Parker

In Cottonwood, convenience takes center stage. New residential communities and older classic-looking homes sit on spacious lots. This neighborhood offers luxury amenities, access to major routes and plenty of shopping. Cottonwood is in Parker, a suburban town with ideal access and convenience to nearby haunts and local hotspots, only 21 miles south of downtown Denver. With pocket parks and the Cherry Creek Trail system, plenty of outdoor activities keep homeowners active. This neighborhood provides a variety of lifestyles in one of the fastest-growing communities in Colorado. <br><br>Due to the development of residential communities, home styles are uniform in this neighborhood, offering ranch, split-level or new traditional-style dwellings, with occasional Tudors or cottages. Homes in Cottonwood range in price between $450,000 and $800,000, while condos and multifamily options begin in the $300,000s. On the community's south end, condo complexes like Prairie Walk offer a more communal lifestyle with amenities like an outdoor pool. Many of the communities in Cottonwood are not covenant-controlled like other surrounding areas where additional HOA fees or community expenses are required. According to local real estate professionals, this is also one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in the Denver area. "Parker is growing exponentially," says Erica Chouinard, who started her real estate career in Cottonwood and has lived in the area for two decades as a Team Leader at RE/MAX Professionals in Englewood. "Douglas County was the fastest-growing county coming out of the housing recession, and it hasn't particularly slowed down. Parker is expanding to the south and the east. These neighborhoods have been there for 20-40 years, and everything else is building up around them."<br><br>Most homes were built in the late 70s and mid-80s. Still, new development continues today with the construction of modern three-bedroom townhouse communities like Dove Village, located off Birch Run Lane in the neighborhood's southwest corner. Shae Brundige is a lifelong resident of the area and Assistant Manager at Broadstone Wren, a nearby apartment complex. When asked about the area's new development, Shae said, "It's brought quite a bit of new people to the area. You still have your Parker residents, like me, who were born and raised here, but you also have people who are brand new to the area. So, I think it is still a really good mix. The new builds bring new people to the area because they're expanding and allowing that space."<br><br>Cottonwood kids can attend classes at Pine Lane Elementary, which maintains an overall grade of B-plus on Niche. Pine Lane, the largest elementary school in the Douglas County School District, hosts the district's only gifted and talented program. After graduation from Pine Lane, students can join a painting club, jazz band or run track at Sierra Middle School, maintaining an overall B-plus grade. After training hard, students can gain support to start a new club or join the highly ranked football or basketball teams at Chaparral High School, which boasts a spot in the Top 50 best public high schools in Colorado with an overall grade of A. Students can also apply to attend any Douglas County school as part of the district's open enrollment program.<br><br>Wandering minds can take focus to a new level by walking on a red gravel base bordered by stones at the meditation labyrinth in Cottonwood Park East. Kids can stay active by lacing up their skates at the inline hockey rink. Children can visit the baseball diamond and basketball courts or try the climbing wall at the playground in Cottonwood Park West. Cherry Creek connects the two parks and flows through the center of the neighborhood. From either side of Cottonwood Park, hikers and cyclists can use the 40-mile Cherry Creek trail system to reach the peaceful forest path in the Parker Jordan Centennial Open Space, 1 mile north. Further north on the trail will land outdoor enthusiasts in Cherry Creek Valley Ecological Park, which provides an informational trail through a diverse wetland habitat of reeds and cattails around stone formations in the creek's rapids. Pocket parks are located throughout the neighborhood's communities, like Birch Run Park, Dove Ridge Park, Dove Village Park and Prairie Meadows Park, each with colorful playgrounds for all ages. <br><br>Residents can find all the retail essentials, dining options and entertainment in the shopping plazas surrounding the intersection of Cottonwood Drive and Parker Road. "Geographically, Cottonwood is really central, and it's that accessibility to shopping and all the basics that make this area so popular," says Phoebe Nason, a broker with RE/MAX Edge and a resident of Douglas County. Families can throw strikes at the bowling alley, drive go-karts or put a hole-in-one at Boondocks Food & Fun Parker, a nearby amusement park in the shopping strip on Cottonwood Drive. After having a blast at the arcade, famished thrill-seekers can order the prime rib at Saltgrass Steakhouse, a regional favorite known for its soup, steak and seafood dishes. Residents can cool off with a refreshing drink from Los Dos Potrillos, a brewpub with classic Mexican fare and handcrafted lagers. Locals can pick up groceries to meal prep for the week at King Soopers Marketplace, Trader Joe's or Costco Wholesale, all located on Cottonwood Drive. Whole Foods Market is also being built in the area and will open in August 2024. Arapahoe Crossings is a popular shopping center with more shopping and dining options about 4 miles north on Parker Road. <br><br>Parker Days is an annual carnival featuring live music, 200 vendors and over 45 carnival rides. Fall Fest takes over downtown Parker for seven days with food trucks, games like axe throwing and a hay bale maze just 5 miles south. The Parker Farmers Market brings life to the area every Sunday morning, with local art, craft goods, meat and produce available from regional vendors on Mainstreet.<br><br>Cottonwood is bordered by E-470, which circles the entire Denver metropolitan area and provides access to other suburban towns. Parker Road takes traffic north through the Cherry Creek neighborhood toward Denver without having to get on the interstate. Interstate 25 is about 5 miles west, making an accessible route through Centennial to the city center. Commuters can find Regional Transit District (RTD) bus stops along Parker Road. The Denver International Airport is 28 miles north.

