JEFFERSON COUNTY NORTH
Arvada, north of 80th Avenue, and Westminster, west of Sheridan Boulevard, pretty much define this residential area. The parts of the two cities in this area -- north, east and south of Standley Lake -- are more like each other than they are like their respective city centers. A lot of new homes have gone in here in the last five or 10 years, primarily tract homes with some high-end custom homes and some of the patio homes preferred by empty-nesters. There are lots of younger families here and a lot of shopping close by, along North Wadsworth Boulevard. The area has a country feel to it because you're looking west across the last prairie before the mountains. It's a short shot north on Wadsworth to Broomfield and U.S. Highway 36 to Boulder. West beyond Rocky Flats and Golden, off Colo. Highway 93, there are growing mountain developments up side roads such as Coal Creek Canyon, Golden Gate Canyon and Crawford Gulch.
Greater Denver's big mountain communities, though, tend to be off I-70 and U.S. Highway 285. Communities such as Genesee, Evergreen, Conifer, Aspen Park, Indian Hills, Kittredge and Hidden Valley offer a lot of new, high-end living across ridge tops with fantastic vistas and hidden, pine-covered valleys and hillsides.
Mountain communities down U.S. Highway 285, in the Conifer/Aspen Park area, have Denver commuting times close to an hour, but here you'll find properties in all price ranges, with some horse properties and more available space.
