OT - Moving to Denver

Next year, I will be moving to the Denver Metro area. Since so many of you live in the Denver area, I thought I'd ask where the "good places to live" are. Any info is appreciated.

The commute from the north end is BRUTAL. It has been since I moved here 40 years ago, and they have barely kept up with their "improvements." If you aren't going to have to commute to downtown, then it's as good as anywhere in the metro area. I live south in Parker. When I moved here 30+ years ago, it was a small town, but now it's just another suburb. The south area is great imo. The commute from Castle Rock (to the south of Denver) can be just as brutal at times. The west side would be better if you want quick access to the mountains. East is just too far from anywhere, but it is a little more reasonable for pricing if you are buying. My wife is a realtor if you need one.

I agree with everything Morris says, especially about not living too far East. A bunch of new light rail lines are creating transit oriented developments so a couple might be able to live with one car.

Denver is a very livable city, whether Urban, Neighborhood or Suburban (if the commute can be minimized). Even the poorer neighborhoods are mostly family or starter young-people, not slums. I think the Northeast or Northwest parts of Denver proper are underrated in terms of convenience and price.

I think the question needs to be asked...What area of Denver will you be working out of, which makes a big difference in commute ideas. Also, what lifestyle for home do you prefer...big city, suberb, rural?
With some of these questions answered, I think you'll get some great ideas where to look.

Thanks for the suggestions. Richard, you are correct. Mainly, I will be working out of my home. I would prefer suburbia and, if possible, having some green space near it.
Another way might be to share which community you live in and what you like about living there.

Corinna, with those preferences of no commute, suburbia, and green space, you can pretty much take your pick of any of Denver's suburbs. As Tom says, Denver is a very livable place. I would say that the 'burbs to the south, like Littleton, Englewood, and Greenwood Village have a bit more of a crowded and commercial feel (meaning more office-park-ey) until you get closer to Castle Rock. The northern areas like Thornton, Northglenn, etc. are a bit more of what I associate with standard suburban--as in, residential areas with lots of convenient chain stores. A newish major shopping area just west of I-25 and 144th Avenue (in the northern suburbs) is attracting lots of new people and I think would appeal to people who love suburbia (admittedly I'm out on a limb there).
To the east, you'll be out in a mix of new development, farmland, and completely undeveloped land if you like a little more sparsely-developed areas. West of Denver are some gorgeous foothills suburbs and small cities that lie between Denver and the mountains--these areas are booming in popularity as well.
There are the "old" suburban areas that have now more or less been swallowed up by the city (Commerce City, South Denver, Stapleton, Lowry) that are in between an urban and suburban vibe.
That is a very rough summary, but maybe it will give you a starting point. This is a wonderful place to live--I hope you'll love it here. Welcome to Denver!

I live in Wheat Ridge, which is a slightly older suburb NW of Denver. I pretty much like it. The typical home construction is 50's and 60's vintage with a lot of moderately priced ranches with mature landscapes. Close to I-70 for access to the mountains. It is a slightly older population with a decent mix or retired folks, ethnicities, and families. Not huge on open space, but a nature trail along many miles of Clear Creek. It is definitely not an up and coming vibrant community with artsy places, just a decent and relatively safe place to live if you don't go too far east.

I have also lived in Golden which is also nice. It is an up and coming community with some artsy places and a small town feel. It is scenic and closer to the mountains. Real estate is which I would call slightly pricey with old historic homes and lofts in the small downtown area and newer and larger homes, some bordering on McMansions in the outlying areas. I might consider moving back given the right place, but it would stretch my budget.

Jefferson county has a very nice open space program with 40,000 acres with trails, mostly in the foothills to the west. Regardless of where you live a few of these would probable be with in moderate driving range.

Other than those specifics, I agree that the west side is best. If you want a little more isolation, the mountain towns of Conifer and Evergreen might be good.

I've lived in Fort Collins, Loveland, Golden and Arvada. If you don't have a strong desire to be close to Denver itself, Fort Collins is a fantastic location, reasonable cost of living, with easy access to open space. It has a nice college-town vibe without the college-town antics (for the most part). It's an intelligent city, lively, well planned and beautiful. Traffic is a non-issue, but the drive to Denver is long - about 60-70 minutes.

West Arvada was my favorite location. We lived where suburbia met the foothills, west of Stanley Lake. Easy access to Golden (10min south), Boulder (20min northwest), Downtown (20-25min southeast) and a dozen or more parks and open space areas within 15-20 minutes to the west. Very easy access to the mountains via I-70. If you stay west in Arvada, you can find great views of the Flatirons which will provide endless amazing sunrises and sunsets. The pic here was taken from my front porch. There are numerous subdivisions along Indiana Road offering views. The nearby towns of Superior and Louisville also offer small-town feel with easy access to Denver, Boulder, the foothills and mountains.

Ditto on Rick's comments. We've lived in Westminster for the last 35 years. Back then we were on the northern fringe of "civilization".
If I were to choose today, and not need to commute downtown, I'd certainly look into the Superior and Louisville areas, or even further north.

My wife and I were just looking and had our house on the market. I really liked the Lakewood area and Golden. There are some great spots in Littleton as well. Not sure what your price range is, but Ken Caryl would be where I would live if I decided to move to the burbs. Ultimately, we decided that we liked our neighborhood too much in the city. Wash & Platte parks are where I am near. We like being able to walk to restaurants, shops and farmers markets on the weekend. Or walking to the light rail to head downtown for a show, or game. I can bike on bike trails to work downtown or tech center (mostly trail to the tech center)

I'll agree with Arvada. In fact, I just moved there (the reason for the late reply). There's lots of open space and the houses are mostly newer than those to the east and south. Golden also has some nice areas, especially those right on the edge of the foothills (though they tend to be pricier). And anywhere north of Arvada seems nice if you don't mind being farther from Denver.

Nice houses backing to open space are going very fast right now, often in 1-2 days. When you're ready to search for houses, I'd recommend http://www.cohomefinder.com, as they add the new listings every morning, which is faster than sites like Trulia and Zillow. I searched every morning until we found something we liked. And Google Earth is great for previewing a house's location before visiting.

I can also provide a recommendation for a very good realtor we used who is located in Arvada. If you want her contact info, just contact me.

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge.