Denver Metro Question
Hello all -
I'll be moving to the Denver metro area soon (working downtown) and was wondering if any of you have any recommendations of bike/transit friendly areas that also have good public schools. I went to high school in Arvada but it's been a while. I really don't know the area very well except for Arvada, and even that is fuzzy because the city has grown so much since I lived there.
On paper the Littleton/Columbine Valley area looks great because light rail runs down Santa Fe, there is a bike trail that runs along the Platte that connects to Denver, and the schools in that area have high test scores.
I don't know how much people use these trails though, how well they're maintained or plowed, if drivers down there tolerate bikes on the road, and if local amenities like restaurants and grocery stores are set up to accommodate bikes (i.e. decent bike racks with room for a trailer). Would people look at me funny if I walked in to a Safeway carrying a helmet and reusable grocery bags or is it a bastion of SUVs and conspicuous consumption?
Do any of you have any other suggestions? I thought the DTC area/Cherry Creek schools might be good too.