[quote=CubicleBoundHelot]I moved to Penasquitos from Denver (University and Hampden) about four years ago. Both of those areas are known for their schools (Cherry Creek district vs Poway District). I imagine that might be a consideration in your choice of Denver suburbs.[/quote]
Excellent area CBH and only about 6 mi. or so from dtn. I was familiar with that area as well as Washington Park, Bonnie Brae and Englewood / Greenwood Village. evolusd, the areas served by South HS, JFK HS, GWHS and CCHS are great well-located family areas blessed with naturally beautiful parks with 80+ yr. old trees, golf courses and lakes but ARE NOT comprised of NEW CONSTRUCTION such as what you may have seen in the MP communities you visited. Except for Cherry Creek area and “Parker” (further out, past tech cntr.), which may have developments as new as 20-25 yrs. old, those other areas are 50-100 years old.
[quote=CubicleBoundHelot]
(1) I read in 2007 that Colorado is the “least obese” state in the nation.[/quote]
Piggs, dont laugh, but this is probably due to all the extra energy expended breathing.
[quote=CubicleBoundHelot]
(2) Red Rocks is gorgeous, but how often will you get there ? The same goes for skiing. Traveling up I-70 to the mountains on a winter weekend is no fun; the roads are crowded, icy, and dangerous.[/quote]
Not if you approach the slopes from the west (Grand Junction, etc.) and leave towards the west. It may still be an icy and dangerous endeavor, but you don’t have the thousands of other drivers to slide into. Thus, the way back to CA after a ruff week on the slopes 🙂
[quote=CubicleBoundHelot]
(4)Of course, housing is much cheaper. I rented in both places – the difference for rent was approx. $700/month . . . [/quote]
This is interesting, CBH. When I looked on the Keller Williams Denver site recently, I noticed that asking prices (for listed props.) were not unlike SD’s for a comparable area. I don’t know about rents. Do you rent a larger house in PQ than you did in Denver?
[quote=CubicleBoundHelot]
(5) Keep in mind the utilities. We had to pay for trash pickup from a private company (approx $50/month).[/quote]
So true, there’s no antiquated “People’s Ordinance” when you leave SD. I also want to add heat for 8 mos. yr. In the above-mentioned areas, besides gas furnaces, radiant heat (used in apts.), baseboard (elec.) heat and even hot-water heat is still prevalent there. All are expensive.
[quote=CubicleBoundHelot]The infrastructure in our older area did not yet support cable connectivity or VOIP, so our internet connection was DSL and our phone bills were much higher.[/quote]
This is probably fixed by now. Check on if interested in a particular property.
[quote=CubicleBoundHelot]Don’t let the weather scare you. It’s true that the weather changes radically from day to day. At that elevation, when the sun is out (which is most of the time), 50 degrees can be short sleeve weather – just don’t stay in the shade. It snows like mad – two days later, it’s mostly melted away. The sun there is intense.[/quote]
Wear a lot of sunscreen if you tend to burn and apply it frequently to your children. There is no “ozone layer” there and it is EASY to burn quickly and badly, even on an overcast day. The sun beats down on the snow and reflects off it. I’ve seen many 20-something lift operators there with the leather skin of a 55 yr old construction worker.
[quote=CubicleBoundHelot]And mostly, don’t worry strictly about the numbers. . . [/quote]
If I was plunking down a hard-earned downpayment and mortgaging my life away, I WOULD be concerned about purchasing in an (unstable) zip that has or had >40% of “underwater” homeowners. I wouldn’t want to see my neighborhood turn into a weed-infested ghost town. Actually, I would have a problem investing in an area with more than 20%, but that’s just me. Study the (circa 11/08) map in the above link and find out if any zips you are interested in are better or worse off now.
