. Sea of houses - that's just my impression. Not knowing what you are used to, you might see it completely different. We know friends who live out that there. They got a lot of house for the money. Postage stamp yard. Very close to neighbors. You are adding at least 20 minutes to your commute to Boulder.
Most of Longmont is on the east side of Hover. There is not a lot to Longmont west of it at all. The reason most of the growth is east is because there is really no where else to go west - Boulder County owns quite a bit. That's part of the appeal for us.
When we were looking 10 years ago, we moved from Texas. To me, the further I east I went, the more I felt that is where I was. You may get here and look around in those neighborhoods and love it - and really, you should plan to look at houses in each section, just to get a feel for the different parts of town.
Right now I think there may be 3 or 4 houses listed in our neighborhood. It is a very small neighborhood, so there aren't usually very many houses for sale. These aren't fancy houses at all - but location alone and the small, small subdivision, and what it backs up to on all sides, is an advantage. When you come to look around, see what is available. I can always see who the listings are with if you'd like.

[cincykate]

All of that is good to know. I am embarassed to say that while looking at the map of Longmont I mixed up East and West.. This move stuff has gotten me a little stressed. My husband always says I am "directionally challenged!"