Moving from Wisconsin, Need Advice... (Denver, Lakewood: apartment, lease, lofts)

[MovingMyCheese]

Hello everyone! After only reading existing threads, I decided to register and get my specific questions answered. So here goes:

I will be moving from Madison WI to the Denver/Boulder area early 2008, as soon as my condo sells here. I'm 51, divorced and being drawn to Colorado to start a new life. I have no children, except 2 cats and fish, so schools are not an issue. In fact, I would prefer not to live in an area with a lot of young families with kids. The small suburbs to the west of Denver appeal to me because they have close access to Denver, Boulder and the mountains.

My idea is to rent a small apartment (between $600-$800 a month with a short term lease, furnished if that's affordable), then buy a condo when I know where I want to stay. I realize prices will be higher than Madison, but would need to stay under $170,000. Is that possible without settling for a rundown area?

When I get settled, I'll be looking for employment in Accounting, Payroll, or my true calling: pet related work. I have owned horses and was a professional pet sitter here for 10 years. I do intend to contact pet sitters in Colorado also. Any ideas for the best job locations?

Since I don't know anyone in Colorado, I'll need to make new acquaintances. I've heard the people in Colorado are friendly and easy going. Are there certain areas that would be better for meeting people? Any ideas you have to keep me from feeling isolated would be much appreciated.

There's probably a limit on how much I can write at one time, so I'll stop for now. Thanks for your help!

[tfox]

$170k for a condo will give you lots of options. You probably won't be able to afford any of the new lofts downtown or in the neighborhoods downtown, but for an older condo, you should be fine just about anywhere for a 1br, but even a 2br is not out of reach in your range.

When you say "the small towns west of Denver closer to Boulder", I assume you mean Wheat Ridge and Arvada? These are nice, older communities, both surprisingly "rural" feeling given their closeness to the borders of Denver. They do have their share of families, but those areas have always struck me as having a more older families -- the young families tend to make a bee-line to the further out suburbs with newer construction. They're not all that close to Boulder, however. If you want to be close to Boulder you'll be looking more up at Broomfield or Louisville.

You might also give a thought to living in Denver -- your housing budget would allow it. Living in Highlands or Berkeley (both in the northwestern side of Denver) are very desirable neighborhoods in which you could still probably find condos in your range, despite their recent surge in popularity. Those areas would be more urban and metropolitan while still maintaining a leafy neighborhood atmosphere. They would be considerably more expensive than the suburban areas over the line across Sheridan, however.

[steveco.]

Thats a knarley name you got there bud

[MovingMyCheese]

Steveco: I guess I forgot to mention I'm a woman, not a guy! Despite the way you're taking it, the name was supposed to reference my home state's obsession with cheese and a little book you might have heard of called "Who moved my cheese?" It's about handling change in your life. I can't think of a much bigger change than uprooting yourself, by yourself, and going to a new state. So that's the story. But now you've got me thinking I should change the name!

TFOX: I have done a little bit of research on the area between Boulder and Denver. The places that I'm considering include Arvada, Lakewood, Westminster, Louisville and Broomfield. I've also looked at Golden. Can you give me an idea of the differences between them?

In February, I'll be making a quick trip to Denver to check things out firsthand. Since I won't have tons of time, it would be good to narrow it down a little!

Thanks again!