Broomfield (Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder: fit in, for sale, apartment)

[rhuff8888]

I was hopeing I could receive some helpful info concerning Broomfield. I just accepted a job offer located in the Interlocken loop area of Broomfield. I am very excited and ready to start heading out there to look for a home for myself and my teenage boys. I have heard that Broomfield High School is outstanding academically. My 15 year old is excited but yet scared because he is used to a small school here in Iowa, and when I say small, I mean small, such as about 200 kids total in 9-12 grade. The only crime we have around here, is the kids smashing pumpkins in the road at Halloween time. Any info about the school would be helpful. I am also doing research concerning my 19 year old whom is physically disabled. I cant seem to find any info about programs that he would be able to be a part of for employment. Any info about the Broomfield area would be greatly appreciated....

[bashep]

Broomfield is a great area. I don't live there, but have been there many times. http://www.ci.broomfield.co.us/ I came across this link. So, that should help you out. If you have any other questions, let me know. SHEP

[crownfire]

I moved here from Oklahoma City in May 2005. I've been in an apartment in the middle of Broomfield and am just getting really serious about buying a place. At the moment I can't think of anything negative to say about Broomfield; I love it. There's a great sense of community here, and a carefully planned one, at that. I can get into downtown Boulder in 15 minutes, via Highway 36, on my way to the mountains, or just as quickly be on my way into Denver. The climate is great, the mountains are spectacular. So many green belts, parks, open spaces, bike trails. Yes, golf courses too. (I'm not a golfer; going to be hard to find a community without one, I think.) Easy access to I-25, or on east to north Thornton, where the grandkids live. I'm just hoping I can find a place here so I won't have to go farther east, away from the mountains.

(P.S. I just found this forum today... I'll be doing a lot of reading for a while)

[2bindenver]

as far as houses available for sale; the public mls site is removed

[yediyd]

My husband and I work for a company expanding in Broomfield. We have not yet been to Denver so we need quite a bit of background information on the area.

1. We are 28 & 30, no kids but will have/adopt in few years. What is the average age & family makeup in Broomfield & surrounding areas?
2. Commute to Broomfield. No more than 30 min dry/1 hr snow!!! What areas are best for this?
3. Currently living in North Atlanta. How does Denver compare?
4. Christian. We prefer Church of God or Baptist, but others are just as good. Any recommendations?
5. Conservative. How does CO usually swing for President? I'm not talking party lines, I'm talking overall values. What about Denver & Broomfield issues? What are the hot topics?
6. Active. We already know that pretty much any outdoor activity is available!
7. Housing. Can we get a 5 year or newer, 2000-2500 sq ft house in the Broomfield area for around $200,000 or less?
8. Financials. We don't care for credit cards, financing, or keeping up with the Jones', but we do like nice things. We are Dave Ramsey fans. Is this an area where debt-free living is plausible or are most residents typically over-extended?
9. Evenings. We love the orchestra, theatre, ballroom, and fine dining, and a good game of poker. What are some hot spots? Where can I find the best steak in town? What are the top 2 local/Denver only eateries that residents can't live without?
10. Autos. We have a Dodge Ram & Hyundai Elantra. Will this do for all weather occasions?
11. What are the prices today for... gal of milk, gas, utilities (water, elect, gas).
12. Any tips on moving from Atlanta - movers, best practices, things to avoid etc?

I know this is a ton to ask, but all info would be greatly appreciated!

[xxman777]

I’ll hit some of these points for you.

Commute- Depends on where you are commuting in from. Broomfield is in the northern suburbs so if you are planning on living in the north part of town, in Boulder or in Denver (except for the southern parts) then you should be fine. If you are coming up from the south then you are going to have a very tough time getting to work in 30 minutes.

Atl vs. Denver- I recently made the opposite move so I can probably help a little with this. Denver isn’t as cosmopolitan as Atl. You don’t see money constantly being flaunted in your face. It is much more down to earth. The southern suburbs are more cosmo and some parts of the city can be cosmo but most of the rest of the city is much more laid back then Atl. Everybody I meet down here constantly raves about how nice Denverites are. As far as shopping you are going to find as much shopping in the Denver area. Cherry Creek mall is kind a smaller version of Lenox Mall and there are plenty of regional malls, just depends on what part of town you are in. When it comes to culture there seems to be more in Denver (although there are less independent theaters), the Denver Center for Performing Arts is the second largest arts center in the US. Suburbs in Denver are denser and the roads are larger so the traffic is better. People don’t feel the need to commute 60 miles to get to work.

