Retiring to Denver/65 years old (Aurora, Lakewood: apartments, how much, home)

[Fran66]

Wondering if Denver is a good place to live for a 65-year-old retiree. Arvada a better place to live? Does Denver have any senior centers (the kind that are 8-5, Monday through Saturday, for very active seniors)? Are there neighborhoods in Denver that would be better for a retiree to live in? Can I live in Denver without a car? Any information would be very much appreciated. Oh, are there nice neighborhoods around the university? (I'm in college.) Thanks!

[Mike from back east]

Look in the index of threads for Car Free Living in Denver located in the transportation topic, or just search on that title.

We have a retiree on here, LiveContent, who swears by Arvada.

[Fran66]

Thanks, but I can't find it.

[Mike from back east]

Here's the link.

[Fran66]

Thanks very much. :-)

[livecontent]

I have decided to enter this forum from one of my absences because I think it is important to answer this question about retiring in this area. I am a disabled senior, in my sixties, and I am retired. I am very familiar with the area, having lived here more than 32 years. In addition, I have taken an interest in senior issues, activities and good places to retire.In addition, I am a strong supported of Public Transit and use the system frequently and know it well. Since I need extensive medical care, I am very familiar with the health care options for seniors and I am also a Veteran and use the VA system.

Yes, the Denver area is an excellent place to retire. It has excellent public transportation and you can easily live without a car. Healthcare is very well provided from basic care to many trauma centers. Denver and the surround metro cities are very safe and have good walkable neighborhoods. There are outstanding recreational facilities and extensive parks, open space with many senior community centers.

I am the author of the post which is often cited about Car Free Living in Denver Car Free living in Denver This is was a few years ago but today the public transit is much better with the build out of the rail network/more buses/call n' rides that are the result of the Fastracks Project FasTracks Home

Again as I have said, Public transportation is only as good as the choices of places you choice to live.There are many neighborhoods in the whole metro area that provide excellent public transit and would be better for the elderly. Some neighborhoods do not provide the good public transit that would be necessary for car free living.

My suggestion for public transit is to choice a place to live that is walkable to a main bus route or a rail station. By a main bus route, I mean one that runs day and late into the night, 7 days a week. These buses will always be available and will not be curtailed by weather or by a transit strike--as some secondary buses will sometimes be suspended. It is not necessary to use rail for good public transit, as there are many areas provided by bus that can give you just a good or better public transit options http://www.rtd-denver.com/index.shtml

In addition, in being elderly it is very important to live with 3/4 of a mile of a regular route as you may have a need, or future need, for paratransit disability service and that is a very strict requirement of service. Our service is called Access-a-Ride http://www.rtd-denver.com/accessARide.shtml (broken link) I qualify for this service because of the severity of my health problems. However, there are numerous other senior van services running through the area that are not subject to this rule--but are much more limited in services.

I would certainly choice a neighborhood that is walkable to a good basic grocery store. You do not need an expensive area with overpriced stores and gourmet market but many intersections on major routes have a wide range of stores that are near a good grocery such as King Sooopers or Safeway. It would help to have a variety store such as Target or Walmart.

Senior Centers are everywhere and run by the local recreational district. I live in Arvada and I have access to numerous Senior Centers in my immediate area in Arvada, Wheat Ridge, and Westminster. There are so many centers and you may find that they are no longer named senior centers because someone has decided that the term "senior" is limiting and now are being renamed as "Activity Centers" It would be hard to list them.

Access to Medical Care is very important so choicing a place to live would be necessary for the elderly to have near access or good public transit access to more routine medical care of a doctor and infrequent care at a hospital. There are many such places to choose.

If I was moving here as a new retiree and I would probably look at a nearby hospital and see if there is a good walkable neighborhood with stores and public transit. Near a hospital would certainly be extensive doctor's offices. Access to senior centers would come second but there would also be one nearby as the recreational services are excellent. From my opinion the best places to live would be:

Englewood--I mean the City of Englewood not all these addresses that use the Post Office and I specifically mean at Broadway and Hampden. Swedish Hospital is one of the Main Trauma I hospital is the area. Public Transit is excellent as the Broadway Bus, Rout 0 is a main route. In addition all this is nearby and walkable to the Englewood Station which is at the First Transit Oriented Development and Community developed in the area, as a result of the light rail. It includes a Walmart, A library, The City Center, a King Sooopers and a Safeway--all nearby. In addition, a Senior Center is right in the Center of all these services. Englewood is small and dense and includes many senior communities and apartments. Another Plum is that Englewood Provides a free shuttle, called the ART which goes across the small city by the hospital, shopping, senior center, across broadwa to the the Englewood Light Rail Station.

