Moving to Denver / Driving to Boulder? Buying house?

[delta07]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

The comment in bold is ridiculous. Aurora is a city of 300,000 people, and to make a broad generalization like that is the same as saying about 200,000 of those people live in a rough area. Don't believe the hype and negativity preached here about Aurora. The unfortunate belief around here is that neighborhoods with homes more than 20 years old that aren't populated with the upwardly mobile or old money are "rough areas". Much of Aurora north of Iliff is quite nice, with solid, diverse middle class neighborhoods. I wish some of the people that cite the crime and gang activity would give some actual examples, I think that some just assume there is because of the diversity. It's highly unlikely you'll ever be a victim of crime in Aurora. Dan, when you come to Denver, give Aurora a second look and decide for yourself, it's probably the only place near Fitz you'd be able to purchase a decent home sub 200K. The hospitals themselves are quite safe, the "unsafe area" nearby is a couple blocks west and all that means is that some of the stores have signs/names in Spanish. Your commute to Boulder would suck however.

Yes, I suppose it is a large generalization, but after spending 18 years of my life in Aurora, and my parents spending almost 30, it has changed. Once, when I was sitting at the intersection of 6th Ave. and Buckley Road, a man walked up to my passenger window. He asked the time and when my friend looked at his watch he started punching him in the face. No reason...just the wrong place at the wrong time. Then there was the time a couple of kids I went to high school with were shot and killed while working at the Chuckie Cheese. Our house and cars were also broken into and we were robbed 4 times in 4 years. Oh...and I forgot, my mom's restaraunt was robbed. My uncle, who was working, had a gun to his head the entire time. So, yes, maybe a generalization, but my experiences may sway my opinion of the area. There are certainly pockets of Aurora that are liveable, although I would not live there. The poster asked about neighborhoods near the hospital. These crimes (except for the property) took place north of Iliff, specifically around Buckley and 6th Ave. as well as near the Buckingham Mall. THe property crimes took place in a relatively affluent part of Aurora (Smoky Hill and Chambers).

[dj32]

I second Stapleton- but you won't be able to find a home under 300K. Not sure about condos there. However, it will be a good investment, safe, sense of community for both of you and relatively easy commute to Boulder. I have several friends who live there and commute to Boulder. It is usually ok, and about 40-45 minutes.

No way in the world you'd find anything in Hilltop for less than 300k. You could look in Mayfair but not sure what you could find there. Colorado can be a bear (which is the road you would need to take up to 270 to 36 to Boulder) in the morning, I used to do that commute to Boulder and it would take 1-1:15.

[jed0909]

I live in the Boulder area and have made the commute to my job in Denver for over two years now (in my case, I was the more willing commuter, with my partner working at CU Boulder). I have often noticed that commuter traffic in the opposite direction looks far worse than mine. However, given you will be a grad student, it's likely you won't be confined to the typical '9 to 5' schedule, right? If you have flexibility and can avoid the typical rush hour schedules, I would think it wouldn't be so bad. The RTD system can be great, but it depends on how many connections you have to make.