Areas around Golden (Arvada,Wheat Ridge, Lakewood) (Denver, Pueblo: apartment, rentals)

[mojodad]

My wife and I are planning to move west of Denver in June form Louisiana (originally form WA state). We'd like to move to Golden but it might be hard to find a place with out being there. We'll probably rent an apt but it looks like there'll be more options in places nearby like Arvada, Lakewood, or Wheat Ridge. Are there any bad parts of town to watch out for in those areas?

We're a 30 year old couple and looking to rent a 1 bed for 600-800/month(hopefully with at least some utilities included). We have a baby and 70 lb dog (mutt but not aggressive breeds). Any suggestions?

Thanks.

[davebarnes]

1. Padmapper.com
2. Any other apt hunting services that you can find.
3. I think all of Wheat Ridge is OK (I live just to the east in Denver)
4. Avoid Sheridan Blvd (and nearby) in Lakewood.
5. I think all of Arvada is OK.
6. Good luck if you are looking for a Denver rental

[mojodad]

Thanks,

How about areas in Westminister? Anywhere to avoid there.

[JMM64]

Arvada, Wheat Ridge, and Westminster are very quickly becoming over-populated and all three cities are very congested and starting to feel like one big suburb. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just confusing when driving through. There aren't too many bad areas in any of these suburbs, but the outskirts are very rural.

Westminster is nice pretty much everywhere. There's definitely more trees in Westminster than other Denver suburbs if that's important to you (nothing like WA or LA, but still nice). The area between Wadsworth Blvd. and Sheridan Blvd. in Westminster is IMHO the nicest area of the city. You're near all the stores and restaurants you need, and close to both Denver and Mountainous areas like Rocky Mountain National Park.

If you're looking for a 1 bedroom apartment for less than $860.00 a month, then you better look in either Pueblo or another state. Unfortunately Denver rent is getting outrageously HIGH! I pay $865.00 a month (water and utilities included) for a small 1 bedroom apartment in Lakewood. If this cost is no problem for you, then you'll be fine.

[Dwick]

We would welcome you and your wife to move to Arvada. It sounds as if you have some familiarity with Arvada already. As you probably know, we are a city of 107,000; however, we still retain a small town feel. We have a vibrant Olde Town area ([url]http://www.historicarvada.org/);[/url] we are close to the downtown Denver area, which is also vibrant and exciting ([url=http://www.downtowndenver.com/]Downtown Denver > Home[/url]), and we are nestled near the foothills and the mountains with easy access to lots of outdoor recreation.

There are some nice apartment/condo rentals available in Arvada, and we have a low crime rate with a police department that has a strong emphasis in working closely with our law abiding community to address crime issues and quality of life issues. You can learn more about crime in Arvada and you can also learn more about what is going on in a particular area you may be interested in living by using these free crime information tools. Hopefully they can help you make an informed decision.

crimereports.com
raidsonline.com

If you have other questions about Arvada, you can visit our visitors center ([url=http://visitarvada.org]Arvada Visitors Center - What to Do, Events, Dining, Day Trips, About Arvada, and more![/url]) or give them a call. We'd be happy to help you.

I hope this helps you make a decision.

Don Wick
Chief of Police
Arvada, Colorado