Finally Doing it! - Moving To Denver - Some Questions?

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by Techn0lady

So I am FINALLY getting out of Reno (Hasta la vista, Methheads!) and am planning to move to Denver last week of July. I scouted out the city last summer and it has everything I would love on a city (nice nightlife, arts scene, restaurants, museums etc.) I love the sunny climate and even love the winter snow (I ski) I'm in my 50's but am active and am more of a 35ish mindset (if not body-set lol) I am going to scout for apartments on last week of June and 1st week July for two weekdays each.

Let me tell you my plans and perhaps you can tell me if it all seems reasonable. Any (constructive!) thoughts would be appreciated So I work for a really well known company in I.T. and do all my work from home so I require a fairly fast and reliable internet connection (already know about the duopoly). I make a so-so salary of 38Kish (but with **amazing** bennies ) and can supplement my income with a few thousand a year of savings if I need to until it goes up a bit. I'm going to look for a 2 bedroom apartment in the 850-1050 range (ideally much closer to 900 if I can).

Based on a lot of demographics (education level, income level, crime rate, etc) that I looked up on the maps found here (so(!) helpful) as well as lots of thread reading form this forum I've identified a few areas that I might like to move to:

- the Arvada/Wheatridge/Golden/Lakewood area (west of sheriden blvd)
- downtown west of colorado and southish of colfax
- south Denver near the cherry creek reservoir or north west of it

OK - some questions:

Of those three areas which sounds like my best bet for my 2 bedroom target range of 850-1050? ANy other suggestions for areas with low crime rate and safe walkability ?

Which of those areas has more biking and walking trail accessibility?

Which of those has more nifty downtowny things to do like coffee shops and bookstores

I'm currently using padmapper and icky craigslist to hunt for apartments. Any other recommendations? Known real-estate agencies that rent - that sort of thing? I'd be open to renting a small house if one can be found in that range.

I am SO looking forward to moving to such a nice city !

Thanks
Diane

Have you actually looked at rent prices in Denver? This move makes no sense for you. You are going to almost double your rent, for what? The only thing I can see you would get out of it, would be the arts scene, restaurants, and museums. Since Reno has virtually none of those things. But those are mostly touristy things. Sounds to me like you should stay where you are and visit Denver once or twice a year.

If you do make the move, you are going to have to downsize from a 2 bedroom to a smaller 1 bedroom. Forget about a house. Thats not going to happen in your price range. Also people in this forum, seem to be having difficulty finding good internet options in Denver.

[Techn0lady]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

Have you actually looked at rent prices in Denver? This move makes no sense for you. You are going to almost double your rent, for what?.

Your opinion seems to be quite the outlier here
I will not be "doubling my rent in Denver". At worst I will be adding 2 or 3 hundred to it for a much nicer apartment in a much nicer neighbors in a lovely city with lots of things to do . I certainly can afford that .

[Techn0lady]

Originally Posted by Davros

They're not necessarily nice. I think the Goldsmith neighborhood mentioned (Hampden at Yosemite) is a nicer neighborhood than I-225 at Parker Rd (Cherry Creek Reservoir).

That's good to know info! Thanks to you and noideaforaUserName for tat helpful info. I look around there - I'll be in Denver next week do to some actual searching.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by Techn0lady

Your opinion seems to be quite the outlier here
I will not be "doubling my rent in Denver". At worst I will be adding 2 or 3 hundred to it for a much nicer apartment in a much nicer neighbors in a lovely city with lots of things to do . I certainly can afford that .

OK.

Rent Per Month Reno, NV Denver, CO Difference
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 591.67 $ 1,183.33 $ +100.00 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 612.25 $ 790.33 $ +29.09 %

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

[mollygee]

Good Luck on your move to Denver!! Great city! Close to lots of other cities! Boulder not too far away, Colorado Springs, Glenwood Springs, (drive through mountains, hot springs) Ski, bike...... oh yeah and Blackhawk (gaming area.)

Great museums, parks and cafes; night life. Trying to get back to Denver, myself; miss so many things about the city. Great transportation, for a large metro area, there are lots of friendly people. Give it a try.

[Techn0lady]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

OK.

It's great that you can look up something on a website and take that as gospel but actually having lived in Reno for four years and actually searching for apartments here in Denver right now today (yay!) I can assure you that if you actually go out into the rental market rather than do a LazyBoy chair browse of some website you will find that rents in Denver are most assuredly not twice that of Reno, regardless of what some website says

[Techn0lady]

Originally Posted by mollygee

Good Luck on your move to Denver!! Great city! Close to lots of other cities! Boulder not too far away, Colorado Springs, Glenwood Springs, (drive through mountains, hot springs) Ski, bike...... oh yeah and Blackhawk (gaming area.)

Great museums, parks and cafes; night life. Trying to get back to Denver, myself; miss so many things about the city. Great transportation, for a large metro area, there are lots of friendly people. Give it a try.

I'm in Denver today and think I've found something nice in the "suburbs" about 13 miles away from city center. Denver is really a fantastic city and if I can lock something in this week I'm looking foreward to exploring it more - thanks for your great reply!

[4DM1N]

Originally Posted by Techn0lady

Let me tell you my plans and perhaps you can tell me if it all seems reasonable. Any (constructive!) thoughts would be appreciated So I work for a really well known company in I.T. and do all my work from home so I require a fairly fast and reliable internet connection (already know about the duopoly). I make a so-so salary of 38Kish (but with **amazing** bennies ) and can supplement my income with a few thousand a year of savings if I need to until it goes up a bit. I'm going to look for a 2 bedroom apartment in the 850-1050 range (ideally much closer to 900 if I can).

$38k/yr will be tough to live on in Denver. You will have to budget well to make it work. I make almost double what you make and I feel like that's just enough not to feel poor. I guess that's relative though.

Forget about a 2BR in that price range unless you're in a shady neighborhood or way out on the outskirts of town. You're probably looking at closer to $1200+ for a 2BR in Denver. Check out http://www.padmapper.com to see what you can find in your price range.

Originally Posted by Techn0lady

Of those three areas which sounds like my best bet for my 2 bedroom target range of 850-1050? ANy other suggestions for areas with low crime rate and safe walkability ?

Southeast Denver/Aurora might be your best bet given the price range you're looking for.

Originally Posted by Techn0lady

Which of those areas has more biking and walking trail accessibility?

Again, I'll point you to SE Denver. Cherry Creek Reservoir and the Cherry Creek Bike/Pedestrian path are nice, walkable routes.

Originally Posted by Techn0lady

Which of those has more nifty downtowny things to do like coffee shops and bookstores

Nothing I can think of in your price range, unless you're willing to accept Starbucks and Barnes and Noble as part of your criteria. Otherwise, maybe you can find a cheap studio in the Capital Hill neighborhood.

[Techn0lady]

Originally Posted by Davros

They're not necessarily nice. I think the Goldsmith neighborhood mentioned (Hampden at Yosemite) is a nicer neighborhood than I-225 at Parker Rd (Cherry Creek Reservoir).

Good advice I found that out when I actually drove around there. I ended up getting something in Arvada north of the 70

[JohnnyDenver]

For the most part, you'll be safe in Arvada as long as you didn't rent in the apartment complex at 55 and Marshall and some of the other areas in the south end of the city.

You should definitely check out the Olde Towne area.