Places Rated Almanac ranked
Denver as the fifth best metropolitan area to live in out
of 354 in North America. Places Rated included
cost of living, jobs, transportation, healthcare, crime,
the arts, recreation, and climate in its evaluation.
Jefferson County is the gateway to the majestic Rocky Mountains.
Located on the western edge of metropolitan Denver, it offers
a diversified geographical setting, from urban and rural
communities to thriving mountain communities.
Jefferson County's award-winning Open Space Program is one
of the most ambitious in the nation, preserving access to
nature for an increasingly urbanized population. Eighteen
open space parks and facilities offer scenic settings, picnic
facilities, hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, cross country
skiing, horseback riding and other recreational activities
to area residents.
Jefferson County has more to offer than just physical beauty,
including several cultural amenities, quick access to a
major downtown business district, and various shopping opportunities.
Jefferson County also has a variety of housing options for
everyone from business executives to first-time home buyers
and has a nationally acclaimed school district. Residents
and businesses also have convenient access to higher educational
institutions such as the University of Colorado, Colorado
School of Mines, Colorado Christian University, Red Rocks
Community College, Front Range Community College, and Arapahoe
Community College.
Cost
of Living
The cost of living in metropolitan Denver has risen in
the last several years, especially in the housing sector.
However, incomes have kept up with increase in the cost
of living and are well above the national average..
Utility costs have remained below the national average.
Our utility costs are among the lowest in the nation–due
to Denver's mild weather–a fact that surprises many
people who have the perception that the Mile High City has
a colder climate.
Cost
of Living Index
Grocery
Items
Housing
Utilities
Transportation
Healthcare
All
Items Index
New York City
142.8
402.5
146.7
132.4
130.4
217.5
San Fransisco
118.7
271.0
92.7
112.9
116.7
162.7
Boston
115.7
147.0
163.4
102.2
124.0
132.5
Seattle
108.4
150.1
83.3
118.5
120.2
121.9
Portland, OR
116.7
133.3
95.2
114.2
108.7
120.0
Chicago
107.8
130.5
106.9
113.3
112.5
112.2
Denver
103.6
108.6
93.0
98.5
104.8
104.1
Dallas
91.2
69.5
111.1
103.6
104.3
92.0
*Index measures the relative price
levels for consumer goods and services in participating
cities as compared with the national average of 100
for all participating cities. Source: American Chamber of
Commerce Researchers Association, 2nd Quarter 2009.
Housing
Jefferson County’s housing options are as diversified
as its landscape, offering high-quality housing communities
in rural, suburban, metropolitan, and mountain settings.
Housing options are highly varied in the County. Newer
and higher-end homes tend to be located in the southern
and western areas of the County, especially along the foothills
of the Rocky Mountains, while more affordable housing for
first-time or lower-income home buyers is available along
the County’s eastern boundaries.
100.0 = National Average
for all cities. Source:
American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association
(ACCRA) Cost of Living Index, Fourth Quarter 2002.
Existing
Single Family Detached Home
Average Sales
Price in 2008
$263,780
Number of Homes Sold in 2008
7,570
Volume of Sales in 2008
$2.0 billion
Source: Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, 2008.
Source: Denver Apartment
Vacancy and Rent Survey, Fourth Quarter, 2002.
Healthcare
Jefferson County offers residents an active,
healthy, outdoor lifestyle. There is also a strong community
focus on preventive healthcare.
Exempla LMC, a major medical facility in the city of Wheat
Ridge, takes an active role in preventive outpatient and
wellness education throughout Jefferson County. Click
here for directions and a campus map. To contact Exempla
LMC, call 303-425-4500.
Exempla LMC is one of the largest, full-service, licensed
hospitals in the metropolitan Denver area. It has been named
in the national study "100 Hospitals, Benchmark for
Success" four times in the past eight years. The study,
done by HCIA, a healthcare consulting company, selects hospitals
that perform well in providing high value, quality care,
effective use of resources, and efficient provision of care.
Exempla
Lutheran Medical Center Stats
Licensed Beds
400
Employees
2,401
2008 In-patient admissions
17,734
In a separate HCIA study, Exempla LMC was honored for outstanding
orthopedic care. Additionally, in 1998, the hospital received
a "Mercury Award" in recognition of its care of
oncology patients, and the National Philanthropy Foundation
recognized the hospital as an outstanding business for its
commitment to the community. Most recently, Exempla LMC
was honored by the Colorado Patient Safety Coalition and
received the "Hospital Award" for excellent work
in promoting patient safety.
