Young, College Graduate--Where are the best places to live? (Denver: renting, houses)

[kapetrich]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Aha! Denver is NOT like those big eastern cities; being from Baltimore and having worked in the DC area for 30+ years, I feel fully qualified to make that statement. In Denver, you will have a fair amount of concrete, but little real pollution and almost no angry sorts. There is only a very small area of Denver that is minimally sketchy. I can tell you from real life experience that there are no sprawling, blighted areas in Denver like you see in Baltimore, DC, Philly, East St Louis, southside Chicago, etc. In short, there is really nothing here to fear the way people fear violence back east.

I totally agree. Denver is still one of the only "larger" cities I would consider living in for these very reasons. I'm from Baltimore too, BTW.

If you're looking for a Burlington type city in Colorado (something I was striving for 2 years ago and found) take a look at Boulder or FC. I'd add in places like Durango and the like, but they just aren't big enough to offer the amenities you're looking for.

Note: Biggest problem with Burlington, FC and Boulder type cities is that they're somewhat/very (Depending who you ask) college dominated. This, to me, is very tough unless you're an alumni. A big reason towns like Eugene, Asheville and Madison are not as desirable, imo, either. That said, there are many major positives to living in a college town. It really depends what you want.

[biocmp]

I can update you later on but I just moved to the Golden/Lakewood area and it is beautiful, outdoorsy, plenty of food/shops/bars and you are a short drive to downtown Denver if you want to mix it up. This is a beautiful place. I made the move from Indiana and it was 100% improvement in all of the areas you mention

[Luvs2Trvl]

I would say Ft. Collins and Boulder. Obviously with college towns you have a younger atmosphere but there are also a lot of good jobs in those areas depending on what you do. Tech industry in both of those towns is good and there are some really good companies in both cities.

My brother-in-law just started a new job in Boulder and we went house hunting with him a week ago. If you are planning on buying a house though, Boulder is expensive. There are surrounding areas (in between farmland) that does have newer and less expensive homes than Boulder. One thing I noticed in Boulder was the insane amount of people walking and biking everywhere, even though it was in the mid 90's that day. Definitely a fit town and one that is maybe easier to get around on foot! I have several family members that went to CSU in Ft. Collins and they liked Ft Collins. It's also a fun town to visit. Both towns fit what you are looking for. Not too big but not really small, still within 45 mins of Denver, younger culture, nightlife, tons of recreation literally at your doorstep.

[Autodidact]

If you want all that stuff and not a big city, you may want to look at Ft. Collins.

[JenEKay]

Thank you for all the responses! I am going to keep checking out Denver, and learn more about Fort Collins. I may rule out Boulder only because it seems too expensive for a new college graduate living on her own

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by JenEKay

Thank you for all the responses! I am going to keep checking out Denver, and learn more about Fort Collins. I may rule out Boulder only because it seems too expensive for a new college graduate living on her own

Now that's just plain silliness. Cost of renting an apartment in Boulder is no more than living in some of the most desirable parts of Denver. You can also look for roommates, roomshares in houses, etc if you don't want a 1br apt. Boulder isn't Manhattan. If you really want to live there, you, or anyone can live there-- how do the tens of thousands of CU students afford it? The real issue is where are you going to be able to get a job?

[LisaBoulder]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Now that's just plain silliness. Cost of renting an apartment in Boulder is no more than living in some of the most desirable parts of Denver. You can also look for roommates, roomshares in houses, etc if you don't want a 1br apt. Boulder isn't Manhattan. If you really want to live there, you, or anyone can live there-- how do the tens of thousands of CU students afford it? The real issue is where are you going to be able to get a job?

Agreed. There are a lot of college grads living in Boulder. They don't all make huge amounts of money either.

[howdydoody342]

I think a big question is what kind of job is she looking for or going to have. Burlington is a nice city but not sure what type of jobs u could really do there, in CO you wouldnt really have this problem. Places like burlington are pretty unique, but u also have to ask urself if you want the type of people that live in places like that 365 days a year and not want more diversity. Personally that whole scene gets pretty tiresome real quick, but thats just me.

[OakAve2OakLand]

While I can definitely understand those recommending Boulder or Fort Collins...OP I would recommend you start with Denver, based on everything you've said.

It sounds like you as a young person you want to be around the excitement and opportunities of the city, but want to avoid the crime, the pollution, the concrete jungle, etc. (heck, who doesn't) I think you will find even the most dense, urban parts of Denver are much less "urban" (mostly in a good way) than the eastern cities you're used to. As others have pointed out, Denver has much lower crime than most cities (now there are still areas, you'll want to avoid or be very careful in, of course) and it also one of the best cities on the map in terms of an urban park system, and greenbelt.

Heck, Denver is such a "green" city...they even name many of their neighborhoods around parks. Speaking of which, for you I would suggest checking out neighborhoods like Congress Park, Cheesman Park, City Park, Cap Hill or possibly the Highlands or Lo-Hi (especially if your job ends up taking you west of I-25)...and go from there.

[sugaree__]

Mike
so what are the areas in denver that are sketchy? I drove around denver all day yesterday, and i cant seem to find a good map indicating where i am at, meaning which neighborhood. I have one but it was really difficult to find where i was with reference to the map. i want to be sure i am somewhere safe no ghettos or the like. thanks!