Should I live in Boulder or Denver as a young professional and triathlete? (Arvada: apartment complexes, rental)

[Goldbrand]

Hello!

I am from Denmark in Europe, and I am moving to Denver or Boulder in October for work, and I am trying to figure out if I should live in Boulder or in the northern part of Denver e.g. the Highland area.

I will work from an office in Westmoor, just between Denver and Boulder, and I would like to be able to bike to work. My work will also include a lot of travel in the US, so I need to go to the airport weekly.

My question is what neighborhood best suits a 30 year old single professional male? I am very active triathlete. I also like other out skiing from time to time. Preferable I would like to live relatively close to mountains (within 20-30 minutes on bike), but I also enjoy grabbing a coffee/beer and dinner in the city from time to time.

I have never been to Denver or Boulder before, so I hope you to can give an idea where it would be best for me to live.

Hope you can help me with some advices.

[Mike from back east]

I moved this to the Denver forum as this is where you'll get the most input from locals.

Boulder is very expensive, Denver metro area is less expensive.

Best advice we have is to live close to work to minimize commuting times and to rent for a year before buying a home as you need to explore all that is available.

Tremendous bicycle culture out here, especially in Boulder where it's almost a religion.

Check rental prices on padmapper.com but beware that craigslist has many scammers. Read and heed their warnings.

[davebarnes]

Westmoor is not a "real" place.
I presume your work location is next to the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.
If this is the case, then consider living southeast of there in Arvada.
Yes, it is boring suburbia, but the commute would be pleasant and the "scene" in Denver would be an easy drive.

[reed303]

If you are really into biking, and working at the Westmoor Office Park, I would recommend you look at the Arista area just east of Westmoor. It's about 2.5 miles by road, by bike possibly shorter. Also it is adjacent to a major RTD station with easy public transport to Denver, Boulder, or the DIA airport.

Otherwise there are several major apartment complexes going south on Wadsworth Parkway (CO Hwy 121) from 108th Ave

Arista Broomfield Home Page - Arista Broomfield

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/39.8...d39.905484!3e0

[Goldbrand]

Thanks for the feedback, much appriciated. My understanding from your feedback is that Highland/LODO area is not the best option for me since commuting to work will/could be a pain. I will look into your suggestions. Would Westminster be an option for me to consider too?

[davebarnes]

Commuting from Berkeley would be OK.
Finding a place to live is another matter.
Look at Olde a Town Arvada.

[qsr]

If your main priority is cycling, then live in western Westminster, Broomfield, or Superior. There is also access to the bus on US36 to get to either Denver or Boulder. The Interlocken area is booming with apartments and young people moving in. Arvada is closer to the city, which is why I moved there. Cycling is not quite as good, though due to the traffic. Highlands or Edgewater is a fun place for the young & affluent, but more traffic and less access to outdoors.

[robertgoodman]

As a cyclist I wouldn't live in Westminster or Broomfield (Superior maybe). In Westy and Broomfield there's no 'urban escape' routes like you have in Denver (Long paved multi-use trails, and low utilization grid streets make getting out of Denver easy). Most of the bike paths in Westminster/Broomfield are short and unpaved and almost all of the roads that go anywhere are 'stroads' that are very unsafe to bike on.

Highlands/Edgewater you make your way to the Platte trail for a flat ride to get to the northern plains, or southern mountains near Chatfield. If you want to go direct to the mountains most cyclists take some combination of 23rd/26th/32nd into Golden on the way to Lookout Mountain Rd.

When I lived in Westminster I had to drive somewhere to get to roads that are comfortable to bike on, and that hasn't really changed there since I moved away. I've lived in both Boulder and currently live in Denver and both would be better for training direct from your door (I used to do triathalons before my ankle prevented me from running). If you were to choose Arvada I would stick close to the Clear Creek trail in the southern more grid-like street portion of Arvada.

Also I lived just south of Westmoor it will be very tough to find a good bike route to where you work. The roads just were not built with cyclists in mind in that part of the city. If you can stomach a car commute from the Highlands I would recommend that area as it has lots of active 30 somethings.

[brown_dog_us]

My wife works right by there and bike commutes from Boulder about half the time. There are a couple of different routes she can take depending on the day. Also, there will be a bike path next to Hwy 36 between Boulder and Denver, so that will make it even easier.

I have done a few IMs, and Boulder is one of the best training places. Excellent swimming opportunities. Tracks available for speed work. Tough mountain climbs or rolling hills. etc.

There is a very nice bus that goes from Boulder to the Airport. Denver will have rail to the airport soon.

Boulder is a small city with 100,000 people while Denver is a big city.

[robertgoodman]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

My wife works right by there and bike commutes from Boulder about half the time. There are a couple of different routes she can take depending on the day. Also, there will be a bike path next to Hwy 36 between Boulder and Denver, so that will make it even easier.

I have done a few IMs, and Boulder is one of the best training places. Excellent swimming opportunities. Tracks available for speed work. Tough mountain climbs or rolling hills. etc.

There is a very nice bus that goes from Boulder to the Airport. Denver will have rail to the airport soon.

Boulder is a small city with 100,000 people while Denver is a big city.

Not sure where your wife works but in my experience anything south of Interlocken is a PITA on a road bike. Simms is the best bet but constant traffic -especially at rush hour- at high speeds with little to no shoulder it's no surprise that I have seen several accidents on it (and several more near misses). Wadsworth is no bueno for obvious reasons. Does she know of a good route to get south of Interlocken these days?

Agree about Boulder being a great city to train in though.