Lakewood - the pluses and minuses
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11/19/2017
As with most internet reviews, evaluate with a grain of sense. While the last reviewer (Ann S.) has some points about Lakewood, she is quite on the cynical and angry side. I’m a Lakewood resident for over 15 years and a native of Colorado.
Lakewood is the fifth largest city in Colorado and with that comes both the good and the bad. First the good. It’s near the base of the foothills and residents have access to 99 parks and over 180 miles of trails (only one dog park!). Further access to state and Denver/Jefferson County open space parks and lands are within an hour or less ride away. Lakewood is center to the surrounding cities of Denver, Wheat Ridge, Englewood, Littleton, Morrison, and Golden. It has good museums and an active arts scene. Retail, grocery stores, restaurants, and businesses are a plenty. The biggest employers are Federal agencies and St. Anthony’s hospital. We have light rail, Colorado Christian College, and Red Rocks Community College, though we are near enough to other universities. City government actions may not always suit people's choices, but there are opportunities to have your voice heard through boards, public scoping and open houses, and neighborhood associations.
That said, some of the bad things about Lakewood are things hitting every city in Colorado. Due to the growth in our state, there has been a mass migration of people to the state including Lakewood. More people tend to drive up housing/rent prices – Lakewood single family home prices tend to “start” at the 300k’s and the inventory is very small for all housing. The city has been dealing with sprawl and overdevelopment - any new housing/commercial developments tend to cause great concern to residents due to affecting infrastructure, schools, traffic, and the general way of life. Traffic is horrendous, not just in Lakewood but all throughout the metro area – Denver is 21 out of 240 major US cities (as of 2017) for worst commute. A large majority of people in the metro area commute, instead of living where they work (many people will commute from Ft. Collins or Colorado Springs as a norm). So figure you will be locked in traffic at all times every day – it’s a given. Weather in Colorado is crazy and varies year to year, though it’s mostly trending hotter reducing ski season and increasing chances for drought. The smog/brown cloud isn’t as apparent in Lakewood as we’re closer to the mountains – which creates the inversion barrier trapping it mostly over Denver. As with any other place you live, drugs and crime may be a presence, some areas may see it more than others – you’re living in a city, not a bubble.
Do your research, be your own judge.
Michelle | Lakewood, CO