Newer Family Towns? How to choose? (Denver, Aurora: cul-de-sac, new home, neighborhoods)

[JourneyCC]

We need advice and help. We are relocating to the Denver area in spring. My job will likely be at Childrens of Denver Hospital in Aurora, or Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker. Husband will be somewhere in Denver likely. I don't want more than a 35 minute commute (though I leave 6am and come home 7:30pm, so not too worried).

Here's where we need help: We have visited 5x over the last few years and we love something about most cities in Denver area (hence why the move LOL). It makes it so hard to decide where to actually buy a home. Any pros/cons you can think of? We want great schools, family oriented, newer/prestigious area to retain our home value, should we have to move with dh's job.

So far we really like Parker, Lousiville......I think we are leaning to Parker the last few months. We just don't want any hindsight regrets that we might not know as a non-native.

Most grateful!

Journey, mom of 4

[formercalifornian]

Off the top of my head...

Louisville is going to be too far for the commute times you prefer. Parker is probably a better bet. Centennial or Lone Tree would be good, too. You also might want to look at the Tallyn's Reach area in Aurora. Castle Rock could work, but the commute might be a little long in rush hour traffic, depending on the neighborhood. Some parts of Highlands Ranch are probably doable, too.

I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions from those on the boards if you could share a little more information. What is your price range? What size house are your seeking? Lot size? Views? Gated? Golf course? That would help us narrow things down.

[Katarina Witt]

Agree with formercalifornian, Louisville is a long drive from Aurora or Parker. If you are a pediatric nurse, I'd suggest Children's in Aurora as the most challenging place to work, that is where all the really sick kids get sent from the other hospitals. Stick to east side locations; they will save you a drive through the city.

[JourneyCC]

Thanks!

FormerCalifornian (we are about to be former SoCal'ers too)........we are looking for 1/3-1/2 acre lot, single story in the 400-500K range, backs to open space, view of mtn's would be ideal. Oh, and I want (but am willing to plant) lots of big pine trees! So tired of brown SoCal.

PittNurse: I've been hired at Children's in Denver, as I'm a pediatric neuro/trauma ICU RN, but they have also offered me to work at Parker Adventist too (they are apparently "sister hospitals"). I'm debating the easy vs. long commute. I'm also used to working for a major metropolitan pediatric trauma hospital, so not sure if I'd be bored at Parker HOspital......then again, low key is starting to look appealing LOL

Any suggestions within Parker to look at? I"ve heard Canterberry, Pradera and Pinery (though too far) is very nice. We'll be there next week looking. We've seen Idyllwild and liked that, but want to scope it all out before deciding.

Journey

[dj32]

I'm not sure you'll find your lot size. but maybe out in Parker- Pinery would work. I think it may be more than your range though. I could be wrong, I live in Denver, I just know most lots (at least in subdivisions) tend to be smaller than 1/3-1/2.

[2bindenver]

Ideal location would depend on where in Denver DH would commute to.

Target SE communities and look aty a house in each one until you feel like this is "right" then target houses in thos communities.

Southshore and Backcountry are my current favorite "new" communities.

Remember everything is on sale.

[Ludachris]

Coming from California we had the same image in our heads as you, wanting a large lot backing to open space with a view of the mountains, same price range too. My wife and I ended up in Lone Tree. We got a place that backs to open space on a cul-de-sac but without the large lot or the grand view. We're really happy with our choice.

We had been scouting Littleton all the way to South Aurora. Never really looked north. Castle Rock was going to be a little further than we wanted to be from downtown Denver. And my wife wanted to be close to the Denver Tech Center since most of the jobs seem to be there or in downtown.

The problem we found with Parker is that it's a little bit remote. There is no freeway access, though there is a toll way (E470). And all roads in and out of Parker tend to get really congested, especially during rush hour. It's within the distance you want but the commute might be a little tough. We'd almost choose Castle Rock before Parker due to freeway access and access to shopping/restaurants. But again, that's us.

The reason we liked Lone Tree so much is because of the convenience. It's right off I-25, close to the Denver Tech Center, it has a ton of amenities, and it's fairly close to downtown. We never lived in a place where it snowed before either. If you haven't heard, last year was the hardest winter in Denver's recent history. We had snow and ice on the ground much of the year. Luckily, Lone Tree is better than most cities in the metro area at clearing the streets, even the smaller neighborhood streets. We were driving around the next day after the first major storm. We heard about others being stranded in their homes for days due to poor snow removal in other cities/towns.
The only thing lacking in Lone Tree is a central downtown and a small town feel - though that should change once they start building out the Ridgegate development. We like the quaint downtown feel of Littleton and we really like the activity you see when you go to places like Washington Park (up near Cherry Creek mall area). But we also like what you get for the money around here and we love being close to all the shopping and restaurants Lone Tree has (even though they're all mostly chain restaurants). And we're only 15 minutes away from downtown, that is, without rush hour traffic.

