Colorado-Child To Be Treated at NJH-Need Advice on Where to Live (Denver: apartments, rentals)

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Cat-In-Cali

Thank you for this post and that listing! I checked it out. Was wondering what area would this be called? Is it a safe area?

Not a super high crime area, but not the safest either. That would technically be the Clayton neighborhood.

Originally Posted by Cat-In-Cali

Does anyone have opinions about Cherry Creek area?

It's great. One of the more posh neighborhoods in the city, but I would be skeptical of anything calling itself Cherry Creek in you price range. It is not likely really in Cherry Creek.

[mic111]

Recent discussion on Clayton.
Clayton near Schafer Park

Maybe it is my suburbanness blinding me but just about all the city neighborhoods have been undergoing gentrification and I don't see a whole lot of difference in most areas. There are fixed up or flipped homes and there are ones that aren't. Some were historically richer or have undergone gentrification earlier. Clayton was a low income area and is going later but that is where the value comes in. Once something is discovered then the prices go up. I am not uncomfortable in any of them. The schools however are not good but it may be a good launching point until you get a job and know where it will be or your son stops attending the hospital school.

Anyways, for comparison here is some crime info.

Cherry Creek Crime, 2012 & 2013
http://www.denvergov.org/LinkClick.a...370&mid=507383

Clayton, 2012, 2013
http://www.denvergov.org/LinkClick.a...370&mid=507383

Edit: In studying these crime statistics it occurs to me that it is too bad you can't sort them based on crime by family members or acquaintances. My understanding is that is the most frequent type of crime. Denver in general is a very safe area.

2nd Edit: Just for grins here is Wash Park where skydog lives. It is a very posh, very safe area.
http://www.denvergov.org/LinkClick.a...370&mid=507383

[Cat-In-Cali]

any thoughts on these areas? Just want a broad range of opinions. Why exactly are people moving out of LoDo and so many mixed opinions? 16th street mall area looks pretty upbeat and fun, I web searched a few areas on the Denver city website.

33, female, single, one child 11. How are the schools in these areas too. (we are on a wait with National Jewish Health hospital school, so just in case, we are delayed don't want him waiting at a bad school)

Someone please tell me more about Riverfront-havent found a whole lot on that.

Cherry Creek jumped out at me as well, what is this area like to live in?

Uptown by City Park was among the suggestions of others on another forum. All of these seemed to be in proximity to National Jewish Health which is a goal.

P.S. Are City Park or Riverfront two areas where can you jog by water and a nice bit of a skyline view? If I cant live by a great mountain view, perhaps being able to run somewhere in the area and my son ride his bike in the early mornings would be nice too.

[jamesdenver]

Anyway you're not going to live in or near Riverfront Park. It's very expensive, mostly high rises and lofts (kids can't just head out and play) and very urban. Despite being in the heart of the city the park and river confluences are beautiful - but again you can't afford it.

Live in Congress Park or City Park South. There's many many families. While it's also "in the city" it's a very neigborhoody feel - and i see tons of kids out playing in yards, biking, playing soccer at the multiple parks (Cheesman, Congress Park, Hilltop and the massive City Park.)


So long as you can find a place in your budget there you'll be content.


You don't want to live IN Cherry Creek unless it's north of 3rd. Most of Cherry Creek is a mall and upscale shopping (Cherry Creek North) and little to offer for renting. Many subpar apartments adjacent to Colorado Blvd and even points east (along Mississippi) label themselves "Cherry Creek" but they're not, they're simply along the Cherry Creek Trail.

[Cat-In-Cali]

Thank you.

[Cat-In-Cali]

Which of these areas has a NY feel? i.e. running through Central Park, nice skyline, city feel, water? Is there water by City Park? Why are people moving away from LoDo, no one has answered this for me. Is it all bec of the college crowd presence? I could go higher on the rent if I found what im looking for, just a matter of preference. Right now I pay 1500 a month by the beach, top floor condo. So if Im gonna pay that range again, it just has to have what I want otherwise not worth it.

[billiken]

Originally Posted by Cat-In-Cali

Can you tell me more about Congress Park? Whats it like? What is your op about City Park too as an option? I dont have to have a new/modern place. Back yard would just be nice vs a cramped 1 or 2 bedroom. This is funny but where we are now, I have a 3 bedroom condo with an upstairs loft for 1495 a month, almost 2000 sq feet across from the beach. But my son just does horrible here. I have to make amends with the lack of space for the money out west and get used to that again, its family and health that matter most. Is Congress Park an area where there are ok schools and kid friendly, City Park too? Ive read a lot about City Park itself and finding spots to sit free of duck poop but other than that it sounded nice too. Hey I dont mind some view, its better than none if its walking distance from Congress Park. Sprouts sounds like a health food grocery store. Ill look it up. Are there places to eat there, shopping, social environment? I looked at Capitol Hill, but not sure its my vibe. I heard its a little slower there. Yes, I read Lodo is full of college crowd so its good to here from someone who moved away from that and found a good medium.

Congress Park is a solid mix of SFHs, duplexes, and some multifamily places. City Park seems to trend more multifamily closer to downtown. I thought schools didn't matter because of the hospital's school? There's a good amount of families here...but I'd emphasize that it really is a mix of everyone--single people, families, older people.

