Mike Palmer

I have lived in Westminster for over two years. Growing up in Arvada, I was adamant to never return to the area (teen angst) nor even close to Jefferson County. After living in Denver for around 12 years and as my wife and I started to have school-aged children, we started to look elsewhere. We decided to plant our roots in Westminster not only because of its convenience to getting to two of our favorite local cities (Boulder and Denver) but also because of its overall lifestyle. Westminster has done an amazing job retaining trails and open spaces while smartly managing its growth. During a jog or a bike ride on any of its trails (Big dry creek is my favorite), you will definitely cross paths with many people always willing to smile and wave as you pass. Coming from Denver, our biggest negative is the lack of unique (non-chain) type of restaurants. Our hope is that when the new Westminster mall is developed near 88th and Sheridan, that new and exciting restaurants will also follow (as can be found in similar places like Belmar). And even though the Northwest portion of Fastracks has been a major disappointment for many of us in the northwest area, the last stop (for the foreseeable future) is going to be near church ranch (104th) and highway 36. It will be fantastic to ride the trains into Denver to go see the nuggets, broncos, etc or to escape the chain type of restaurants and enjoy one of Denver's dining establishments. I love being able to enjoy the amenities of Denver/Boulder while not having to worry higher cost of buying/renting a home there. Schools are a bit of a mixed bag but most school districts face this obstacle as well. We were fortunate to enroll our kids at Jefferson Academy (a local charter school) which has been ranking as one of the top schools in the state. Feel free to contact me with any other questions/concerns or follow-ups.