Conservative- CO is a swing state, pretty much always the state go republican for pres but until recently has had democrats for governor and has many democratic officials. Colorado Springs is known as one of the most conservative cities in the US and Boulder is known as one of the most Liberal cities in the US. Boulder of course is close to Broomfield so you are going to see a lot of spill over in Broomfield. Typically the northern suburbs of Denver are more liberal while the southern suburbs are more conservative. Recently there has been a good CO thread discussing local politics which could tell you more.

Financials- If you aren’t into keeping up with the Jones’ then you should fit in pretty well in CO. It is possible to live a comfortable life without over-extending yourself. In general you are going to see a little high cost of living but is won’t be too significant.

Evenings- The hot spots are mostly in the city. There are lots of very nice places in Lodo, Downtown, Cherry Creek, Wash Park, etc. There is some activity in the suburbs but it is no different from any suburb anywhere else.

Autos- A Dodge Ram and a Hyundai will be fine unless you plan on living in the mountains. You probably won’t even need the Dodge. People always think you need a 4X4 in Colorado but it really isn’t true, just stay away from rear wheel drive. The only reason for 4X4 is get better traction on the roads when starting out (usually only needed when there is ice or very large amounts of snow), but Colorado doesn’t get much ice, and it rarely snows enough where you will need the clearance of an SUV or pickup. Plus 4X4 actually makes it harder to stop (because of the added wait of the vehicle) and in harsh conditions this is what you have to worry about. Front wheel drive usually works fine. You can search this forum for more info on CO weather.

My Suggestion for the move would be to sell as much stuff as possible and buy new stuff in CO. I found it was more expensive to ship most stuff then it was worth. You can sell lots of stuff for a decent profit through a garage sale, the AJC or Craigslist. I used a pod company for my move, it worked well but was expensive.

[Micktooth]

My family and I recently moved to Louisville (near Broomfield) from New Orleans. We had considered moving to Atlanta as well. I really think you can't compare the two. Colorado is truely awesome. The family lifestyle is great. There are many young active families in the area. Commuting shouldn't be a problem, there are plenty of places to live in the area. A nice community in Broomfield is the "Broadlands", you can look it up online. I am not fond of the southern lifestyle and I find that this area is laid back and tolerant of all religious beliefs (we're Jewish). I would say that the Denver area is definately more liberal than the South. Colorado Springs is more conservative than Boulder, but I kind of like the tolerant and accepting way of life we didn't find down south. The Denver area is one of the higheast educated areas of the country. Most people are wise and artsy. Of course with any city, there are those with financial difficulties. I think Boulder and Denver offer a wide variety of nitelife and activities. Broomfield is in between and gives you the best of both worlds. Gas seems a little higher but utilities seem less than New Orleans well worth the tradeoff. We used North American Van Lines and were very happy with our move. But I've heard it's really the local people in Atl and Den that make your experience a good one. Bottom line, this is the best move we ever made, I wish we had done it sooner, you will love CO!!!

[2bindenver]

Broomfield will have a new arena opening next year and dedicated a 9-11 memorial two weeks ago.

Nice place to live, great community.

Anthem Highlands is another new subdivision with promise.

[plumeria]

We live in Broomfield. Have lived in the Denver area for 13 years now...wouldn't live anywhere else!
If moving to the area remember Broomfield is in it's own county. The streets are not the best. We have a new mall...two stores are now open.
The housing market is a buyers market. I think you will find what you are looking for. We lived in Mississippi and Alabama...I think the thing you will miss about property is the lot sizes and the lush green.
There are three main grocery chains in the Denver area and Super Target, Super Wal-Mart, Costco and Sam's club for savings.
The public schools are terrific. The churches are many. Restaurants are too numerous to mentio. We travel in minutes not miles here. We have two dairies that deliver milk to your home. Farmers markets in the summer.
Cars...I know that when we moved from sea level to this altitude (slightly above the "mile high" city of Denver...the carburator had to be adjusted.
You will love all the activities here year around. Just remember that you will have to give yourselves months to get adjusted to the altitude...headaches, lightheaded and nose bleeds. Just drink lots of water.
I hope this helps. Will answer any other questions.

[2bindenver]

Average Age 33.7
63.3% married
42.4% with kids
94.7% High School grads
47.8% college grads
average travel time to work 29.5 minutes