Avoid Aurora, such a shitty place in every aspect. Agree on avoiding Federal Heights too. 45 min commute to the heart of denver leaves quite a few options on the table in almost every direction.
If you wanna stay north of denver (my preference), consider Erie, Dacono, Lafayette, Longmont. Erie has a SHIT LOAD of new developments that just got finished in the last 12 months, most are $280-$400k, i think the average hangs out at low 300s. I like that area alot, the only consistent crime around there is drunk drivers, otherwise its a very 'burbia sort of area. <5 min from your driveway to being on i25. You're also <15 min from 2 really good (top ranked) highschools, and one more mediocre public one. Handful of K-8 schools as well, some big or small. Can't help you if you wanna live south of denver, don't know that area well, avoid it for many reasons. It gets so damn crowded once you go directly west or directly south of central denver. Like i wouldn't live there if it were damn free - its that type of crowded. Golden is a nice option, beautiful and ultra safe place but its pricey!
Oh gee, how did i forget to mention Louisville? Great area as well. Its almost too safe. Pricey though.