Whats the good & the ugly about Parker Co?

[No Pvmt]

My wife and I have some friends that are looking to move to Parker Co. Has anyone any information about the town, schools, crime, good side of town, area not to buy a home, how much does it snow.....etc? Our friend just finished Dental school and is moving the family first part of the year unless he gets an offer here in the Central Coast. Any information would be great, I know that we have a-lot D-webers that live in Co and what I have heard is that Co. in general is great. Thanks!

 

[dave_lucas]

Parker is kind of a small burb of Denver, it is just SE of Denver. It is a smallish sized town but has all of the standard shopping stores.

Several of my friends and co-workers live there and seem to like it. My wife and I looked at the area but it is too far east to allow her to ride her bike in the mts in the morning prior to work.

I do not know if there is a bad side of town, there are nice areas with huge houses on a golf course and then there are areas with older houses and apartments but I am not aware of much if any real crime compared to other places.

If their work is in Parker there are also several other towns / areas that would be a 15 min - 30 min commute

Highlands Ranch
Greenwood village
Littleton
Centenial

And many more..

My recomendation would be to start by renting a place in Parker and look at the other areas around there and see what one they like best. I like it a bit west in the Highlands Ranch or Chatfield areas while other may like it out east by Parker.

 

[No Pvmt]

Dave, thanks for the input. What does the west side Highland Ranch and Catfield area offer? Is the East more flat? Thanks again.

 

[dave_lucas]

Correct East is flat (old farm land), West starts to get more hills / mountains.

The areas I mentioned are very active, nice light rail access, good community that is well designed and has lots of things to do such as riding a bike around Chatfield, Deer Creek, hiking boating, biking, many free rec centers.

Parker is a little more rural with less options, of course you can always drive west for the mountains north west for downtown Denver / Cherry Creek. It is less expensive to live in Parker due to the fact that it is further east and away from major things in the area.

Do not discount the Light Rail access as it is a great way to commute to downtown Denver for work or play. My wife used it to get to work from Highlands Ranch daily and we would take it to the sporting events, conventions as they are all downtown and parking can be an expensive PITA.

I do not mind having a short commute ~30 mins to work if I can live in a place that offers a bunch things to do in a nice safe community VS a 10 min commute to work and having to driving 30 + mins when I want to do something else.

It really just depends on what they want.

 

[bri]

East offers more views, definitely flatter and more strong summer storms. West gets more mild summer storms, but stronger winter.

Parker is an OK place, what Dave says is good advice (all of it), especially, rent first while you are looking around.

Highlands Ranch is typical suburbia (it's a sea of homes) some areas of Parker are getting there too. West of HR are Chatfield and Roxborough state parks both very nice. Homes around Chatfield have a rural feel to them and can be large ranches.

If I were working in Parker, I'd choose Parker, Castle Rock, Franktown or Larkspur. But it is such a personal thing that they are just going to need to get out here and see.

The majority fo Parker is no longer rural IMO. Castle Rock is a nice small town surrounded by burbs as well. Franktown and Larkspur are still pretty rural.

 

[n8thgr8]

I had a girlfriend who lived in Parker once, and I was there quite a bit.
These guys are describe Parker pretty well. I like it, but for me, it's too far away from the mountains.

 

[61rover]

Colorado has one of the most active Land Rover clubs in the country. The Solihull Society runs trails almost every weekend in the summer and puts on the National Rally. If you move out here, we'd love for you to join up.

 

[MarkP]

Could be wrong but Parker seems like a boom bust town. Parker was one of the growth suburbs of Denver when the economy was on the credit driven bubble. Now I would suspect there are many foreclosures.

Collapse in Luxury Market Parker CO

Same with Castle Rock.

Personally I would live further West or South, Franktown/Larkspur.

Best to rent first and let the housing market correct while you look.

Oh, and if you bring a typical California fiscal mentality, please stay home.

There is a saying -

Don't Californicate Colorado.​

 

[KyleT]

my wifes cousins live in Elizabeth, about 20 miles from Parker. that is a small town.

Not a good place if you like being close to the mountains, it is quiet though. (i didnt like it very much though, took too long to get back to the mountains)

 

[No Pvmt]

Great info from everyone! Thank you. I will relay it all. I know that they will NOT "Californicate Co!" I lived in Utah for twelve years and miss the mountains and the lifestyle. Thank you all again.

 

[bri]

Castle Rock seems to be doing quite well but when you go through certain places like Founders or the Meadows, I am sure foreclosures are going to be more frequent than CPN or CPV. Sure Parker and Castle Rock likely have foreclosures, but I would certainly guess that Aurora and some of the Northern communities would be hit much harder.

And there are "deals" to be had. Just need to be a smart buyer. Down here in Larkspur, the 800k+ houses are selling quicker than homes half that price. Homes half that price were $600k 5 years ago.

Sometimes I wish that I would have chosen Evergreen or Golden, but I have parents in Co Springs so Larkspur gives me that mountain feel (trees and weather). Beware of the Palmer Divide weather is definitely more like the mountains.