Advice for someone who's never been to denver, but wants to move there. (Aurora: for rent, low crime)

[mattayom]

I'm 25 & I work in Aerospace. I've decided to give Denver a shot since I currently hate where I am now, so I started applying to some jobs around the area. I can't say specifically where I'll end up working, but I don't mind driving 30-45 minutes to work. What I can say, is that the places I'm applying at are located just south of Littleton, Centennial airport area, Broomfield area, and of course, the Int'l airport.

My budget is $1500/month max for rent. I don't want to be downtown where I have to park a half mile down the street but I don't want to be too far away from activity either. I'd like a place that's walk-able to restaurants/bars, somewhere that has low crime rates like where people can leave their garage doors open all day without worry.
I also like hiking & boarding, and I don't know -realistically- how long it takes to get from, say, the east side of Aurora to the mountains, but I'd like to be able to get to there in a reasonable amount of time..

So with all that in mind could anyone suggest some areas where I might find like a townhouse or a small single family home?

Any help is appreciated!

[ALStafford]

Originally Posted by mattayom

I'm 25 & I work in Aerospace. I've decided to give Denver a shot since I currently hate where I am now, so I started applying to some jobs around the area. I can't say specifically where I'll end up working, but I don't mind driving 30-45 minutes to work. What I can say, is that the places I'm applying at are located just south of Littleton, Centennial airport area, Broomfield area, and of course, the Int'l airport.

My budget is $1500/month max for rent. I don't want to be downtown where I have to park a half mile down the street but I don't want to be too far away from activity either. I'd like a place that's walk-able to restaurants/bars, somewhere that has low crime rates like where people can leave their garage doors open all day without worry.
I also like hiking & boarding, and I don't know -realistically- how long it takes to get from, say, the east side of Aurora to the mountains, but I'd like to be able to get to there in a reasonable amount of time..

So with all that in mind could anyone suggest some areas where I might find like a townhouse or a small single family home?

Any help is appreciated!

Very bluntly put, it is quite unlikely that you will find a single family house or townhouse at your price point with the amenities you desire.

There are several threads here with information on housing close Centennial and DIA airports. There are several threads that clearly state if you want to be closer to the mountains, you need to live on the west side of the metro area, and price points there will be higher than in, say, Aurora close to DIA. Close to mountains = more expensive, and also = further commute to either DIA or Centennial. And if you're unfamiliar driving in snow, the wish to be a quick commute from work and a "reasonable" time to mountains are pretty much mutually exclusive.

You need to spend several hours perusing this board. And visiting before moving is STRONGLY recommended (as you'll see if you actually take the time to read all the advice already posted here).

[MN_Ski]

Your impression of Denver will be nothing like reality. It is still great, but you need to see if for yourself before making such a big move. Most people are surprised by how distant the mountains are, and by how dry, brown, flat, and barren the city really is.

Also worry about getting a job first, and then finding a neighborhood that will give you the best commute time for the price. Traffic isn't the worst in the country, but the difference between Broomfield and Aurora is huge. A calculated hour commute off of Google maps might not seem like a big deal, but once you get into it, it could really put a huge damper on your experience here. Car accidents, snow, Broncos games, etc could double your commute time.

[Tim Tim Tim]

Originally Posted by mattayom

I'm 25 & I work in Aerospace. I've decided to give Denver a shot since I currently hate where I am now, so I started applying to some jobs around the area. I can't say specifically where I'll end up working, but I don't mind driving 30-45 minutes to work. What I can say, is that the places I'm applying at are located just south of Littleton, Centennial airport area, Broomfield area, and of course, the Int'l airport.

My budget is $1500/month max for rent. I don't want to be downtown where I have to park a half mile down the street but I don't want to be too far away from activity either. I'd like a place that's walk-able to restaurants/bars, somewhere that has low crime rates like where people can leave their garage doors open all day without worry.
I also like hiking & boarding, and I don't know -realistically- how long it takes to get from, say, the east side of Aurora to the mountains, but I'd like to be able to get to there in a reasonable amount of time..

So with all that in mind could anyone suggest some areas where I might find like a townhouse or a small single family home?

Any help is appreciated!

Why not look over to salt lake city? its a fantastic city, more aerospace/rocket stuff as far as I know and much more "mountain town" than denver.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Tim Tim Tim

Why not look over to salt lake city? its a fantastic city, more aerospace/rocket stuff as far as I know and much more "mountain town" than denver.

