Desirable Neighborhoods, Affordable Apartments (Denver, Arvada: rentals, movies, pharmacy)

[npauthor]

Thinking of relocating from the Bay Area. I would appreciate suggestions on non-suburban areas that are safe, clean, quiet. Must be centrally located (close proximity to grocery, pharmacy, barber, post office, restaurants, coffee, movies, library, hospital/medical offices, etc.--preferably some or all of the above within walking distance). On or near frequent, reliable public transit. Within reason, area and apt. trumps rent. Easy access to parks or green spaces would be a nice plus.

Interested in studio or one-bedroom apartments (desire well maintained older buildings, not high-rises), maximum $900/mo. if possible. Please be as specific as possible regarding neighborhoods and apartment locations as I am not very familiar with the city's layout. Any recommendations for reputable property management companies (is that an oxymoron?) also welcome. Not looking for a youth-only district, but mixed age (I'm a young 65) is fine.

I am very politically/socially progressive, physically active (hiking, running, birding), follow a green, vegan and animal-friendly lifestyle.

Any additional information about quality of life (cultural and recreational opportunities (events, facilities), civic organization participation/volunteering or anything else of interest or importance to a newcomer would be very useful.

[davebarnes]

Surf to Denver Maps - Downloadable Maps (City-wide) and download the Neighborhoods map.
That way, when someone says: "Harvey Park", you can get an idea where the neighborhood is.

[npauthor]

Thanks, Dave. A good first step.

[Mike from back east]

Sounds like you want to be in-town, and IMO all the things you seek can be found in several neighborhoods; to name a few there's LoDo, Wash Park, CIty Park, Cheesman Park, Capital Hill, Highlands (not Highlands Ranch), Arvada and several others that the Denver folks can tell you about, or use our search tool to explore existing threads.

To see rentals, use padmapper.com but read the warnings for any Craigslist ads.

[davebarnes]

@Ron,
The weather in Denver is MUCH better than Rochester. I have lived in that part of the planet and know what Lake Ontario winters are like.
We get way more sunshine than Portland.

[ca-ut-??]

Someone on yelp said aurora is like san Jose, I just went there yesterday for the first time. I kinda agree, I was from Santa Clara

[npauthor]

Thanks again, Dave.