Sprouts is great--great prices, much better quality than King Soopers/Safeway, much lower prices than Whole Foods.

If Capitol Hill is too slow of a vibe, Congress Park is probably not right for you. There's a bunch of places on Colfax, a bunch of places on 12th, and then Colorado Blvd is a very busy street, high traffic street with everything you'd ever need on it (not all of which is walking distance). I like the area because I can walk to pretty much all of what I consider to be daily needs (groceries, restaurants, liquor stores, parks) without the crazy bar scene/just out of college crowd. There are some busy streets going through it (13th & 14th) but it still feels very homey and residential--which I like. Social atmosphere seems good--there was just a neighborhood BBQ a couple weekends ago.

You also ask later about Cherry Creek, and LoDo/Riverfront. Cherry Creek is very upscale. Nobody's mentioned it because its not in your original budget. There are family friendly parts--but they are mostly single family homes that are priced into the millions. The whole area is centered around the mall & related shopping streets surrounding the mall. Living in a giant complex there might work for you, though--I considered it at first. You'd have to add a few hundred $$s/mo to your budget. The Cherry Cricket is a great family burger place (not too late though--its also a bar). There's a farmer's market at the mall on the weekends. There's also a Whole Foods and a Safeway. It feels more busy from a traffic perspective, which I was never a huge fan of. I don't like having to cross 6 lanes of traffic on foot to get somewhere. It might be right for you if you want something more lively than Congress Park/Capitol Hill.

LoDo/Riverfront are also out of your original price range. Besides that, it's very college crowd oriented in the rentals. I don't know about you, but I'm a professional working business hours + some, and I can't handle being surrounded by 22 year olds partying till 2AM on a Tuesday. The noise was unbearable. That's 80% of why we moved. Other reasons: very expensive, no good grocery store to walk to, parking rates are crazy. 16th Street gets old after a while with all the tourists, homeless people, pre-teens being obnoxious and inappropriate with no parental supervision, and people constantly asking you to sign their petition. I never saw families that appeared to actually live downtown--just families bringing their kids for entertainment purposes. I did appreciate being so close to so much going on--we pretty much never left downtown on the weekends.

[billiken]

Originally Posted by Cat-In-Cali

Which of these areas has a NY feel? i.e. running through Central Park, nice skyline, city feel, water? Is there water by City Park? Why are people moving away from LoDo, no one has answered this for me. I could go higher on the rent if I found what im looking for, just a matter of preference. Right now I pay 1500 a month for a 4bedroom by the beach top floor condo. So if Im gonna pay that range again, it just has to have what I want otherwise not worth it.

Denver does not have a NYC feel...at all. But that's ok! And most people know/accept that. City Park is the "main" park of the city. There's a lake in the middle, it's got a great view of downtown but isn't surrounded by high rises the way central park is. If you're focused on a lake, there's also Sloans Lake--loved that neighborhood, but not much out there in terms of nice-ish rentals, at least in the several months I looked.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Cat-In-Cali

Which of these areas has a NY feel? i.e. running through Central Park, nice skyline, city feel, water? Is there water by City Park? Why are people moving away from LoDo, no one has answered this for me. I could go higher on the rent if I found what im looking for, just a matter of preference. Right now I pay 1500 a month for a 4bedroom by the beach top floor condo. So if Im gonna pay that range again, it just has to have what I want otherwise not worth it.

People leave LoDo because it's a party and people get tired of that.

NY feel? Highland maybe, but that is more Brooklyn than Manhattan.

Water? This is the high desert. Don't get your hopes up. There is a lake (pond by most non Coloradoan standards) in City Park. People run around it.

Capital Hill is not a slow life by most standards so I'm not sure where you read that.

I really think Congress Park is the best spot for you, especially given the NJH situation. It is a very desirable neighborhood and you won't be able to afford the best spots in it, but there are places to be had within your budget.

It really seems like you need to make a trip out here and see these places for yourself.

[TigerLily24]

Originally Posted by Cat-In-Cali

Which of these areas has a NY feel? i.e. running through Central Park, nice skyline, city feel, water? Is there water by City Park? Why are people moving away from LoDo, no one has answered this for me. I could go higher on the rent if I found what im looking for, just a matter of preference. Right now I pay 1500 a month for a 4bedroom by the beach top floor condo. So if Im gonna pay that range again, it just has to have what I want otherwise not worth it.

I think that jamesdenver pretty much nailed it with the recommendations of Congress Park or City Park South. City Park is beautiful - the Nature and Science Museum is right at the edge of the park on Colorado Blvd. - there are water features and it is always filled with people.
It is reasonably close to the hospital.

One of the unfortunate facts of life here is that housing is expensive compared to other areas. It just is.


Example listings for an apartment building within walking distance of the hospital in Congress Park:

1325 Garfield Street, Denver CO - Trulia
Garfield Park Apartments Apartments For Rent in Denver, Colorado - Apartment Rental and Community Details - ForRent.com

If you put store in these things, note that one of the close elementary schools has a greatschools rating of 10 (!).