Golden

Golden holds a special place in my heart. Of course, all of us think of Coors when you think of Golden, my Grandfather worked at the Coors Ceramics division. Or maybe you think of the School of Mines or the top rated Golden High School, my mother and both of my children graduated from Golden High.

I think of all of these and more. The charm, friendliness and daily/weekly year round activities make a Golden a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family.

There is the Golden Farmers Market, Buffalo Bill Days, the Annual Halloween street walk, Art Fair, and Christmas, so much going on!

I read a review about a con of Golden being the housing costs. I suppose rent and housing costs might be a bit higher than other Colorado cities. But please keep in prospective, this is a college town, the School of Mines being highly rated, you are nestled at the bottom of gorgeous foothills and table mountains, your access to Denver, Boulder and the mountain resorts and ski areas is amazing. Plus with the upcoming light rail, your access to around town just expanded.

What other city can offer your kids the chance to grow up small town, tubing on Clear Creek, hiking and biking around town, noted school scores, all tied up in one beautiful city.

Golden is one amazing place to call home.

Golden is home to School of the MInes, one of the best engineering schools in this part of the states. Although small, it has a good presence in Golden. Downtown Golden has a lot of little shops and restaurants and still has the feel of being far from the hustle and bustle of the city even though it's just a short drive to get here. The town has some charming houses on the west side that are older but still well taken care of. Due to the location of Golden it's easy to get up the mountains on I-70 for skiing or up to Central City and Blackhawk for a little gambling or an overnight stay.

In the town of Golden there are some less expensive homes compared to the other areas of Golden. Homes can go from anywhere around $200,000 to close to a million dollars. Many of these homes are very attractive and are nestled in the mountains with scenic backdrops.

The schools in Golden are all ranked very high from state scores and reviews done by parents of students.

Traffic in Golden is mostly non-existent as it has so many outer lying areas. It can get a little busy during peak rush hour on I-70 going in both directions though, as there is a lot of Sunday evening traffic here due to people coming down the mountain from skiing on weekends and holidays.

While there are shops and restaurants in Golden, if there's something you cant find there is a large mall located just east of Golden, and many shops located in Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, and other nearby areas.

There ar oner 253 acres of parks, 24 miles of trails, and 402 acres of open space. At the top of Lookout Mountain in Golden there are incredible views of Denver as well as a nature center and preserve. The nature center and preserve is a great place to take kids to explore and learn about the surrounding area. As you leave the preserve it pays to keep your eyes open as you can see numerous kinds of wildlife in their natural habitat. Early last spring my kids and I saw a mother deer and her two fawns only about four feet from our car. You can also see lots of ground squirrels and many kinds of birds.