Just a guy who visited Denver/CO and now wants to move there. APT/Job suggestions.... (Boulder: apartment complex, lease)

[heliotrope_rick]

Long story short, I moved to Dubuque IA (a ****hole) from Madison WI for a girl whom I HAD been with for 5 years. Relationship is now over, my lease in Dubuque ends Sept 1. I did just spent July 3rd through 12th in Colorado with a few days in Denver and loved it want to go back. ANY SUGGESTIONS for studio/efficiency/1 BR apartments in and around Denver/Boulder/ Loveland etc for under $900/mo that accepts cats? How about CO employers? I have 13 years of tech support/cust service/admin/office experience. Any suggestions there? If I don't get out of Dubuque I am going to become a statistic. Thank you.

[2bindenver]

I would:
Airbnb to start.
Get a job
Find a real place.

[rtloucks]

You should really look into jobs before apartments and visit a couple of more times. So many people (us included) moved to Denver at one time because we "fell in love with it" easy to do.... but it is just ass easy to fall out of love with it very fast if you do not take advantage of the things it offers and have the patience to deal with it all. 4

COL is very high. So a good job is necessary.
Views... Awesome until you see them every day then they stat to become just part of the haze you see all day.
Parks/Moutnains/Trails/skiing etc... Fantastic - but very touristy and crowded and prepare yourself to spend hours on the road to get to them and back.
Tourism = $$$ ( mention 3 $ because thats usually what you will spend on an average day out. 3 digits)

As far as living in Denver... If you can get over those things, you may enjoy it. It has a nice laid back atmosphere, yet half of the people are hard working like you may be used to in WI and IA.

We personally didnt care for all the pot stores everywhere. We have two boys and didnt feel that such exposure to it was a good thing.

weather is great. Lots of snow. Do not let people fool you about the perfect weather in CO. Here is the truth..... it is just like WI and IA. Cole during the winter months with plenty of off an on snow into late spring. The summers ae hot and dry. and the late spring and fall are absolutely beautiful.

Public Transit is good. LoDo is nice for downtown hot spots. Rockies and Broncos games are a good time. IT is very sread out when you leave downtown. And very wide open. Prepare yourself for lots of hail, lots of flying rocks into your windshield, get good auto insurance, and sell your fishing gear because you will never use it again.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by rtloucks

You should really look into jobs before apartments and visit a couple of more times. So many people (us included) moved to Denver at one time because we "fell in love with it" easy to do.... but it is just ass easy to fall out of love with it very fast if you do not take advantage of the things it offers and have the patience to deal with it all. 4

COL is very high. So a good job is necessary.
Views... Awesome until you see them every day then they stat to become just part of the haze you see all day.
Parks/Moutnains/Trails/skiing etc... Fantastic - but very touristy and crowded and prepare yourself to spend hours on the road to get to them and back.
Tourism = $$$ ( mention 3 $ because thats usually what you will spend on an average day out. 3 digits)

As far as living in Denver... If you can get over those things, you may enjoy it. It has a nice laid back atmosphere, yet half of the people are hard working like you may be used to in WI and IA.

We personally didnt care for all the pot stores everywhere. We have two boys and didnt feel that such exposure to it was a good thing.

weather is great. Lots of snow. Do not let people fool you about the perfect weather in CO. Here is the truth..... it is just like WI and IA. Cole during the winter months with plenty of off an on snow into late spring. The summers ae hot and dry. and the late spring and fall are absolutely beautiful.

Public Transit is good. LoDo is nice for downtown hot spots. Rockies and Broncos games are a good time. IT is very sread out when you leave downtown. And very wide open. Prepare yourself for lots of hail, lots of flying rocks into your windshield, get good auto insurance, and sell your fishing gear because you will never use it again.

I think you meant "cold" not "cole". Typing on a phone, maybe? Anyway to the heart of the matter, the weather here is not just like the midwest's. My experience is IL, just to the south of WI and east of IA. By comparison, the winter here is possibly longer (than IL, probably not than WI or parts of IA)but certainly milder. There are numerous weather websites OP, where you can check out average temps, etc. However, what Denver looks like on paper is not necessarily what it's like IRL. Winter is full of mild (50s, sometimes even into the 60s with an occasional 70), sunny days with short bursts of cold and snow. Summers are hot and dry, in general, not to say every day is like that. Today is supposed to be in the 70s with rain. Not much of a spring, it's more like one day a week or so after the last snow you look out your window and the trees are all leafed out and the lows are in the 50s rather than the 30s/40s. Then comes summer. Fall generally does have fabulous weather.

Yes, people enjoy the outdoor activities, and aside from the skiing, you can find areas that are less crowded than the very popular places.

The worst part of COL is housing. Roommates can help. Everything else is relative. There are many COL calculators on the web.

Some areas have more pot stores than others if that's an issue. My kids were grown when legalization happened, but I don't feel it's any worse than the liquor stores next to every grocery store.

[flamadiddle]

yeah, going somewhere in a vacation state of mind is different than living there day to day. Get a job first, with your background it shouldn't be too difficult. Check here for listings and start sending out resumes with the stipulation that you do not "Require" relocation assistance and that you already have a plan to relocate (actually make a plan too!) > www.indeed.com

[history nerd]

I don't know that under $900 is going to happen.

[davebarnes]

Padmapper.com
Use the filters.
The cat one will eliminate a lot.

[COcheesehead]

Originally Posted by history nerd

I don't know that under $900 is going to happen.

I know of an $800 a month apartment complex near South Glenn off Arapahoe and University across from the South Suburban ice rink that will take a cat. Outdoor parking. Cheapest place I’ve heard of. I knew someone who lived there before buying a place in Castle Rock.

[history nerd]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

I know of an $800 a month apartment complex near South Glenn off Arapahoe and University across from the South Suburban ice rink that will take a cat. Outdoor parking. Cheapest place I’ve heard of. I knew someone who lived there before buying a place in Castle Rock.

How recently? I know there are a few places that cheap but I've rarely found any with rooms available.

[justsomeguy]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

I would:
Airbnb to start.
Get a job
Find a real place.

Even better - maybe stay in a hostel for even cheaper.