Can't wait to move to the city!! Tell more more about.... (Denver: apartments, renters)

[awsun1980]

Stapleton
Lowry area
Capital Hill
Wash Park
Congress Park
Five Points
Highland
Golden Triangle
LoDo

I've done some searches on this forum & have found some good advice, but am looking for more. I'm moving to Denver in November & would like as much input from those that already live there as possible.

I'm in my late 20s, single, want to be around more people like me my age---so sick of living near families & soccer moms--can't wait to get out of Longmont!! I am counting down the days till I move.

This is what I want:
---Apartment/loft/condo in the low-mid $700 rent range
---non family-oriented
---somewhere where I can feel safe at night (I am a single female, after all)
---someplace where I don't hear everything my neighbors do & say--right now I have a HUGE problem hearing every footstep, conversation, etc that my upstairs neighbor make beyond um..other things--I'll spare the details.

I have a friend who lives in Capital Hill on Washington--but in doing some searches on here, I've read that it's not safe for females? Any thoughts on that?

And this may seem like a dumb question, but what's the main difference between a 'flat', a condo & a loft? Maybe I should try a high-rise to avoid the paper-thin walls that apartments usually have?

Right now there is a few apartments in Stapleton & Lowry that I want to check out. Based on this, where do you think is the right fit for what I'm looking for?

Thanks again everyone for any responses! I need all the input I can get on these areas...

[tfox]

Wow, lots of questions. Personally, I think any of the above would be fine for you.

As for crime in Capitol Hill, yes, there is some. It would certainly be more of an issue there than say, Lowry. But, many single women live there and seem to do fine. It's not the most dangerous part of town. If you've ever lived in a big city before, you'll find Capitol Hill no problem at all. On the plus side, Capitol Hill is probably one of the few areas we have in Denver that can truly give you that walk-everywhere lifestyle that you might find in a big east-coast city.

As for flat versus condo versus loft: a loft is supposed to be a converted industrial building, usually without a lot of interior walls, with really high "industrial" ceilings and exposed pipes, ductwork, etc. They also tend to be expensive. Real lofts are usually converted 19th century warehouse space. However, there's some condos that are made to look like lofts that are given that title. Condo is just an apartment-like unit that you own rather than rent. And a flat is just a synonym for an apartment.

As for a place that you can hear your neighbors, I think that's just a fact of life of condo living. High-rise buildings are usually all-concrete and for that reason a bit quieter .. Some very old 19th century buildings are also pretty solid for the same reason. However, many of your 60s-70s low-rise condo buildings are notorious for having very thin walls. The newer buildings downtown tend to be more aimed at affluent buyers or renters and for that reason are a bit better built than in previous decades.

As for Stapleton and Lowry, they are nice areas but they're pretty far away from your other areas -- everything else is downtown or very close to it. (well, except Wash Park). Lowry and Stapleton, despite what they'll tell you, are more of a combination of urban and suburban. Don't get me wrong, they're great areas, but they're packaged as more of a "best of both worlds" type of thing -- live in the city but avoid the problems of the city, and get a new house to boot. Believe it or not, I know people who have left Central Denver for Stapleton simply because they wanted features like his/her closets. On the other hand, those may be exactly what you're looking for.

If you want my advice, I'd say look around Capitol Hill and Cheesman Park. If that seems a bit TOO urban and scary for you, then check out Highland. If that's still too urban, then have a look at Wash Park, if you can afford it (West side is cheaper). If that's not your cup of tea, then try Lowry/Stapleton.

[RJT]

I live in Capitol Hill, and I've never felt unsafe. Of course, I take reasonable precautions--I generally try not to do too much walking alone at night, always keep the door locked, etc. You probably would want to make sure you got a place at least a couple blocks south of Colfax.

You can definitely find a place in your price range in Capitol Hill. I live in an old home converted to apartments. I never hear the voices or music of the other tenants. I notice the occasional door slamming, and I can hear when the people upstairs vacuum. But really, no noise problems at all.

I tend to think that if you're going to live in an area like this, you might as well find somewhere funky and unique to live, like one of the many old homes like this, rather than settling for an unsightly high rise or 1970s apartment building.

[awsun1980]

Thanks, tfox. As always, you are a great help on this board!

