Group of Friends Looking for Awesome Neighborhood in Denver Area (Aurora: rent , new home)

[Boomerjinks]

First post to the site here, I'm Kevin, 24 years old, and I plan on moving to Denver(read as Denver area) in August or September in order to finish my college education in the field of filmmaking.

I'll be moving down with two good friends/former roommates who are both 19, with my girlfriend, 24, moving to the area as well. We've been exploring neighborhoods in Denver and I figure it'd be a good idea to get some assessments from you folks.

Essentially, we are looking for a house with a two-car garage, yard is not necessary, three bedrooms, maybe built in the 70s or 80s. Access to lightrail/rtd is requested by one friend, but I'd be happy so long as there was a main highway artery nearby. Rent would have to be below $1,500, though buying is a possiblity. Washington Park appeals to us (as well as the rest of the world!), but we're unsure as to how we'd fare there. We're coming from Fort Collins, a town we all love, and we greatly enjoy the amenities of suburban living, from nearby grocery stores to low crime.

Since I am going to try to get into the Colorado Film School (quebec and colfax), I am thinking that arvada, wheatridge, littleton, and lakewood are out of the equation for commuting reasons. My future roommates don't seem to care where we end up. Bars don't appeal to us, but movie theaters do. Parks are wonderful, but access to interstates are preferred.

So, if you were me, where would you want to live?

[tfox]

Hmmm.. this is tough. As you surmised, your rent requirement is too low for Washington Park (or most of urban Denver), and most of the homes there (as well as pretty much any Denver neighborhood) are much older than the 1980s. It also sounds like you're looking for somewhere suburban, but still close to urban Denver.

A couple of suggestions:

* Around Bible Park in southeast Denver. This is near I-25, near the interchanges with Yale and/or Hampden. The homes there are about 1970s vintage, I think. Maybe some 1980s. It's suburban in style but not ridiculously far out, and close to light rail with ample bus service. Rent there should fall within your range for a house.

* The Parker Road / Leetsdale Corridor on the Denver / Aurora border. This area is a very ethnically diverse area (every style of ethnic food under the sun), has plenty to do, is still convenient to light rail (9 mile station), and has lots of bus service. It's still basically suburban in form, but with some urban elements and it is close in. It's also quite affordable compared to most of the rest of the city of Denver. It's not spotlessly clean or crime-free, but it's pretty safe, especially compared with many parts of Central and North Aurora.

[yodi]

Virginia Village is a centrally located quiet neighborhood in SE Denver, close to Cherry Creek mall, Cherry Creek bike path and close to your school. I'd bet you could find a house for rent in your range. It's also about 3 miles from Washington Park. The houses are mostly ranches, some with basements. It's an affordable neighborhood as far as Denver goes. It's in the vicinity of Leetsdale and Holly, 80246 area.

University Hills is on the lightrail line and is similar to Virginia Village, just further south and closer to I-25, further from your school.

[Boomerjinks]

Virginia Village, awesome! Thanks for the tip on that. 70s-80s-90s homes, doesn't really matter to us. We're looking for neighborhoods that are not brand new homes, nor ancient cold-war dwellings. A nice balance of a used family home, haha.

Any more tips or ideas?

[dj32]

i second idea of virginia village- lots of young people but not close to light rail. Holly HIlls would be close to Southmoor light rail but far from your school. What about Mayfair/ Montclair?

[yodi]

Park Hill would be very close to your school and is conveinient to downtown, city park and the museum of nature and science and the zoo. No lightrail but close enough to downtown.