That's one thing you're going to love if/when you move out here. Traffic is "usually" limited to rush hour. I know you're used to traffic at any time of the day like we were in Norcal. It's quite nice. And it's a lot more family oriented out here. We love that aspect. We do miss being close to San Francisco and Napa and Monterey though. So much culture and diversity out there that we miss. But plenty of things we don't miss too. We're happy to go back and visit and then come back to our new home.

Best of luck, and feel free to email me with any questions. My wife and I would be happy to help out if we can.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Ludachris

Coming from California we had the same image in our heads as you, wanting a large lot backing to open space with a view of the mountains, same price range too. My wife and I ended up in Lone Tree. We got a place that backs to open space on a cul-de-sac but without the large lot or the grand view. We're really happy with our choice.

We had been scouting Littleton all the way to South Aurora. Never really looked north. Castle Rock was going to be a little further than we wanted to be from downtown Denver. And my wife wanted to be close to the Denver Tech Center since most of the jobs seem to be there or in downtown.

The problem we found with Parker is that it's a little bit remote. There is no freeway access, though there is a toll way (E470). And all roads in and out of Parker tend to get really congested, especially during rush hour. It's within the distance you want but the commute might be a little tough. We'd almost choose Castle Rock before Parker due to freeway access and access to shopping/restaurants. But again, that's us.

The reason we liked Lone Tree so much is because of the convenience. It's right off I-25, close to the Denver Tech Center, it has a ton of amenities, and it's fairly close to downtown. We never lived in a place where it snowed before either. If you haven't heard, last year was the hardest winter in Denver's recent history. We had snow and ice on the ground much of the year. Luckily, Lone Tree is better than most cities in the metro area at clearing the streets, even the smaller neighborhood streets. We were driving around the next day after the first major storm. We heard about others being stranded in their homes for days due to poor snow removal in other cities/towns.
The only thing lacking in Lone Tree is a central downtown and a small town feel - though that should change once they start building out the Ridgegate development. We like the quaint downtown feel of Littleton and we really like the activity you see when you go to places like Washington Park (up near Cherry Creek mall area). But we also like what you get for the money around here and we love being close to all the shopping and restaurants Lone Tree has (even though they're all mostly chain restaurants). And we're only 15 minutes away from downtown, that is, without rush hour traffic.

That's one thing you're going to love if/when you move out here. Traffic is "usually" limited to rush hour. I know you're used to traffic at any time of the day like we were in Norcal. It's quite nice. And it's a lot more family oriented out here. We love that aspect. We do miss being close to San Francisco and Napa and Monterey though. So much culture and diversity out there that we miss. But plenty of things we don't miss too. We're happy to go back and visit and then come back to our new home.

Best of luck, and feel free to email me with any questions. My wife and I would be happy to help out if we can.

That's a good post. Sounds about right. The nice thing is Lone Tree, Castle Rock, and Parker all seem to be plus-plus places, little if any negatives.

Also, from the original poster's anticipated work schedule and 35 minute commute requirement, I'd say all three places would be in her range too.

[steveindenver]

You won't get the lot but you can get the views and the location in the Stapleton area. Very easy commute to Childrens or Downtown -- and as an added bonus one of the few areas not depreciating at the moment, not to say it will not in the future.

In a general sense you are going to see the outlying new developments bear the brunt of the upcoming price “adjustment” and traffic only seems to be getting worse.

[silvervoice]

My husband and I moved to Lone Tree about 3 years ago, and we are extremely happy with our home, neighbors and city services. We had both lived in the Bay Area for 12+ years and had grown tired of the congestion, high taxes and high housing costs. For us, there have been many unexpected bonuses in moving to Lone Tree: There are parks and open spaces all around. The commute to the ski areas is very do-able...not like traveling up to Lake Tahoe for hours on end. The Rec Center here is fabulous. There's a door-to-door shuttle service that you can use at night to go to and from restaurants and not worry about drinking and driving. The Police Department is exceptional (as is the Fire Department). They will cruise your house if you let them know you are leaving on a trip. The city hosts free concerts and programs during the summer. Shopping and highway access are very convenient. And I can't say enough about Sky Ridge Medical Center. It's exceptional - our former Bay Area hospital was utterly dismal by comparison. True, there is absolutely no small-town feel here - we must drive everywhere we go (excluding parks). And our homes are a tad close to one another yet somehow, they remain very private. We know all of our neighbors and are surrounded by homes with young children. No, they don't play in the front yards or on the street...they're hanging out in a backyard. We have neighborhood BBQs and potlucks all the time. Many neighborhoods here are very nice. We were cautious to pick a home that didn't have much traffic noise from any of the major streets like Yosemite and Lincoln. We do have coyotes running around so it's a danger to outdoor pets...but we also have bunnies, squirrels and birds. It's lovely!