Denver or Colorado Springs? 2018 (Lakewood, Monument: apartment complex, lease, crime)

[yougoleahcoco]

Hi there,

I am moving to to Colorado in August when my lease it up here in Florida (Originally from the Northeast, so bring on the snow). I was visiting this past weekend but still have some questions that I hope you can help me out with. Long story short I am a 29 year old female who is moving by myself out there. I am looking for apartment complex. But, pretty much every apartment complex I look at has a 2 star review on google. Which, I get, nobody writes good reviews anymore just negative ones. So, I need help with the following:

I am torn between Colorado Springs & Denver Area. I was drawn more to Colorado Springs then Denver when I visited this past week, but is Colorado Springs more for of a family area? I want to have the option to obviously go out and be able to meet people in the 20s-30s range since I will not know anyone in the area. I also would love to connect with people for outdoor actives (obviously) so if there is anything in either area that I should be joining or researching please let me know. Colorado Springs has more of a mountain view as well? Unless that is the just the pictures. I would not like to live in the city of Denver as a lot of it is very high priced ($1,500 a month) but I am looking at apartments in Lakewood, Westminister & Thorton.

I also would love to know where the higher crime areas are in both Colorado Springs and Denver. Each city/town always had a more dangerous part and I would like to avoid while continuing my apartment search. Pretty much safety is going to be high on my priority list since I will be living alone. I have lived in dangerous cities before though so I probably just expect the worst.

If I had to describe what I am looking for it would just be a clean & safe apartment with easy access to hiking trails, mountain views and not too far of a drive to a grocery store.

Any advice regarding anything is much appreciated. I normally try to connect with locals before making any decisions as its your stomping ground.

Thanks so much in advance for all of your help.

[beezle1]

Colorado Springs is close enough to Denver that if there isn't enough excitement for you, the trip to Denver is reasonable. I live on the north end of El Paso County and I go to Denver for concerts, as there are more artists I am interested in that come to Denver (very few come to Colorado Springs). Most people will advise to avoid the southeast part of Colorado Springs, but there are parts of it that are not bad. Pretty much any place in Colorado Springs will be easy access to hiking and such.

[otowi]

Colorado Springs is a large enough city that it has plenty of people your age, but if you're really prioritizing night life Denver will have more due to its size. Colorado Springs is indeed closer to the mountains with better mountain views overall and a bit closer for a lot of hiking, recreation activities -but there are tons of options in the Denver area as well.

As for areas to avoid, I can't speak much to the Denver area, but in Colorado Springs I'd best advise as a generalization that the lower the rent of the apartment complex overall and the older the complex it is, the more likely it is to be less of what you are looking for. There are no particularly dangerous neighborhoods but there are some that do have higher crime than others. The southeast sector of the city gets the worst reputation for crime but the reality is a lot more nuanced and there some nice apartment complexes in that area. There are crime maps available online or if it comes down to you choosing between a couple of complexes we can give more specific information.

[TCHP]

What are you doing for work and can it be found in both places at comparable pay ranges? That is a much bigger factor to consider than meet and greet and outdoor activities. BTW, did you know half the population in both cities is from somewhere else? You are going to meet a lot of people just like yourself in that regard.

Both areas have a multitude of activities to do in your off time. Both have a lot of different groups you can meet with and pursue activities. Denver metro, by its sheer size, will have a much more urban recreation vibe to it with people using the numerous local parks and paved trails to get out and active without leaving the city. Since the Denver metro is numerous small cities that have grown into each other, you can find pretty different feel for things within the different areas.

Colo Spgs, on the other hand, is basically a single city in the foothills and has a lot more wild land interface which tends to drive individual or small group activities. We also have a very extensive city park system and recreation groups as well but they will appear to almost be underutilized compared to Denver. We do have a few small municipalities around us that will likely be absorbed, but nothing like Denver metro.

In gross numbers, Denver has nearly everything over Colo Spgs. In percentages though, it is a much closer match, but I'd also caution you that Colo Spgs is not a mini-Denver. It is much more spread out and much less dense. While Denver is not big city like NJ or FL, would you prefer big city or medium city? In CO, Denver is big city. COS is medium.

[LHS79]

Don't plan on commuting between Denver and C/S either- it is getting worse DAILY even though some newbies say "it is still not as bad as where I came from".

Last Sun. night it took an hour to get from Larkspur to Monument since there was an accident near Greenland- you see more of this every day due to the massive influx of people who are checking out their Facebook accounts and NOT PAYING ATTENTION to driving!

[TCHP]

Here is a read with a bit more detail in it; http://www.city-data.com/forum/denve...o-springs.html

[BornintheSprings]

If you have money to burn and a burning desire for nightlife I would pick Denver. Other than the nightlife aspect the Springs pretty much has anything you could ask for. Do you like the outdoors? The outdoor recreation opportunities are leaps and bounds ahead of anything Denver offers.

[yougoleahcoco]

Thank you so much for this feedback!

[yougoleahcoco]

I am lucky enough to work remote right now which is why I need to make sure I am surrounded by outdoor activities because once that clock hits 5:00 I am out the door. So, luckily I have the option to pick either or without stressing about commuting to work or finding a job, ect. I did not know that and that is great to know!

From what you told me I think that Colorado Springs is more my cup of tea. City life is great but I feel that I have outgrew it and am ready to be around great trails to run after work and outdoor activities on the weekend. Thank you so much for your help. I feel a bit more confident now.

[beezle1]

If you are a runner, this may interest you, and a place to meet new people:
Jack Quinns Running Club – Drinkers with a running problem