So how would I go about looking for an apt in the Capitol Hill, Wash Park, Highlands area? What is the zipcode in those areas? I've never found anything online for them so not sure where to start.

I've done other searches on here for Stapleton/Lowry---why do those areas get a bad rap? It's in my price range & has most of the amenties I need---and says it's only a 10 minute drive to downtown--is that not accurate?

I don't know if I could live in such an old apt building or 60-70s style high-rise with thin walls. I would love to have concrete walls where I don't hear my neighbors but I'd also like to have a newer place with newer applicanes, etc..course I would like to have a high-rise loft in LoDo--but that is far beyond my reach!!!..the apartments I live in now I think were built in the 80s & I can hear my neighbor upstairs walking across the floor, urinating, talking etc...it gets rather annoying.

Does anyone on here live in Stapleton/Lowry/Wash Park/Capitol Hill??-where would I most likely find that? Any other websites, suggestions anyone can think of????

[Katarina Witt]

My nephew lived both in Lowry and West Wash Park. They are both nice, but very different. The Wash Park duplex was old and the landlord wasn't very responsive to the typical old place problems like bad plumbing. The Lowry place was new and modern, but it was higher density. I think 10 min to downtown from Lowry is a little exaggerated, but not much. It looks like his zip code in Wash Park was 80209 (hard to tell in my address book). My DD lives in the DU area, 80210, which is also nice, IMO. We lived near Highlands in Sloan's Lake and our zip was 80212; I think Highlands is 80211. I don't know Lowry's.

[tfox]

New-to-co,

Stapleton and Lowry, as far as I know, don't get a bad rap at all. They're extremely popular areas. As for 10 minute drive to downtown, that's probably about right (they're about 4-5 miles away) -- it's not in walking distance to downtown, like some of your other choices (Cap Hill, or East Highlands).

Zip Codes:

Capitol Hill: 80203 / 80218
Congress Park: 80206
East Highlands: 80211
West Highlands: 80212
Wash Park: 80209
Stapleton/Lowry: 80220

Looking for an apartment -- well, try Craigslist, other rental sites on the internet. Contacting a realtor can also help. Denver neighborhoods don't have a lot of corporate owned "complexes" -- so you're probably renting from an individual owner or a property manager. That means you might need to look a little harder.

[dj32]

i think stapleton and lowry get a great rap on this forum in in denver in general.
you mentioned "Not family oriented" both of these places, although they have condos/lofts are extremely family oriented versus the others on your list.

OH, i would choose capitol hill over five points for safety although I'm sure five points is getting better.

[awsun1980]

Thanks everyone, again for your responses. Wow, thanks for all those zipcodes, pittnurse, tfox, that's a great help.

I have just read other reviews on here that say Stapleton is all cookie-cutter & whatnot. But I've read mixed reviews. From what I've researched, it seems like a cool place & will probably be where I start out considering price range, amenties, being able to have pets, etc. I don't necessarily need to live within walking distance to downtown--just not 45 minutes away OUT of the city like I am now. I feel like I miss out on so much living so far away.

I realize that Stapleton/Lowry may be more family-oriented than say, areas closer to downtown, but could it be any worse than Longmont?!!! I work a part-time job on the weekends & all I see are damn soccer moms & kids galore! It drives me nuts, but on the other hand, I don't want to live in an apt complex with a bunch of young, rowdy college kids--I am in-between wanting to get sleep at night at the same time wanting to go out & party & have fun myself--does that make sense?? I know I am picky & know that with apt-living--you just never know what it's like until you get there.

So what about Cherry Creek?? Or Uptown? What are these areas like? Is it all a bunch of rich snobs like what I've heard?

And 1 more question---a lot of jobs I've applied to are in Englewood--if I did choose Stapleton/Lowry, what am I looking for in commute time? I realize they are not next to each other, but didn't know how far that drive would be from Central Denver.

Thanks for responding!!

[bloomin]

Use Google maps to see the whole area. Read local newspapers online. Check driving directions to get mileage from location to location.

[Katarina Witt]

Stapleton and Lowry are not as family-oriented as Longmont. You will need to come and visit to see if it meets your needs. I doubt you will find any place that is completely "child-free" unless you move into an undergraduate apt complex in Boulder.