Exempla LMC provides a full continuum of care in specialty
areas such as cardiology, orthopedics, respiratory/pulmonary,
obstetrics/gynecology, oncology, surgery, mental health
services, emergency medicine, and preventive outpatient
and wellness education throughout the community. Construction
is complete on a comprehensive, new Heart Center at Exempla
LMC. The one-of-a-kind Heart Center offers a full range
of cardiology services to patients at one location.
The AMC Cancer Research Center is also located in Jefferson
County. This world-renowned cancer research institution
is located in the city of Lakewood and is dedicated to the
prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases.
For additional information, call AMC Cancer Research Center:
Local - 303-233-6501
Long distance - 1-800-321-1557
Cancer information and counseling - 1-800-525-3777
Source: Jefferson County
Department of Health and Environment.
The Department of Health and Environment provides a variety
of community health services such as immunizations, a communicative
disease control program, family planning services, HIV counseling,
prenatal care, nutrition education, outpatient drug and
alcohol treatment, and environmental health services related
to air and water quality, food safety, and sanitation control.
The department also issues birth and death certificates.
For additional information, call Jefferson County Health
& Environment Department:
Lakewood Office - 303-232-6301
Arvada Office - 303-275-7500
Golden Office - 303-271-5700
Major Hospitals in the Metro
Denver Area
In addition to Exempla LMC, Jefferson County residents
have access to several major hospitals in the Metro Denver
area.
Hospital
Name
2008 Patient Admissions
Presbyterian/St. Luke's
Medical Center
11,701
Exempla
Saint Joseph Hospital
26,929
St. Anthony Central
Hospital
15,851
Rose Medical Center
13,077
Exempla Lutheran Medical
Center
24,414
University
Hospital
21,074
Porter Adventist Hospital
10,070
Swedish
Medical Center - HeathOne
21,359
Denver Health
21,285
The
Medical Center of Aurora-HeathOne
15,680
Boulder Community Hospital
10,732
The
Children's Hospital
9,941
St. Anthony North Hospital
6,760
Sky Ridge Medical Center- HeathOne
12,287
Littleton Adventist
Hospital
10,869
Source: The Denver Business
Journal Book of Lists, 2007/2008
Jefferson County is a premier location for people who are
interested in outdoor recreation and a healthy lifestyle.
Roughly 72 percent of the County's 773.2 square miles is
mountainous, providing a wealth of outdoor activities.
The Jefferson County Open Space program, established by
a vote of the people in 1972, is one of the most renowned
and ambitious in the country. Its mission is to preserve
and enhance the county's uniqueness–striking mountain
vistas, rolling plains, fish-filled streams, and abundant
wildlife–for future generations of Jefferson County
citizens to enjoy. Since 1972, over $211 million has been
spent to acquire land and facilities.
To date, the program has preserved over 51,000 acres of
scenic land, hiking, biking, and riding trails, and wildlife
habitats in urban and rural areas of the County. There are
a total of 30 open space parks/facilities, 196.8 miles of
trails. Open space lands include unique, abundant wildlife
habitats, streams, lakes, historic areas, trail corridors,
parks, and recreation facilities.
The Open Space Department has just moved into Phases
2 and 3 of its $160 million plan authorized by voters in
1998 to preserve more land in the County for open space.
Over $20 million has been allocated for the Trails 2000
program to aquire and develop 100 miles of trail and trail
connectors.
Jefferson County Open Space offers semi-primitive camping
opportunities at two locations, White Ranch Park, northwest
of Golden, and Reynolds Park, southeast of Conifer. Both
locations offer the solitude of mountain camping with the
convenience of being close to the metro area. More
information on camping in Jefferson County
Golf Courses
There are over 20 public and private golf courses located
throughout Jefferson County. With our temperate climate
and extremely mild winters, golfing is a year-round sport
in Colorado.
Hang Gliding/Paragliding
The truly adventurous take
advantage of Golden's Lookout Mountain for hang gliding
and paragliding activities.
Hiking
Colorado is a mecca for adventurous climbers who seek
some of the highest of all U.S. mountain peaks. Colorado
has 54 "Fourteeners" (mountain peaks over 14,000
feet in elevation) - six of which can be easily reached
from Jefferson County. They are:
Longs Peak
Torreys Peak
Grays Peak
Mt. Evans
Mt. Bierstadt
Pikes Peak
For further information, contact the experts at the Colorado
Fourteener's Club or the American Alpine Center (see
mountaineering).