Stonegate residents have the luxury of location with nearby shopping centers, hiking trails and access to downtown Denver, only 23 miles north of this up-and-coming neighborhood. Stonegate is just outside Parker’s downtown, with a long-standing tradition of bringing the community together through events, festivals and its thriving small business scene. With 14 miles of trails, this neighborhood has amenities centered around a healthy and comfortable lifestyle. Stonegate is a planned community in the town of Parker with grand 21st-century homes across eight subdivisions, all built in the last 40 years. Humble 2-bedroom ranch-style homes begin at around $550,000, with 5-bedroom brick craftsman and new traditional homes selling as high as $1.1 million. Due to brand-new construction and the presence of HOAs, the price of homes in Stonegate may be slightly higher than in other neighborhoods. These homes are low maintenance, with newer facilities and services the neighborhoods provide. Townhouse communities have attached or detached garages to protect automobiles from the harsh Colorado winters. Multifamily units and condos have sprouted up in this neighborhood with options like the Stonegate Commons, a newly built condominium building on Askins Loop directly off Extension 470. Fast-casual eateries, cafes and grocery stores are located at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Jordan Road. Lil’ Ricci’s NY Pizza & Pasta is a local favorite for Italian food on Keystone Boulevard. Those craving a classic breakfast will enjoy the Stonegate Café. King Soopers on Lincoln Avenue has all the essential grocery items, as does Safeway on South Parker Road in downtown Parker. Brick brownstone buildings house locally owned establishments in a walkable stretch with live music, performance venues, homey taverns and community parks on Mainstreet. “The charming thing is that downtown Parker has a lot of locally owned businesses,” says Erica Chouinard, a Denver local who has worked in real estate for over 20 years and is a Team Leader at RE/MAX Professionals in Englewood. “It’s all walkable. After you go to an art gallery, you can go across the street and have lunch or walk down to get some ice cream or frozen yogurt. It’s small-town America in a five-block stretch where you get to support your local businesses and see all kinds of people.” Downtown Parker is Stonegate’s primary venue for annual events. The Parker Farmers Market closes down Mainstreet from Parker Road to Pine Drive each Sunday in an essential community event with food trucks, artwork, home décor and farm fresh produce every Sunday from May to October. Parker Days is nearly a 50-year-old June tradition with live music, roller coasters and over 200 vendors. Fall Fest is an Autumnal celebration with a hay bale maze, carnival games and food trucks in at O’Brien Park. Children who live in Stonegate may attend Douglas County Schools. Kids can join a Spanish enrichment program at Pine Grove Elementary School, which has an overall Niche grade of B-plus. After graduating from Pine Grove, students can practice brushstrokes in the painting club or make music in the jazz band at Sierra Middle School, which holds a B-plus overall grade. Chaparral High School maintains an A overall grade and is in the Top 40 best public high schools in Colorado. To begin a career in news and media, students can write for the school newspaper, the Chaparral Chronicle. Visitors of Stonegate Village Park can toss the frisbee at the 10-hole disc golf course or walk alongside the creek on a paved path. Athletes can practice their serve on the tennis courts or shoot hoops at Lincoln Park, and there are two playgrounds with equipment of varying difficulty to accommodate kids of all ages. Dog owners will enjoy walking around the other green spaces in Stonegate, including Aventerra and Stonebriar Park, which are well-landscaped with simple trails. On a hot summer day, members at Stonegate North Villages can cool off at the private pool. The Parker Recreation Center offers lap swimming, a leisure pool, weightlifting or volleyball, about 1 mile east. Additionally, spectators can watch a soccer game on the turf field at Challenger Regional Park, connected to the rec center with ball fields and basketball courts. Stonegate’s northern border is Extension 470, a toll road that circles the suburbs of the Denver metro and provides a quick trip to other towns without facing the traffic. The entrance to Interstate 25 is about 4 miles west of Stonegate, giving residents a straight shot to downtown Denver and the Denver Tech Center, a business district 10 miles north. Commuters can catch the Regional Transit District (RTD) bus system from the stops on Lincoln Avenue or South Chambers Road. Passengers can take the light rail train into the city's downtown from Lincoln Station, 4 miles west. The Denver International Airport is 30 miles north on E-470.