Lone Tree

Lone Tree is a community just south of Centennial, so its also a southern Denver suburb. There are about 10,000 people who call Lone Tree home. With Parker and Castle Rock to the southish, Lone Tree is a great location to commute into Denver/Tech Center but not be in the heart of Denver.

The average household income is about 100,000 so this is a wealthy community with amazing well layed out neighborhoods, great schools and abundant shopping and restaurants. A real downfall is that it truly is still the city, not the mountains of Colorado or countryside further east, I-25 & 470 cross the heart of Lone Tree making this a serious commerically active and traffic heavy, sometimes congested area. For those who like to be close to Denver this is great but going just a bit south to Castle Rock gets you more into the classic Colorado vibe and much more affordable housing/living.

Lone Tree is located both east and west of I-25 south of Denver. It is a busy area which includes many restaurants, a rather new hospital, Park Meadows Mall, hotels, and a golf course. This is a great area of town if you're looking to do a lot of shopping and want to grab lunch or dinner while you're out. There are also fun activities for kids and adults alike, such as bowling and the latest indoor sky diving in a vertical wind tunnel.

The homes in this area are high to very high priced with the median price being around $420,000 although there are plenty you can get for over a million. Some of the custom homes are lovely to look at, even from a distance. Within the neighborhoods the homes are all well taken care of and there is more of a community feel than one would think if just driving through. Some of the communities are gated and take great care to maintain their safety even thought this is traditionally a more upscale area.

One big drawback to this area is that I-25 goes through it as does C-470. Both of these highways can be horrible during rush hour both in the morning and evening. There is public transportation and just east of the mall is a connecting stop for the light rail which goes into downtown Denver. This is a great option for those who commute for work and can really decrease travel time and the money spent on parking.

With the many shops, stores, and restaurants you can get virtually anything you need in this small radius. There are numerous fast food restaurants, but just as many sit down restaurants with all kinds of cuisine imaginable. On busier nights and weekends, even with the vast amount of choices available, waiting times can be long. There are discount stores here such as Target and WalMart, but there are also plenty of upscale shops located in the mall. Chances are, if you need it, you can find it here.

The schools in this area are all above average in testing scores. There is a great little library here and if they don't have what you need they are more than willing to help you get it. There parks are all nice and well groomed, as is the area in general.