[pearlbubbles]

You rang WCsweet?

I just noticed this thread, so I'm sorry; I've been out of town. I moved back down to Denver after graduating in May from Boulder, but I was raised in suburbia from age three, so let me see what I can do for you.

The nicest areas to live in for families are definitely all in the south metro Denver area. Englewood (west of Sante Fe), Littleton, Centennial, Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, Parker, Highlands Ranch/Lone Tree, and the newer parts of Aurora (I'd personally avoid anything that gets past Parker/Quincy and E-470).

Anything near 36 (but not in the area directly surrounding it) is nice as well, depending on how far north your friend can be of Denver. Westminster, Broomfield, Thornton, Lousiville, Boulder, and Longmont (though probably a bit too north) are all nice places. Even further south I'd recommend Castle Rock.

Fort Collins and Colorado Springs are also both nice, safe areas (though I do not know them as well as the areas I've already mentioned), but aren't really viable suggestions within driving distance of Denver (they're about an hour away without rush hour traffic).

The best public school districts in the area are Cherry Creek, LPS, JeffCo, and Highlands Ranch. Boulder is nice if you're looking for alternative education (it's a more "radical" teaching style as opposed to the others I listed which are the liberal style). To my knowledge, all of these districts also have some sort of charter school affiliation.

Of the areas listed, the more expensive ones are going to be Boulder/Longmont, Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, and Highlands Ranch. Cost of living/the housing market have remained stable in Boulder since around 2005, if I remember correctly, so there's that. Highlands Ranch has gotten a bit more affordable though, so that's nice.

If family and schooling isn't a concern, I would definitely shy away from the suburban areas I mentioned. The areas to live are either right around the Denver Tech Center or right in the heart of downtown. The DTC area has lots of new trendy apartments that are awesome and there's tons of fun little bars in the area. I wouldn't get too far out of the area though, because then you mostly get into the highly priced housing area of Parker/Cherry Creek depending on what side you go to (but it's definitely a safe area). As far as downtown itself, you want to stay as close to the city center as possible, preferably in the pocket created by 25, 70, and Broadway/Lincoln that makes LoDo.

I know this is a week late, but I hope this information will still be useful to your friend, NinjaPoodle. If either of you have any more questions, feel free to send me a PM. I could go on and on and on about Denver, but I'm not sure what else other than safety and proximity to Denver is important to pass on.