Denver Neighborhood questions for Relocating Family (Lakewood, Arvada: rentals, loans, houses)

[ackermsb]

Hello--
My wife and I are moving to Denver from Baltimore in less than three months for my job which is located in downtown Denver off the 16th St mall. We have an 8 month old son and two dogs.

Since I am leaving a few rental properties behind in Baltimore we will be looking to rent a place for the time being. Our budget will be between 1600 and 2200 a month and we wish to live in a fairly decent house (updated, nice kitchen, bath, etc.). School systems are not a huge deal for us right now as we will most likely move somewhere else in the area in the next 4 years. I like what I have read so far on the Jefferson County School Systems and I really love Jefferson County in general.

Living Criteria:
1. Safe
2. Family friendly neighborhood
3. Proximity to the outdoors (walking distance to a park or lake or great hiking trails)
4. Not too far for wife and baby to travel to do things
5. Commute to Denver for work

Originally, we wanted to move to Evergreen (I also love Morrison) but that is proving to be difficult based soley on the rentals available in that price range. I do not mind a 45 minute commute to Denver and it is a bonus knowing there will be a light rail line out near Golden in a few years.
If Evergreen or Morrison is not an option for us I was hoping that you all could help me understand a little more about the areas I am interested in. Again, I would prefer the foothills but I am also open to many other areas and I am looking for advice and opinions on them. Please provide any insight and comments you may have on the areas below, your thoughts and opinions based on the criteria posted above and your thoughts and opinions in general. Your help is much appreciated.

A) Evergeen: If we could move here we would but it depends on the rentals available at the time of move

B) Morrison: If we could move here we would but it depends on the rentals available at the time of move

C) Golden: If we could move here we would but boy is it expensive.

D) Conifer/Aspen Park: Being too far down towards Conifer scares me a little since it takes a long time to get anywhere. My wife stays at home with our son and I want her to be able to have a few things to do other than being in the outdoors with our son. There does not seem to be a large Evergreen type community further down south in Conifer.

*** I would definitely consider a home close to 285 down south but nothing further than 45 minutes to 1 hour from downtown Denver.

E) Lakewood: I have heard mixed reviews about Lakewood. Seems as if parts are safe and parts are not. I am very interested in the South Western portion of Lakewood by Bear Creek.

F) Littleton: Seems to be many houses in our rental price range that I would consider. I like the light rail access and the area seems nice in general.

G) Highlands Ranch: Many houses that will work for us here as well but I have heard some negative reviews on the planned community that is Highlands Ranch.

H) Ken Caryl: Do not know much about this area.

I) Parker: Further east than I would like but I have also found some very nice houses here that we could rent and a lot that back up to open space

J) Centennial/Greenwood Village: Not sure we could afford much here but it would be nice to be around Cherry Creek St Park.

K) Arvada/WheatRidge: Not familiar with this area but have been told to say away from North of Colfax. Please fill me in

L) Thorton: Do not know anything about it but the traffic up north worries me to commute to the city including from Louiseville and Broomfield.

Again, any information locals can provide who have lived in these neighborhoods a long time will be very beneficial to me and my family and thanks for helping us out!

Thanks

[livecontent]

Colfax is 15th Avenue, so perhaps you should not work downtown as most of downtown is "north of Colfax". The person who gave the information to "stay away from North of Colfax" is, well, not too bright.

People who give that information are just the perfect people, who live in the perfect sterile neighborhoods and do not know Denver well and do not want to know. They would never venture into exciting old ethnic neighborhoods of the Great Cities of America. Yet, there are some neighbors of the City of Denver that are difficult North of Colfax, but also South of Colfax. However, that does not apply to the western suburbs of Arvada, Wheat Ridge or even Golden, which you like and is....North of Colfax.

Arvada and Wheat Ridge are safe cities, more conversative with more long term residence and natives in very family oriented neighborhoods. They are also extremely close to Downtown and you would have an easy commute, either by car or better yet, the excellent and quick public transit from these cities. Both these cities have extensive parks, open space, trails and recreational facilities.

Arvada is bigger has many newer areas in the west in the Ralston Valley and is opened to the vast spaces of the foothills. Wheat Ridge is smaller and has mostly older housing and border Golden on the West but has good parks, trails and open space along Clear Creek. Wheat Ridge is home to the Lutheran Medical Center, on West 38th. These cities are in Jefferson County, the largest school system in the state and is well regarded.

Arvada is noted for having an olde town because it developed as a separate agricultural community from Denver. It has more of a small town feel with much traffic than other cities around Denver, as it sits mainly alone in the Northwest and has not much cross traffic and has no highways that go through the City proper. It still has some remnants of agriculture and ranching.

