I am sure there is a thread/forum on relocating somewhere, but this is my 1rst time on this site. Has anyone relocated to or live in DEN area? We are through with IAH and are considering Highlands Ranch/Centennial from online research. Would love feedback. We have two kids (3 and 10) so schools/kid activities are a big factor. Thanks!

 

I never lived there. My brother lived SE of Denver, off East Qunicy Ave., near C470 in Aurora. That is not far from Centennial, by way of C470. They liked it there and he has two kids.

 

Never lived there either, but I hnow a couple people who have and they also seemed to like it. It seems like a very nice area. A number of good communities (Littleton, Centennial, etc.) and the weather is better than you'd expect. Relatively warm in the winter; snow happens but doesn't stay long.

 

I grew up in part of Aurora that is now Centennial and I gotta tell ya, Highlands Ranch and Centennial are probably the best suburbs in Denver to live. Great schools, friendly people, lots to do, clean and affordable housing. They have been developing all over the place in just the past few years but the roads are able to handle the increasing population. Good luck!

 

Families=centenial,parker,castle rock
single,young couple=cherry creek, downtown

If you have kids, check the school they will be going to...NOT just the school district.

I hope you like the outdoors..denver is a great town

 

now is probably one of the best times to move to denver. there is a huge housing glut and there are thousands of homes on the market due to overbuilding. get in now while the getting is good.

 

I don't know anything about the quality of the schools, as I don't have kids, but I do know they are building several new ones up here in the north metro. Two of the communities up here that are growing rapidly include Broomfield and Erie. There is also a lot of growth near the airport in a new town called Reunion, but seems like kind of a cheesy area with no schools, shopping etc.
While traffic here is not nearly as bad as Houston, it's still pretty bad. If you work it would be a good idea to live near the part of town your job is in.

Coming from Houston you are going to love it here! Clean air, excellent weather, and of course the mountains. The housing market has been pretty flat since I bought my place in 2001. There isn't much of a bubble here, so you won't have to worry about your house value crashing like other parts of the nation.

 

I have traveled the country. I have almost been to all 50 states. Have only lived two places in my life. I lived in Northern California for 18 years and Boulder, CO for the last 5. Coming from NorCal, I had some pretty high expectations going to Boulder (beautiful scenery, constant warm weather, suburban/urban setting), and Boulder probably met or exceeded all those expectations.

The view of the flatirons and front range never got old for me. Boulder is a beautiful town and amazing place to live. The weather is incredible in the fall and spring. Summer weather is warm, but NOT HOT AND MUGGY like most the rest of the country (South, East, etc...). And the winters are nicer than I expected. Usually the weather is in the high 40's to 50's, and that's not bad considering what it is up north and on the east coast. It hardly ever rains. You get snow, but your talking once a week or every other week. And when it snows, it is not uncommon to be able to wear shorts the next day!! It is sunny there 300+ days a year. The only thing I did not like about Colorado were the high wind winter days.

I would recommend you go to the front range. Boulder is an amazing town. I love it. Number 1 recreation city in the country (by far). Some places South of Denver like Centennial, Littleton, and Golden are also amazing towns. Commute to DIA is like 30-40 minutes. And from Denver, you can commute literally ANYWHERE with ease.

 

Thank you all for your great advice/feedback. Sounds like we will be very happy there. Does anyone know whether the HOA dues are really high in Highlands Ranch? They must be with all those great community centers/amenities! Thanks again! It's so nice having this board.

On a separate note, maybe the moderators could add a section for "spouses". I have always been a little jealous of the military families as they seem to have tons of support. An online board like this one could be very helpful to meet others in your base, get support when better halves aren't around for holidays/birthdays, or to ask questions related to moving etc. Just a thought...

Again, thank you all!

 

My wife belongs to a small group on MSN. She said it isn't very active anymore though. Here is the link in case you are interested.

http://groups.msn.com/PilotWifes-PWs/general.msnw