There are other areas around the metro area but this post is getting big and I cannot put all the links I want. Wheat Ridge is good because it has many seniors and a good hospital, Lutheran, and great recreational center and a the biggest and unique new headquarters building.the Senior Resource Center. One of the best areas to live would be Applewood area which is were Wheat Ridge, Golden and Lakewood come together, center on Youngfield between West 20th and West 38th. Good Public transit with multiple buses at the Applewood Shopping area and Lutheran is east, down on 38th.

Arvada has extensive senior support and relies on Lutheran for a Hospital and in and about the older area off Ralston Road, West 58th and Independence would be a good area. Also 80th and Wadsworth with good public transit and shopping. The Senior Activity Center is near West 68th and Wadsworth.

Lakewood is also a good place for seniors and is moving into an excellent situation with a soon to be open rail line. A new hospital. St. Anthony, has been relocated there and will be adjacent to a rail station. I would say in Lakewood, living along West Alameda, west past Wadsworth would be a great location for Seniors. In addition, there is the ecletic Belmar Center at Wadsworth and Alameda; Library is across the Street with a King Soopers and the City Center. Kaiser Permanente also has one of their large medical clinic, near this intersection. I would strongly advice looking into Kaiser Denver as it is rated the best Medicare Plan in the nation.

There are so many areas in Denver, for example near Porter Hospital, at South Downing and Yale. That would be a great place to live as a senior--very safe, near Denver University, Good Bus Service--even east near and about Yale near Colorado--Nice well established neighborhoods, but how much can I write, at this time.

Do not be put off by older,denser and well established neighborhoods of the metro area. They offer some of the best services and environment for seniors. I would also consider the inner denser part of the City of Littleton; Centennial, near Arapahoe and University; and Aurora, near the City Center which provides good buses and access to health care. Boulder and the City of Longmont, I think are excellent places for retirees with expansive public transit. They offer extremes in living style from the excitement of a college town, Boulder, to the more sedate conservative nature of Longmont.

I am not too thrilled about newer farther developments for Seniors because you become isolated; you must drive everywhere and there is less public transit. During the day, it can get very lonely in many neighborhoods, as they are younger and people work. However, there are many expensive and luxurious retirement communities in the some of these newer areas but again are isolated--not to my taste. If I was going to choice an expensive retirement community, I would look to Denver, especially, the Cherry Creek neighborhood--near University and 1st. There are many well established senior residences in and around Speer. This would give you good public transit, near the higher end shopping of the Cherry Creek Mall and many unique shops--all walkable. It depends on your taste and budget.

Livecontent

[Fran66]

Thanks so much for answering my post. It gives me a lot of research to do, and I know where to start.

[mooregirl]

What has been your experience at the VA Hospital?

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by mooregirl

What has been your experience at the VA Hospital?

I have used a number of VA hospitals, both as a in-patient and at the clinics. around the country. This is no better or no worse than others. Dealing with the VA is many times problematic but it is what it is--a government bureaucracy that you just learn to handle, work through and accomplish what you need to do. You got to keep in mind that the demands have increased tremendously with many of the current war casualties. Because of these problems, I now use it for some durable medical equipment and get most of my care through a Medicare Advantage Plan. It cost me a little more but It is less of a hassle.

The Denver VA is old but is now building a brand new VA hospital in Aurora, adjacent to the Aschutz Medical Campus which contains the Medical School and University Hospital (This was the site of the former Fitzsimons Army Hospital which was closed). It also includes many new clinics and a new Children's Hospital. The medical school complex moved from adjacent to the current hospital, a few years ago--so the VA follows because it does training and Denver is in need of a new hospital. If you need extensive VA medical care than it is necessary to live in an area that has a hospital and a new VA hospital is nice to have. The State also built a new and very nice Veteran's Nursing Home on this Campus. It is certainly an advantage to live in a growing prospering metro area like Denver which can afford to build new facilities and get federal monies because of the growing West where Denver is the main city of the region.

Livecontent

[Fran66]

LiveContent: Is there any reason why I wouldn't want to live within the Denver City limits? I like being in a big city. I understand Cherry Hills is a good neighborhood?