Kayaking
The only championship-caliber kayak course in metro Denver,
the Clear Creek Kayak Course is extremely popular, attracting
hundreds of sports enthusiasts wanting to test the wild
rapids of Clear Creek in Golden. Established kayak companies
in the area rent equipment and provide classes. The course
has attracted the Eddie Bauer Kayak International as well
as youths training for the U.S. Junior Olympics.
Mountaineering
The American Alpine Center is home
to the American Alpine Club, which moved its headquarters
from New York City to Golden in 1993, and the Colorado Mountain
Club. The Center has the largest mountaineering library
in the western hemisphere, a 350-seat auditorium, and features
including a mountaineering museum, climbing wall, and conference
facilities. The Center encourages the preservation of mountain
environments while cultivating interest in mountaineering.
Excellent mountain biking trails can be found in many
of Jefferson County's Open Space parks. In addition, some
of the ski resorts in Colorado offer mountain biking opportunities
during the summer. More information and downloadable maps
can be obtained from the Colorado
State Park Service, Bureau
of Land Management, or the U.S.
Forest Service.
Nature Center
The Nature Center's mission is to create awareness, understanding
and conservation of Jefferson County's natural systems through
free, year-round public programs and exhibits. The 110-acre
park's trails wind through towering ponderosa pines and
mountain meadows. The Center also serves as a wildlife habitat.
There are 29 open space parks/properties in the County.
The parks have a variety of features, including picnic shelters/pavilions,
wildlife viewing, fishing, swimming, walking paths/trails,
cross-country skiing, playgrounds, historical points of
interest, handicap facilities, and ball fields. Detailed
listing of parks and their amenities
Skiing
Colorado has some of the most beautiful and popular ski
resorts in the world–and Jefferson County offers convenient
access to nearly all of them. The nearest ski resort is
only 50 minutes away. Some of the ski resorts that can be
easily accessed from Jefferson County are:
Berthoud Pass–50 miles West of Denver
Eldora–52 miles west of Denver
Loveland–56 miles west of Denver
Winter Park–67 miles northwest of Denver
Arapahoe Basin–68 miles west of Denver
Copper Mountain–75 miles west of Denver
Keystone–75 miles west of Denver
Silver Creek–79 miles northwest of Denver
Breckenridge–85 miles west of Denver
Vail–100 miles west of Denver
Beaver Creek–110 miles west of Denver
Ski Cooper–125 miles west of Denver
Steamboat –157 miles northwest of Denver
Monarch–157 miles southwest of Denver
Howelsen Hill–160 miles northwest of Denver
Crested Butte–230 miles southwest of Denver
Additional information can be obtained from Colorado
Skiing.
Jefferson County offers
a variety of shopping locations including the nationally-recognized
Colorado Mills Mall and the new Belmar shopping location in
Lakewood.
Belmar
Wadsworth Boulevard & Alameda Avenue
Lakewood, CO 80226
Major Anchors: TBA
Colorado Mills
I-70 and Denver West Boulevard
Lakewood, CO 80401
303-384-3000
Major Anchors: Borders Books Music Café, Eddie
Bauer Outlet, ESPN X Games Skatepark, Gart Sports, Jillian's,
Last Call Clearance Center from Neiman Marcus, Off Broadway
Shoe Warehouse, OFF 5TH Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet, Super
Target, United Artists Theatres, Walden Family Playhouse
Denver West Village
I-70 and Denver West Boulevard
Golden, CO 80401
303-278-6857
Major Anchors: Barnes & Noble, Wild Oats Market, Bed
Bath & Beyond, Christy Sports, Old Navy, SoundTrack,
OfficeMax
Lakewood Commons
Wadsworth Boulevard & Alameda Avenue
Lakewood, CO 80226
Major Anchors: Cub Foods, OfficeMax, Michael's Crafts,
Ross, PetCo
Southwest Plaza
Bowles Avenue & Wadsworth Boulevard
Littleton, CO 80127
303-973-5300
Major Anchors: Dillard's, Foley's, J C Penney, Borders
Bookstore
Westminster Mall
5491 W. 88th Avenue
Westminster, CO 80030
303-428-5634
Major Anchors:Dillard's, Foley's, Sears, J C Penney
Westminster Promenade
I-36 and 104th Avenue
Westminster, CO 80020
303-469-2100
Major Anchors:AMC Theatres, Sun Microsystems Ice
Arena, The Westin Hotel
Jefferson County’s housing options are as diversified
as its landscape, offering high-quality housing communities
in rural, suburban, metropolitan, and mountain settings.
