moving to denver, need adviceon neighborhoods (Lakewood, Littleton: apartments, rentals, lofts)

[sassyashymn]

Hi, my name is Ashley . I am 25 i currently live in st. Louis park, mn and work at a hospital. I just got my bachelors in psychology. I went to school in my homestate of minnesota. I have decided i want to move to denver for at least one year if i dont like it ill move back to mn. I am exploring jobs at hospitals around denver arra and looking into grad school in denver too but i am in no rush to start school right away. so may wait on that. Im just looking for general advice on which areas are low in crime and close to denver . for example, if you were to ask me what part of Minneapolis or close to it is nice to live in id say, if you are going to live in minneapolis dont live in the nw it has very high crime. Also i like st.louis park because its like one mile outside mpls but the community feels like its like 20 miles out in the suburbs which i like but also like the closeness to the city. So is there a gem like thar near denver, low crime, suburban community,afforable but a short drive to the city.

[Suzatlarge]

Define what "affordable" means to you, i.e., your monthly rental budget.

The Denver area is basically a huge urban/suburban sprawl. Most of it is "low crime" and safe to live in. Traffic all over the metro area sucks, and it's getting worse. You could spend literally hours a day in your car crawling to and from work, if your job is located too far from your home. Not fun. Figure out where you're going to work and then start looking for housing based on that.

I highly recommend you read the many recent and current discussions of Denver housing, neighborhoods, etc., here on the Denver forum to start becoming familiar with the metro area.

[davebarnes]

Is it too much to expect proper punctuation?

[sassyashymn]

Thank you , Suzatlarge. I really appreciate your advice. Actually, i am unsure of my budget quite yet because i have not found a job yet. I guessing im thinking under 1000 for a 1 br apartment. Its good to know that denver is relatively low in crime. Is any part condisered, ghetto? I guess i thought every metro has a ghetto part. I think you are right about find a job then a place so i don't suffer a long commute.

[eatsDEN]

for under a thousand a month, you are basically going to be searching out private landlords --
all of the management company/investor owned units are goign up up up in monthly rates...

even out in 80123 I saw a apt. manager asking $950 for a 500 square foor efficiency with murphy bed - the zip code is SW of Denver downtown located in Littleton/Lakewood/Denver depending on exact location - about 15/20 minutes to downtown -- in the same complex I know of studio lofts that are 867 sq ft for $850, but with a private owner...

good luck!

[Pequeño_Bonsai]

I did a search for 1 bedroom apartments within 10 miles of Denver for $1,000 or less a month:

1 Bedroom Apartments in Denver, CO - 1 Bedroom Rentals in Colorado

You have some options.

Once you secure a job, you can check the commute times via Google Maps or Bing Maps as they have a traffic estimation. Double the time during the winter when you'll be driving in winter weather conditions.

If you choose to rely on public transportation, check out Denver's RTD site for the map and compare it against the apartments you're interested in to see if it's a match.

Regarding safety, just read apartment reviews. Residents are not shy about posting negative comments!