Not more. Denver/Boulder area is an aerospace hub.

[Tim Tim Tim]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Not more. Denver/Boulder area is an aerospace hub.

oh ok, wasn't aware of that. Still more access to mountains if that is one of your things you want.

Probably worth the look

[mattayom]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

Your impression of Denver will be nothing like reality. It is still great, but you need to see if for yourself before making such a big move. Most people are surprised by how distant the mountains are, and by how dry, brown, flat, and barren the city really is.

I've grown up in the desert my whole life. I'm accustomed to 110* summers, with 10" of rain/year. I realize that the "Denver area" may be more brown than other places, but it is by far 500x more green than anywhere I've ever lived before. and the linear distance from "Lodo" to the foot of the mountains is about the same as it was for me in California, which isn't bad at all.

Also worry about getting a job first, and then finding a neighborhood that will give you the best commute time for the price. Traffic isn't the worst in the country, but the difference between Broomfield and Aurora is huge. A calculated hour commute off of Google maps might not seem like a big deal, but once you get into it, it could really put a huge damper on your experience here. Car accidents, snow, Broncos games, etc could double your commute time.

I do intend on getting a job first, it'd be foolish not to. Also, one of the reasons I'm here is because I was hoping that an actual resident could say something like "Google maps says 1 hour but expect 2 hours because of blah blah." I've commuted in Southern California, so I know what it's like to sit in traffic for 4 hours traveling 50 miles.

Originally Posted by ALStafford

Very bluntly put, it is quite unlikely that you will find a single family house or townhouse at your price point with the amenities you desire.

There are several threads here with information on housing close Centennial and DIA airports. There are several threads that clearly state if you want to be closer to the mountains, you need to live on the west side of the metro area, and price points there will be higher than in, say, Aurora close to DIA. Close to mountains = more expensive, and also = further commute to either DIA or Centennial. And if you're unfamiliar driving in snow, the wish to be a quick commute from work and a "reasonable" time to mountains are pretty much mutually exclusive.

You need to spend several hours perusing this board. And visiting before moving is STRONGLY recommended (as you'll see if you actually take the time to read all the advice already posted here).

Blunt answers are always the best!

I know from the research I've done, the west side is typically more desireable/more expensive. I'm just trying to find a happy medium. For example if I wanted to be between the mountains and the airport, what ares would I have more luck with? I'm sure there's some decent areas that aren't on the higher end of the scale that could offer at least some of what I'm looking for?

I'm planning a trip out there soon, but I'd like to have some inside information before hand so I'm not wasting my time driving through every square mile of the place. I'll probably only get a couple days out there...
I've had some experience driving in snow, but I'm no expert. I'd imagine I'll get the hang of it after a while. I do have a 4x4 so I have that going for me

Originally Posted by Tim Tim Tim

oh ok, wasn't aware of that. Still more access to mountains if that is one of your things you want.

Probably worth the look

Yeah Denver has a huge aerospace footprint, and several companies I'd love to work at. It's one of the reasons I want to go there. SLC doesn't have a whole lot of options when it comes to jobs, but you're right about the mountain part.

[whoisjongalt]

If you end up at DIA, you might consider Wheat Ridge or Golden near I-70. It's not a great commute but at least it's a straight shot on the highway. The Highlands neighborhood just northwest of downtown would be even better but more expensive. You won't be getting a house/townhouse for that price but could probably find a decent 1BR. It you end working in Centennial / Littleton don't even consider those areas. The commute is nightmare on I-25. You'd be better off living in Morrison and taking 470 to work. It's a great area in the foothills but still close to the city

[emm74]

Walkable to restaurants and bars and safe to leave your garage door open all day are pretty much mutually exclusive in my experience. The type of population density required to support a walkable commercial district close to residential housing generally means there will be petty/property crimes because of the sheer numbers of people.

[jamesdenver]

I'd like a place that's walk-able to restaurants/bars, somewhere that has low crime rates like where people can leave their garage doors open all day without worry.

This isn't a thing. Some of the best walkable (and desirable/expensive) neighborhoods are in the area surrounding central downtown (Baker, Washington Park, City Park) but also more transients, denser area, and thus more crime. Violent crime against people is rare, but there's a need to protect against opportunistic property crime more so than the far burbs where you really could leave a garage door open all night without worry. - things like car break-ins, theft from garages, etc.

Agree with others nail down a place of work first and look for neighborhood based on that.