Live & Work Downtown (Denver, Golden: 2013, rent, houses)

[moongazr]

Hello, all!

New here, so please be gentle! :-)

I am from a small town in the upper midwest. My fiance and I will be relocating to Denver in May 2013. He is from Denver, but has been away for 5-6 years (and wishes he never left!). I have never lived anywhere but "here."

My question is this...I love the feel of the downtown / city center area of Denver. I would like to be able to live AND work in an area that has a real "old neighborhood" feel, nothing suburban. My fiance says that is not how it works...if you live in the city, you commute an hour to your job. I am convinced that can't be the only option. I have a 10+ year background in dispatching (non emergency) with very strong admin skills, but I am very flexible about jobs. As long as I can make rent and live in the neighborhood that feels right, I am happy. From looking online, I am thinking somewhere in the Capitol Hill / Uptown / Golden Triangle / 5 Points areas.

Input on whether you can live and work in one area? Ideally I'd like to use biking, walking, and public transportation.

Thanks so much!

[SkyDog77]

The two major employment centers are downtown and the Tech Center. Plenty of people work downtown so I'm not sure why your dude thinks that you can't live and work downtown. The most charming old neighborhoods are also the most expensive, but Baker for example is a very cool neighborhood, pretty affordable and has very easy Light Rail access which can take you to the business district downtown in 10 minutes or so. The other benefit of Baker is better highway acces than the neighborhoods you listed above.

I would say you are more likely to have an easy commute if you live downtown than if you don't. I'm really not sure what he is thinking unless he already has a job lined up somewhere in the suburbs.

[moongazr]

Thank you!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Find the work first, then I'm sure you can find a nice place to live within a reasonable distance. So many of the different areas in and around the Denver metro area have qualities that you are looking for. You don't need to be in downtown for either work or dwelling.

There's no reason to commute an hour for work. Maybe your guy did before, but that's no reason why you have to do it now.

[moongazr]

Thank you for your replies. I realize this is kind of an additional concern not initially mentioned, but from everything I've read here and on other forums, I understand the job hunt can't really begin until I am physically in Denver. If that is incorrect, someone please let me know and feel free to pass along any tips. Thanks again!

[ELCO5280]

Most employers are looking for local candidates, however you can at least get your resume looked at if you get a Google Voice account with a Denver area code and forward to your cell phone.

[moongazr]

Thanks for the tip about Google Voice, I have already done that.

I don't know what to do about the address, though.

Is it possible to get a local mailbox when you're not local?

Thanks all! You guys have been wonderful, especially considering I am a newbie and a stranger! :-)

[ELCO5280]

Since your fiance is from here does he have any friends or relatives that will let you use their address? PO Box perhaps? if not just leave the address off the resume.

[jamesdenver]

You can get a local address at any Mail Boxes Etc or local mailbox place. However you have to visit/set up in person and show identification and a utility bill showing an actual address.

[dude_reino]

Your fiance' is dead wrong. Most of the neighborhoods surrounding downtown (five mile radius in any diretion) have affordable single-family houses (small bungalows) with very easy to commute to the central business district. Larger cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco do not afford this option, which makes Denver very special in this respect.