Colorado

GMH1183

Anyone here from Colorado? Denver area specifically. We are thinking of relocating there. If anyone can give some tips as to the nice cities, good school districts, family friendly areas, affordable neighborhoods, etc that ow plus be awesome. Thanks to anyone that can help!

MoreThanABride

I am a regular lurker and occasional poster. I live in the Denver area. Where you want to live will probably depends on where you want to work and how long of a committee you want. I have heard that cherry creek is the best school district but I think there are good schools in most districts. I think Douglas county, Adams county 1, and Adams county 14 have trouble with funding. My kids are not in school yet though so I can't say anything for sure.

AppleGrapeMSTK

I'm in Denver, Montbello neighborhood.  We like where we live, but it really depends on the location in Montbello.  Our neighborhood is really nice.  Two streets away there broken cars on lawns.  It's close to I-70, 225, and the airport.  My husband has a 2 minute commute to work.  It can take me 25-30 minutes normally, 45+ if I have to drive during the lunch rush.  I work in Lakewood/Wheat Ridge.

Our sitter lives in Aurora, which is pretty close, all things considered.  When we buy a house next year (renting right now), we will be looking in Montbello and Aurora.  The homes we are looking at in this area are 4+ bedroom with a decent yard for less than $185K.  Our rent is currently $1325.

As far as schools go, DD goes to Amesse Elm., and I would not recommend it.  Maxwell Elm. and Greenwood Elm. are also in our area.  If we stay around here, we will move her to one of those or look into a charter school.  

sweetsunnyc

I live in Colorado, but further north of Denver. My sister lives in Arvada, which is N. Denver, and it is a great place. Plus the schools are excellent. From what she has told me, housing prices are still affordable and you are about 15-20 min away from Downtown. Golden is a really cool place as well- right outside of Denver and closer to the mountains.

Wish I could give you more info about Denver specifically, but overall CO is a beautiful place to be

 

mrskelly731

This is a great thread.  DH and I an would love to relocate to the Denver Area.  My parents have a time share in Vail, and my Aunt and Uncle live in Aurora so we got to go exploring last year and fell in love.  Very beautiful there!

GMH1183

Thanks for the insight everyone. We really want to relocate to CO but need to find jobs first. Well at least one of us needs a job before we can move! It is proving challenging though.

Keep the replies coming if anyone else has something to add.

eaglei1

I've lived in the Denver area now for 19 years. It's wonderful:) that said, it depends what you like. My first house was in Denver in the highlands which is a historic area. Next we moved to golden because we could get a bigger house with more land. (Although when the brewery is doing hops...it got pretty stinky)

But when we finally started a family we moved to ken caryl which is in littleton. It's a private community in a valley where the elementary and middle schools are all rated a 10. The community is well established with private hiking trails, 3 private pools, an equestrian center, 2 community centers with workout facilities, a great preschool and overall the general populace is laid back. HOA fees are $42 a month. They have all kinds of community events for kids especially in the summer and over holidays. There are all kinds of established groups to join related to hobbies. And to me one of the other cool things is you feel like you are living in a small mountain town because it's nestled in the foothills but 5 min away from your door ... you are back to the city. Did I forget to mention we have deer in our backyard? It's a very unique community and a really nice place to raise kids.

GMH1183

@eaglei1 that sounds perfect! Exactly what we are looking for. Now just need to figure out how to get a job in a different state! I'm definitely having a hard time getting any interest in my out of state resume.

Flutterby00

I am also in the denver area, and have been for many years. I live in erie, which is north of denver. North denver is a lot less congested then south. Also, there is a lot of crime in aurora. Downtown highlands is a lovely place to live, as is golden. The north is more new, lots of new schools out where I live, all with very good ratings. In erie there is farmland all around our neighborhood, panoramic views of the mountains, 20 minutes to boulder and 40 to Denver. It's quite lovely.

I would love close to where work is. I am in HR and rocate people here all the time. I typically recommend people rent for a year to get a feel for the city. If you have to buy due to your relo package, buy closer to your work. I'd never commend working in the tech center (south) and living north. The commute would be terrible.

Good luck with your move!

GMH1183

Thanks @flutterby00! We're not moving yet. One of us still needs to find a job out there. We are committed to relocating to the Denver area but definitely having a hard time getting any interest in our resumes since we are out of state. Being in HR, do you have any tips on how to overcome the out of state stigma?

Flutterby00

I recommend getting out here, come for a week and meet as many people in person as possible.  There are so many local candidates, looking at out of state candidates makes things complicated for the hiring managers - so why do it if you don't have to?  Unless of course you are in a high demand profession.  Candidates that I have worked with that have been successful with this have planned a couple weekend getaway trips to CO, taking off a few week days as well.  Good luck!

GMH1183

@flutterby00 do you mean to just randomly drop in on a bunch of companies? Or try to setup interviews in advance?