A site that has some good information is
http://www.denvercityscape.50megs.com/custom3.html

Stapleton is pretty cookie cutter, Coskier. It may not be identical homes, but the density is much greater than lowry. And as for asbestos, luckily this was confined to a few lots, and was mainly tile left over from a hostpial demolition in the 70's.

That is what I meant by not being "Cookie Cutter" it will have greater density, as it was intended to be. Stapleton tries to be apart of the exisitng area, while Lowry is more of a traditional development. Lowry could easily fit in the suburbs, while Stapleton would IMO look out of place.

Once again, this is really great! I'm printing out the thread as we speak so that my husband and baby and I will have a packed itinerary when we come visit very soon.
Thanks everyone!!!

Make sure you tell us your impressions when you return!

Everyone that replied hit the nail on the head. I haven't checked out Lowry but we did see Stapleton last month. Although it is still cookie cutter, I also agree that they did something in this community that they have not done in a lot of other suburbs. There are lofts, flats, townhomes, homes, patio homes and they all have very unique and interesting designs. I have never lived back East but it reminds me of something you would see there. I also got the impression that more people would get to know there neighbors there. It just seems like the kind of place where people would be outside a lot.

Flopmeister, yeah you are pretty correct about Wash Park and Cherry Creek actually. I meant to say Capitol Hill instead of Wash Park. I had some friends that lived in an old mansion there and previously they lived off Colfax near The Bluebird. I personally don't know that I would live in either of those areas but they deffinitly have a lot of diversity and some really great old homes (just some unsavory people are also near there). You are also right about LoDo being expensive. You can have a home with a yard and still be paying less than you would with a loft.

imho Lowry has a slight edge to stapleton (we considered both and chose lowry) and i'll tell you why: stapleton bills itself as "new urbanism" but has placed hundreds and hundreds of suburban style homes in a densely packed area right off a street (Quebec) that city officials have steadfastly refused to expand. It's easy to get to I-70, it is impossible in rush hour to get anywhere south. So Syd1 not sure where you'll be working but I hope it is downtown and not the Tech Center (south). Lowry, by contrast, is a much smaller redevelopment (brobably 1/5th the size of Stapleton. The area immediately surrounding Lowry (at least to the south and west) consists of older, established, upper middle class neighborhood and Lowry has better access to downtown. Stapleton will in 10 years have a light rail link to the airport and downtown, so that is a plus. Also, right next to Stapleton they've developed a huge assortment of "Big Box" stores like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc., which is great for some folks, but for others just makes it look like any other place you've ever been. Lowry has a small town center which really has a feel of being a town within a town.

anyway, you're welcome to email me any further quesions and i'd be happy to send you more info. ([email protected])


A second, and i think equally good choice for you and your family would be Cheesman Park. Many of the older homes are beautiful (the architecture is called "Denver Square"), with big old trees, close access to downtown, and a real neighborhood feel. i lived there with my fiance for a few years before we tied the knot, had a kid, and felt the need for a bigger home.

My husband and I might be moving to Denver too. We're mid-30s, don't have kids (don't plan too). I would prefer not to live in a cookie cutter community and don't mind an older home. I would prefer to not spend more than $300k. What about a city like Littleton or anything like that? Wash Park and the like seem very pricey. I wouldn't want too much of a commute from downtown but don't mind a half hour or so.
Any suggestions on safe areas that have character?
We'd be leaving S. Calif. Housing prices here are just outrageous and we want a change.

penaddict, we have much in common, no kids/no plans moved here from SoCal in '91. Littleton is a suburb..heavy traffic to and from Downtown so more than 30 min. I personally would not live there, but then I do not care for the suburbs. 300K does not get you allot in Denver proper, you can find it yes but will take some looking.

Ps re Any suggestions on safe areas that have character? Again my neighborhood Park Hill, bias I am but we love it here. Lots of ppl your age, both with kids and without! @300k your looking at a traditional denver bungalow about 1200 sq feet, but most have basements that add to the living space. If you want I know a great realtor e-mail me @ [email protected] if you want it

Thanks for the info. I sent you an e-mail. We're used to living in a city, but a change of pace would be nice too.
Just don't know the difference between traffic in Denver vs. LA traffic.

penaddict,

I grew up in Littleton and my parents still own the same home. For a suburb, I love this area. If you don't mind a house that may need a little work, you can find one for around 300k in that area. More than likely it will be a little older but there are a lot of very nice neighborhoods with older homes. If you aren't looking for a very large home you may be able to find some newer homes in that range as well. One thing I like about this area is that it is nothing like Highlands Ranch as far as cookie cutter style, most of the homes do have some character and they don't all look exactly alike aside from color.
On a good night, it would take me about 20 minutes to get downtown but Coskier is right that if you work in downtown denver it will definitly take longer in rush hour traffic. They do have lightrail though which alleviates some of the stress of driving. Also, not sure what you do but there is the tech center and other areas where you may find a job that would be a little closer as well.

I also know a good realtor that knows Littleton and the surrounding areas very well and is good at finding what people are interested in. If you want his name you can email me at [email protected]

P.S. Traffic in Denver is not great but I still have to say that we witnessed some horrible driving in LA that I haven't seen in Denver so I think it will be a little better than you are used to.

penaddict, one area that I tend to forget about is Lakewood. We have 2 friends that live in Lakewood, one in an older 70's house that I love. It has been redone, you know granite counters, hardwood floors, sits on a hill that has great views of the mountains. The other in a newer 90's home that is more traditional. Had dinner with one of my friends that works downtown says it rarely takes her 30 min to get to work. You can certainly find allot of house in the 300K range. Maybe some one more familiar with area can give input too.

ttt for Triskele

We have lived in Denver since 1979 and love it here. But, the job market is really tight and housing is really expensive. Having said that, if you're prepared for those two factors, Colorado is a great place to live. The weather is much milder than most people think and the mountains are such a short drive away (although the roads can get really jammed). We live in historic Denver, which we prefer to suburbia (where it feels like Anytown, USA). There are still some beautiful old Victorian homes to be purchased and refurbished, but even they aren't cheap because they're close to downtown. The southern part of Denver is all new, chain stores, etc. Yech. It's cheaper to buy houses there, but you get what you pay for. And, while Genesee and Evergreen are pretty, the daily commute would be a killer if you're working in the city. Boulder is beautiful, but very much a college town and quite expensive housing. You might take a look at central Denver neighborhoods for diversity-- Mayfair, Montclair, Crestmoor, Park Hill (has a lot of great fixer-uppers), Capitol Hill (can be iffy).
We live near Lowry and have watched both it and Stapleton transform themselves. We prefer Lowry for its better location and nicer looking homes and lofts. Some old buildings have been re-modeled, too, whereas Stapleton is all brand new and lots of chain stores with Wal-Mart, etc. Lowry has a nice outdoor shopping area, with non-chain type restaurants and shops, too. It's probably pricier than Stapleton. (There's are good schools in all neighborhoods I've mentioned.)