Questions about Stapleton (Denver: apartments, HOA, crime)

[cmw200]

Hey everyone,

My husband and I are looking into moving to the Denver area within the next year or so. We want to be close to shopping, retail, and the downtown area, but also want a family-friendly neighborhood (so far we have a 6 month old daughter) that is safe and has lots to do. We love the traditional style or architecture but modern, updated features. Do you think that Stapleton fits the bill? We would likely buy a small 3 bedroom house or possibly a townhouse.

Would you consider Stapleton suburbia or something more like new urbanism. We prefer varied architecture and city life to cookie cutter homes and big-box stores.

Additionally, we have two dogs, and from what I've seen Stapleton seems to have extremely small yards. Do you think that this would be an issue?

Thanks in advance!

[shukertj]

Hi CMW,

Stapleton fits your description of what you are looking for to a T! : ) It's definitely not suburbia, and I think "new urbanism" is a good way to describe it. It's a planned community built around an enormous open area called City Park that has walking/bicycling paths and a million dollar playground for the kids. While Denver Public Schools generally aren't highly rated, the elementary schools in Stapleton are very good.

Downtown is an easy 15 minute drive. Stapleton is also very near I-70, the freeway to the mountains and the plains. While there are definitely big box stores in the vicinity (though not in the immediate neighborhood), the homes were built by several different builders so they are all quite different in appearance. The developers did strive for a sense of community in their designs, and many homes have front porches and all the streets have sidewalks. The houses range in size from smaller townhouses to near-mansions and span every price range.

Yards, as you noticed, are very small, but there are definitely some lots that are larger than others. There is also an off leash dog park right near by (though I haven't been there in a few years).

Hope this helps, and best of luck with the move!

[2bindenver]

Where is work? What is an acceptable commute? There is not a neighborhood in Denver that does not meet most of your criteria.

If you'd like newer homes, that Stapleton offers many amenities for residents.

[jackjackson]

Stapleton has nice homes, nice park, nice people. However it is surrounded on 3 sides by rough neighborhoods, and the other by an interstate. Plus it has a large prison and a Wal-Mart/Sam's (that causes a lot of traffic). There is some shopping there, but it is minimal. There is a lot of cross traffic from people cutting through Stapleton to go to the Wal Mart. There was a horrible pedistrian accident recently.

If you are interested in moving there, go hang out at the intersection of Central Park Boulevard and Martin Luther King streets and watch the traffic in a afternoon.

I would suggest going to the older neighborhoods to the South/West (S. Park Hill, Crestmoor, Hilltop). If you want a new home, go to Lowry. Lowry is very similar to Stapleton and just south, but it is smaller with less traffic and better shopping/dining.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by jackjackson

Stapleton has nice homes, nice park, nice people. However it is surrounded on 3 sides by rough neighborhoods, and the other by an interstate. Plus it has a large prison and a Wal-Mart/Sam's (that causes a lot of traffic). There is some shopping there, but it is minimal. There is a lot of cross traffic from people cutting through Stapleton to go to the Wal Mart. There was a horrible pedistrian accident recently.

If you are interested in moving there, go hang out at the intersection of Central Park Boulevard and Martin Luther King streets and watch the traffic in a afternoon.

I would suggest going to the older neighborhoods to the South/West (S. Park Hill, Crestmoor, Hilltop). If you want a new home, go to Lowry. Lowry is very similar to Stapleton and just south, but it is smaller with less traffic and better shopping/dining.

If you don't like traffic, you shouldn't live in Denver I live in Stapleton, and seriously, the traffic is no different that any other part of Denver. I've never heard anyone other than you complain about it, and it seems no different than Lowry. We also don't have high HOA dues. We live in a single family house and pay something like $28 a month, which goes for upkeep of pocket parks and events like outdoor movies and concerts in Summer.

[XAFLOC]

Stapleton seems like a great fit for you. It is possibly the most kid-friendly neighborhood in the Denver area and it's relatively close to downtown.

Don't be alarmed by people who say the surrounding areas are bad. I live in the surrounding area and believe me, you have nothing to fear. These older neighborhoods are actually great areas to buy an affordable home that is likely to appreciate in value over the long run. Plus, Stapleton is it's own world. True, people from the surrounding neighborhoods shop at the local stores including WalMart. But that by no means creates a traffic problem. And if you define your life by the time you spend in WalMart and driving to WalMart, you're probably not living a very fulfilling life.

Based on your criteria, I would definitely recommend Stapleton. The small yards may seem like bad news to dog owners, but you have to remember that Stapleton was designed so that every house is in close proximity to multiple parks and walkways.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by XAFLOC

Stapleton seems like a great fit for you. It is possibly the most kid-friendly neighborhood in the Denver area and it's relatively close to downtown.

Don't be alarmed by people who say the surrounding areas are bad. I live in the surrounding area and believe me, you have nothing to fear. These older neighborhoods are actually great areas to buy an affordable home that is likely to appreciate in value over the long run. Plus, Stapleton is it's own world. True, people from the surrounding neighborhoods shop at the local stores including WalMart. But that by no means creates a traffic problem. And if you define your life by the time you spend in WalMart and driving to WalMart, you're probably not living a very fulfilling life.

Based on your criteria, I would definitely recommend Stapleton. The small yards may seem like bad news to dog owners, but you have to remember that Stapleton was designed so that every house is in close proximity to multiple parks and walkways.

I drive back and forth between Lowry and Stapleton all the time and have never seen anything unusual going on. I know a couple people who live in that area and their only comments about their neighborhood is that it's kind of boring because neighbors tend to not interact.

Many people in Stapleton have large dogs. They just walk them a lot. I have a little dog and walk my dog a lot too.

[Itz]

They are doing a great job of re-vamping that area of the metro area, however it is still surrounded by VERY rough neighborhoods (I worked in the area and absolutely hated it... Our business had a truck stolen, vehicles vandalized, females were escorted to their cars at night, the business in a new area - had to put in security cameras because of it.). The area as far as driving is really not bad in comparison to other areas of the metro area. There is basic shopping and basic eateries, its a nice area as far as that goes.

This is deff new urbanism area... cookie cutter homes - unless you buy in the older sections - which is surrounding stapleton. Stapleton is where the old airport was. Although they are trying for the new "urbanism" feel and there are things to do and I'm sure there are people who really enjoy the area.. I found it to be very diverse both in socio-economic and racially diverse.

Stapleton, Denver, CO Neighborhood Crime Map, Statistics, Alerts and Reports

There are other sites you can check for statistics on schools and crime rate..

[WiW]

I spent a lot of time driving around Stapleton this past weekend and I don't think the houses are 'cookie cutter'. There is quite a bit of variation in houses as you drive down any street. There are apartments, town homes of various sizes and single family homes of all sizes from McMansions to small ones.

All the houses are new since I think Stapleton got going just 7-8 years ago.