Parker, Colorado
What It Is Like to Retire in Parker
Parker is a very fast growing (+90%) town and suburb, located southeast of Denver. This city of 45,000 is quite affluent with a median household income of $86,000. The town offers a variety of community events and boasts an award-winning Recreation Center, and an arts center that hosts many programs and free outdoor concerts in the the park. A beautiful new library adds to the abundance of events in the communtiy. Parker also boasts a network of trails for biking, hiking, skating and horseback riding, as well as numerous parks and open spaces. The Parker Arboretum features a variety of trees unique to the area. Picture of Main Street in downtown Parker courtesy of Wikipedia and Jeffrey Beall, Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0/
Watch this short Youtube video prepared by Best of Parker CO:
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Where to Retire in Parker and Home Prices
There are a number of active adult communities in Parker and the Denver area (see Active Communties link at left). All types of housing are being offered in Parker as home construction and new developments are seen throughout the area. Living here would most likely be in a community with a home owners association. The median price of a home in Parker has been fairly stable for several years. Zillow.com reports the median home value to be $597,365 in mid-2021.
What Is Special about Parker
It is an affluent and fast growing town with a crime rate about half the national average. It has an outstanding number of parks and recreational facilities along with a very active center for the arts. It is an outdoor and family orientated community.
What Is Not Special about Parker
Parker is expensive and growing so fast one has to worry about congestion. Everything is new here-new library, center for the arts, recreation center, hospital and many shopping centers, so there is no old time charm to it. Although there are several beautiful golf courses here, they are all private with no public courses in Parker.
Who Will Like Retirement in Parker
Retirees who like a planned and progressive community with a low crime rate would like it here. Parker was ranked 29th in 2011, as one of the "Best Places to Live" by CNN Money Magazine. There is a hospital, volunteer opportunities, a performing arts center, a walkable downtown area with shops, restaurants, and parks. The new library just opened in 2016 and offers classes, lectures, a recording studio, a reading room with fireplace, and is a wonderful place to take the grandchildren. Outside of the library is a popular splash pad for children during the summer months, and family ice skating in the winter.
Local Economy Is Driven by
Eduction, Health care, retail
Climate and Physical Environment
The average Jan temp is 30; the average July temp is 70. Parker gets a little over 50 inches of snow annually. Humidity is much lower than average. The town is southeast of Denver and east of Lone Tree and Centennial.
Restaurants & Cultural Scene
There are many restaurants in Parker which include those unique to the town along downtown Main Street, and the many chains in the surrounding shopping centers. For the Cultural Scene The Parker Arts Council has many programs and sponsors festivals and concerts in the park.
Crime
Crime rate is half the national average.
Medical facilities
Parker Adventist Hospital expanded in 2015 and provides medical services to Parker.
Transportation
Denver International Airport is only about 30 minutes away. Parker has a very nice walkable downtown, but the communtiy itself is very spread out. There are walking and biking trails from some sections of Parker that connect to downtown. A light rail system to Denver is available from Aurora, just a few miles away.
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