DENVER AREA

sorry, try this one

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=650712&thread=648742

Littleton is in Jefferson County (Jeffco is the name you will often hear). Jefferson County schools are about the best in the state according to all accounts. The cost of a home is lower than inner-city Denver, and there are nice homes available there. The Highline Cannal and trail pass through Littleton. It is a hard pack dirt trail that often has underpasses under major roads, so you can run for miles without traffic. Littleton is where Columbine HS is. Lots of great views of the mountains. We live in Lakewood, just a bit to the north and love it. If you have more specific questions let me know.

Glenn

How about Highland Ranch area? Nice? Trails too? How does it compare to Lakewood? Thanks.

Highlands Ranch has dirt roads/trails along Waterton Canyon and Chatfield Reservoir for very good running routes and fairly modern, tract housing developments and gated communities. Also not too far from the dirt, flat Highline Canal which goes by John Elway's mansion. No dogs are allowed at Waterton and the townspeople are quite conservative. A little bland for my taste, also avoid locking yourself into a commute along I-25 past the Denver Tech Center or you'll take two years off your life with many miserable commutes in your future.

Would a person take highway 85 to get to downtown from Highland Ranch area if I-25 is too busy?

I live near Highlands Ranch and I would not recommend it just because it is such a giant, bland, cookie-cutter suburb. On the plus side, though, they have decent running trails and the school system (Douglas County) is really excellent. I went through Douglas County schools from the 4th grade on and was very well prepared for the highly regarded private university which I attend now. Jefferson County, Douglas County, and Cherry Creek are all very good public school systems in the Denver suburbs.

That's Santa Fe/85 Road. Everyone takes that, tons of traffic, lots of stoplights too. It's possible the freeway called C-470 to Wadsworth Blvd./121 (another Hwy/street with signals) might work, it depends on where you end up working though. That takes you more north of downtown if I recall. At times members of the Lunn family live in Littleton and they post on here from time to time so maybe they can offer better advice.

I lived in Boulder, but ran the Waterton Canyon 15K in June 1995 and was kind of hooked on that running area after that. You might have to check out

www.Mapquest.com

for some of your potential driving routes, I think they're based in Denver actually, and I have a friend who works there if you need any inside local info.

You are wise to check out the potential hassles when relocating to a big city, i.e., to make sure the commuting isn't going to present such a horrible nightmare that could have been averted with some planning.

There are traffic lights all the way along 85 (known by most as Santa Fe) through Englewood/Sheridan and then pick up again once you get near the interchange with 25. You'd go to Littleton and pick up the light rail (which parallels Santa Fe into Denver) there, if you're smart.

Highlands Ranch is one of those "master-planned communities"; as in planned with the car as master in mind as much as possible. All the culture of a small town with the traffic of the city....just another pedestrian-unfriendly suburb with crappy big-box stores, crappy chain restaurants and fenced-off soccer fields. Big houses on small treeless lots. Like an above poster indicated, it isn't a REAL town or neighborhood. Good if you like to have golf handy though. It's the worst of middle America (SoCal style) brought to Colorado. Look in the threads others have posted above for better suggestions of where to live in metro Denver.

Sorry to discredit you, but I can't lie, I enjoy it.Littleton encompasses several counties, including Jefferson County and Arapahoe Country. The Highline Canal is a great trail and you will never run out of trail. Unfortunately it gets old (just a heads up). There are a lot of high schools in Littleton, all of which are good safe schools. You're going to have to put up with a lot of Republicans, though. And, there are about 3 minorities. Okay, maybe 4. There is also a strong Mormon presence in some parts.Please, please, please do not move to Highlands Ranch. That place freaks me out.

Glenn McCarthy wrote:

Littleton is in Jefferson County (Jeffco is the name you will often hear). Jefferson County schools are about the best in the state according to all accounts. The cost of a home is lower than inner-city Denver, and there are nice homes available there. The Highline Cannal and trail pass through Littleton. It is a hard pack dirt trail that often has underpasses under major roads, so you can run for miles without traffic. Littleton is where Columbine HS is. Lots of great views of the mountains. We live in Lakewood, just a bit to the north and love it. If you have more specific questions let me know.

