Moving to the Golden area

lclaws13

DH just took a job in Golden, and starts in 2 weeks.  I'm sure it'll take longer than that to get everything ready to move, so in the mean time he'll be flying back and forth and looking at houses.  I won't fly out until he has a few houses narrowed down.

I'm currently 16 weeks, and am a little nervous about finding a new doctor right away.  And I don't know anything at all about the area.  I know he's looking at houses in Golden, Lakewood, Arvada, and Evergreen, maybe.  I'm not sure how spread out that is, but we've told the real estate agent that we want to be no further than 15 minutes from his office. 

Is it worth it to start looking into doctors now, or do I need to wait until we know where we're going to live?  Are there a lot of choices, or is there really one main hospital for this area?  Any help/advice anyone could give would be greatly appreciated.  And if anyone has any neighborhood suggestions... we're looking for somewhere with a lot of families with young kids.

princessyetz

Golden is a gorgeous area!  Evergreen is really pretty (further in the mountains).  I personally would not like to raise my kids there.  I lived there off and on with my parents.  I LOVE visiting, just not my cup of tea for living.  Arvada and Lakewood are both a great place with lots of young families.  I have a couple of friends who live there.  One reason Golden is such a great place to be is that you have this small town feel, but you are only 20 minutes from downtown Denver, so you really have your pick of hospitals. I think the closest ones to Golden are St. Anthony's and Lutheran.  Downtown, you have Presbyterian/St.Luke's and St. Joseph's.  A bit further east from downtown Denver you have University Hospital and Children's Hospital. Congrats on your husband's new job and welcome to Colorado!

aimeeank

St.Joseph Hospital is downtown and only about a 20 min drive from Golden (straight down 6th Ave). I live in Lakewood and that's where I delivered - they were incredible. Evergreen is gorgeous but a little ways into the Foothills - this is a great area if you are trying to get away from the city or want to live in a smaller more "mountain town" type area. Golden is great because it's still small but not as far away. Lakewood is pretty spread out and the north side isn't that great in all areas. We live on the south side of Lakewood (our address is actually Denver) near the Pinehurst Country Club and Bow Mar area. The west side of Denver is really nice and family friendly. I would recommend the area around Bear Creek (Kipling and Morrison). Lots of great neighborhoods, easy to get to Golden or downtown, smaller schools, and beautiful views.

 They also just opened up the St. Anthony hospital in Lakewood at 6th and Union (although I still recommend St. Joseph's for delivery). Best of luck to you - you will love Colorado!

lclaws13

Thanks, both of you!  I'm pretty nervous about the move.  We don't know anyone out there, and it's just so far away from Illinois.  But everyone says we're really going to enjoy it, so I'm looking forward to it.  There's just so much to do!

NiniJB

The Arvada/Golden area is really beautiful and there are a lot of new families there due to new developments. My parents live around 60th and McIntyre in a fairly new development there, but it has a gorgeous view of the foothills and is also near farms with a lot of open space. The elementary school my brothers attend (Fairmount Elementary) is spectacular. There are a ton of kids in their neighborhood and they are always riding bikes, playing outside, and there seems to be a really friendly vibe throughout the neighborhood. However, its a little too cookie cutter suburban for me. Downtown Golden is so cute and really wonderful, but also quite expensive. I grew up in Lakewood (near 6th and Garrison) in a neighborhood with a lot of kids and a really good neighborhood feel, with good schools and lots of parks and libraries and rec centers. Personally, I would look for something in Arvada or Wheatridge. Both have big mature trees, more character, good schools but are not as expensive as downtown Golden, and have good access to the highways to get around town. As others have said, with the exception of Evergreen, it is pretty quick to get downtown from anywhere, traffic permitting.

As for hospitals, I delivered my son at St. Joseph's downtown in February and cannot say enough good things about it. Every single nurse and doctor (and I met a lot as I was there for almost 5 days) was so helpful and accommodating. I never felt pressured to do anything I didn't want, and I felt informed about every step of the process.The birthing rooms are exceptional, and the recovery room was big and had a queen size bed so my husband could stay with us. The lactation consultants, pediatricians, and everyone else who came into the room was so friendly and knowledgable. I really can' t imagine having a better birthing experience. Sorry this was so long, but hopefully it was helpful! Good luck, and I'm sure you will love Colorado. It really is a wonderful place to live.

lclaws13

NiniJB:

As for hospitals, I delivered my son at St. Joseph's downtown in February and cannot say enough good things about it. Every single nurse and doctor (and I met a lot as I was there for almost 5 days) was so helpful and accommodating. I never felt pressured to do anything I didn't want, and I felt informed about every step of the process.The birthing rooms are exceptional, and the recovery room was big and had a queen size bed so my husband could stay with us. The lactation consultants, pediatricians, and everyone else who came into the room was so friendly and knowledgable. I really can' t imagine having a better birthing experience. Sorry this was so long, but hopefully it was helpful! Good luck, and I'm sure you will love Colorado. It really is a wonderful place to live.

That's awesome!  My experience when having my son left a lot to be desired, so I'm hoping to find a much better hospital.  Thanks so much for the info.  I'm pretty nervous about the move.  Knowing no one, not knowing the area, having to find all new doctors and dentists and everything... it's just a little overwhelming right now.