The western suburbs are also close to the now "in" neighborhoods" of North Denver, which is centered on West 38th and Sloans Lake, north of West 17th. Oh, forgive me, these are all North of Colfax. North Denver is "Denver Speak" for the Northwest area of the City. North Denver is somewhat equivalent to the pride that people who think of South Philly in that North Denver is the original Italian neighborhood in Denver. Now it is more mixed with Hispanic and many new European and Asian Immigrants, as well as young professionals and creative people.

This area of Denver is noted for large Lake Parks and interesting walkable neighborhoods of Berkeley, along Tennyson St, north of 38th and West Highlands, near west 32nd. and Lowell. These are mixed gentrifying neighborhoods that are becoming desired and expensive because they are very close to Downtown Denver.

Denver is a city that is growing and attracting many professionals and empty nestors. It is not decaying and all neighborhoods are in redevelopment. So, it also goes for the first ring suburbs of eastern Lakewood and eastern Wheat Ridge which also are being quickly renewed.

All the other cities have good areas but for easy commute to downtown with many safe established neighborhoods, I would choice Lakewood, Wheat Ridge or Arvada. In addition, you would quick access to to to the Parks of Jefferson County and all the recreational areas of the foothills of the Rockies.

If you like Golden, you could choose a highly regarded area to live which is Applewood; it is just named as an area where Golden, Wheat Ridge and Lakewood come together. It is centered on Youngfield, from approximately West 20th to just past West 38th bordering on Clear Creek.

Livecontent

[Katarina Witt]

OP, I am going to cherry pick your post a bit.

E) Lakewood: I have heard mixed reviews about Lakewood. Seems as if parts are safe and parts are not. I am very interested in the South Western portion of Lakewood by Bear Creek.

I think all of Lakewood is safe. Some of the homes in eastern Lakewood are 50+ year old suburban homes.

F) Littleton: Seems to be many houses in our rental price range that I would consider. I like the light rail access and the area seems nice in general.

G) Highlands Ranch: Many houses that will work for us here as well but I have heard some negative reviews on the planned community that is Highlands Ranch.

"Have heard" is the operative phrase. You will need to go and look at HR for yourself to see if it appeals to you. It's standard suburbia, has a lot of rec centers, bike/hike trails and the like.

H) Ken Caryl: Do not know much about this area.

Nor do I.

I) Parker: Further east than I would like but I have also found some very nice houses here that we could rent and a lot that back up to open space

Why do you feel that it is too far east?

J) Centennial/Greenwood Village: Not sure we could afford much here but it would be nice to be around Cherry Creek St Park.

K) Arvada/WheatRidge: Not familiar with this area but have been told to say away from North of Colfax. Please fill me in

Livecontent covered this well. Again, I'll note the phrase "have been told". You have to look for yourself.

L) Thorton: Do not know anything about it but the traffic up north worries me to commute to the city including from Louiseville and Broomfield.

Well, Thornton is north of Colfax, LOL! Most people in Louisville are commuting to places in Boulder CO, Broomfield, Westminster, other northern (there's that word again) suburbs.

Responses in blue indicate personal experience from having been a visiting nurse in these areas, and in the case of Louisville, living there for more than 25 years.

[2bindenver]

If mountain like but commutable to Downtown Denver is your goal. Try Morrison.

[tlobrooks]

We were looking in those areas too. We were narrowed down to west Lakewood off Morrison, and also west Arvada. You could access the freeway easily from both places.

[davidv]

I can fill you in on the Ken Caryl portion of the metro area.

Ken Caryl is Highlands Ranch before Highlands Ranch. The houses here were built in the 1970s and 1980s. Half of the development in a valley behind the "Hogback" (the first ridge of foothills). The other half is on the city side of the hogback. There are amenities like pools, a tennis center, an equestrian center, etc that are part of the development. It is adjacent to the Foothills parks and recreation district which has some large parks, golf courses, a rec center, and an ice rink nearby. It is close to Southwest Plaza mall. There are many places to hike and bike, both in the city and in the mountains. It is close to the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield facility (think old farm, corn maze, pumpkin patch, etc.

Commuting to downtown will take about 45 minutes. You can drive or go directly to the southwest light rail line which is about 5 miles away.

The elementary schools (Bradford and Shaffer) are excellent. The middle school (Falcon Bluffs) and high school (Chatfield HS) are very good.

The parts of Lakewood I would recommend would be Green Mountain and Bear Creek (South of Jewell Ave, west of Kipling Pkwy)

[SheridanL]

Applewood!!!

[ackermsb]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I would like to point out that when I said "I heard you do not want to be North of Colfax" I was referring to posts I read on this site. Nobody I know told me this. Therefore, I will throw that right out and forget I ever heard anyone say that.

That being said,

Can anyone elaborate on Parker and/or Littleton?

I also mentioned we are looking between 1600 and 2200 for a rental house with nice amentities (upgaded kitchen, bath, etc.). What are some of the best areas to find housing that will fall into this category?

Thanks