Glenn

One Keg, come on, you know the Lunn's have nothing worth-while to say.

One Keg wrote:

That's Santa Fe/85 Road. Everyone takes that, tons of traffic, lots of stoplights too. It's possible the freeway called C-470 to Wadsworth Blvd./121 (another Hwy/street with signals) might work, it depends on where you end up working though. That takes you more north of downtown if I recall. At times members of the Lunn family live in Littleton and they post on here from time to time so maybe they can offer better advice.

I live in Highlands Ranch and think it's great. I also work downtown and after making the commute on santa fe for a couple months (35 min to downtown at 630am) I decided to start using the light rail and it's awesome. Highlands Ranch is definately your stereotypical suburban town

(most of the houses look the same, not many trees, and yes a lot of newer strip malls) but there are also lots of trails for running and you get free access to any of the 4 rec centers for living here. I'm renting so I'm sure that the homeowners are having to pay some sort of yearly dues for that. All in all not that bad a place to live! If I were to move though I'd probably move to littleton and live right next to the light rail station and the highline canal.

Ok, it sounds like Highland Ranch is bland. Hmmm, what about Lakewood where Glen McCarthy lives? What about Windsor? What about Louisville...does it have trails?

I want to run on trails.

I want to live in a safe area.

I want to not have to deal with ridiculous traffic, but general traffic is ok.

I want a community that isn't heavily Mormon populated.

I am conservative but not pushy about it.

I am a school teacher and so is my wife.

Any other ideas? Thanks.

Windsor, CO? Up near Ft. Collins? It's becoming developed out the a-hole, can't really vouch for any trails or trail system up that way unless you drive over to Fart Collins. It's quite a drive from the Denver metro area, though. I don't think there is any 'heavy' population by the mormon sect, but any of the major suburban areas and towns around Denver are going to see more of a fundamentalist christian influence than the more distinct urban settings do. It's simply a fact of life in Jesusland. Lakewood was covered in one of the threads referenced above; it has some surprising crime stats, but that isn't to say that it doesn't have its finer points and areas. It's a huge sprawling suburb, like Aurora. Think west and north if you do look there (Green Mountain/Bear Creek area, which is home to lots of trails). Some decent commuting access to downtown Denver from there. Louisville has trails nearby and from there it is a short drive to Boulder and all the trails up there. I think the Culpeppers or the Gouchers used to live in Louisville.

Maybe try Greenwood Village for a little more character than Highlands Ranch, but it costs more bucks too.

One Keg wrote:

It's possible the freeway called C-470 to Wadsworth Blvd./121 (another Hwy/street with signals) might work, it depends on where you end up working though.

Not a chance, C470 between 70 and Wadsworth is an absolute PAIN during the commuting hours.

What about the Parker area?

Also, my wife wants to know about the Colorado Springs area. Good or bad? Remember, we love trails, safety, not too expensive housing, a running community. Thanks

Parker would be fine, though it's another sprawling suburb with no easy access to the freeways except for E470 (toll road between 70 and 36) so go there if you're not commuting far or don't mind paying for fast, relatively low traffic driving.

Don't know much about crime in Colorado springs or driving around there during the commute, though CO-rnnr (posted the thread about roommates recently) might, just keep in mind that there's really only one freeway there. Since you're a self-described conservative, you would probably like it. It has a definite military flavor with Ft. Carson, Air Force Academy, and an Air Force base there, as well as Cheyenne Mountain (NORAD). Housing is comparatively reasonable, not a lot better than the Denver area, but a bit of a break. There seem to be quite a few CS runners who are serial visitors to this board, so they can set you straight, but I do know that there is a respectable trail system there and a better than average running community.