New To Denver-Please help!! (Colorado Springs, Aurora: highrise, apartments, condos)

[blueorbitz]

Hi,
I'm 30 single female moving to Denver area. Escaping from Washington,DC/Northern Va finally and I'm finding the neighborhoods confusing. I'm not good with directions to begin with and it seems that there are main areas, but then those areas have separate neighborhoods within them.

First question, what is Uptown and what is Downtown?

I'm doing lots of reading and trying to narrow down where to look for apartments.
Capitol Hill sounds like a good start. I can't get a handle on how bad the parking is. I have a car and plan to keep it, so how difficult is that issue? After spending the last year right in DC I found I hate having to deal with very urban living (carwise).
I want to live somewhere that isn't all families and is lively, but safe. I like character and eclectic people. The most improtant thing to me really is that there will be a friendly vibe and that it will be easy to interact with people b/c after 8 years in Dc/NOVA I want to feel like I live in a neighborhood. I wouldn't mind living in a more suburban area, but I'm not sure if the Suburbs of Denver are like Northern VA where there is still a younger crowd and plenty to do.
I don't like when things close down and the street is dead at 6pm at night. I also don't like arrogant, work obsessed attitudes. Laid Back is good.

If anyone could throw some ideas at me I would greatly appreciate it. I am going to have about a week to 14 days max. to go to Denver and look. I don't know anyone in Denver so I don't have help with this. I am getting frantic that I will get stuck in DC for another month which is going to cost a lot if that happens. I just don't want to end up in a neighborhood that's dead quiet or super snobby or where it's difficult to get around any further than walking the neighborhood (I don't know, maybe that will change if I love the neighborhood).

Oh, I also plan to go back to school, if anyone can tell me where is the main campus of the community college and or major university in the area. What neighborhoods would be in close, convenient proximity? I plan to go back to school for nursing eventually. Otherwise, I don't have a particular thing, such as work that would make me go to one area vs. another. I plan to look for a job after settling in and am not sure what kind of job, so that isn't a factor.

Thanx so much for any help It is very appreciated!!!

edit: Is there a parking problem in all of Denver and capitol Hill? Are there any area where parking is less of an issue?

[jjacobeclark]

Wow you sure asked a mouthful but I'll see what I can do for you. First of all Uptown is really an extension of Capitol Hill located north of Colfax. Its pretty nice but I find most newbies to Denver get sucked into Capitol Hill if they don't have lots of disposable income and LoDo if they do. I am not particularly fond of either to be honest. LoDo would be fun if you were rich and also an alcoholic. Capitol Hill is full of homeless people, drug addicts, and basically every new arrival to Denver under the age of 30 who makes less than $30,000 a year. Lots of baristas and waitresses there. Parking is absolutely terrible. A friend of mine lived on 13th & Pennsylvania and literally had to move his car every hour from 8am to 6pm M-F. As far as what you described I would start looking in NW Denver neighborhood of Highlands which is not to be confused with the SW Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch. Highlands is residential but very urban still. Lots of great bars and restaurants on Tennyson. It is also fairly close to the Auraria Campus that is home to the Community College of Denver, Metro State College of Denver, and CU-Denver. As far as suburbs are concerned Denver is mainly suburban with roughly 550,000 people in the city and 2.5 million in the metro. I live in SE Denver near Aurora and the Denver Tech Center. I love it, there is plenty to do down here IMO. The South Metro area is now the population center for the region with cities like Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, Centennial, Parker, and Castle Rock growing rapidly. Park Meadows is an enormous shopping center in the area with lots of high end stores. The NW suburbs along US-36 are very nice too. Superior, Louisville, Arvada, Federal Heights, with Westminster being the largest city are all very nice as well. Flatiron Crossing is just like Park Meadows. As far as some aspects like shopping malls and cineplexes are concerned, the suburbs have more to offer but it depends on whats important to you. Back to the college issue, currently the Auraria campus lacks a neighborhhod inhabited by students. It sits next to the Licoln Park neighborhood which is majority Latino and very poor. Dorms have recently been built for the students but don't expect a typical college neighborhood. That isn't to say we don't have college neighborhoods, we do. DU and Regis are very beautiful campuses, but are private and very expensive. Hope that helps.

[blueorbitz]

Thank You,
Everything helps at this point!!!
What you said helps enormously b/c you filled me in on some of the things I'm most concerned about. I do not want to deal with daily parking headaches.

Interestingly, I came across Highlands b/c I saw an apt. on Craigslist that was very cute. I started researching and it sounds more like what I want and close enough to colleges. What I read said that Highlands is close to downtown denver and has gotten more expensive. What you said about it being residential but still urban, I think that will be more suitable for me.

I'm going to print out what you wrote b/c you did such a great job in covering the kinds of things I want to know.

Thanx!!!!! I'm amazed that you came up with Highlands after I started exploring it. That's a positive sign!

Also, I like to be able to go shopping easily. What I've found from living right in DC it's not easy to jump in my car and get to the big shopping areas. I hate that. It's inconvenient when you can't run to the store and grab what you need. It is impt. to me that I can easily go shopping and diverse shopping. I know it might sound silly, but that's what I like.

Thanx Again.

[DenverAztec]

First question, what is Uptown and what is Downtown?

Uptown begins at about Lincoln and heads east with Colfax (15th avenue) at the south end, York as the east end and 19th as the north end. It is a mix of apartments, condos and historic mansions. 17th avenue has some incredible restaurants and places to hand out. I love Steben's, 17th Ave Grill, Thin Man, Hamburger Mary's, Water Course(veggitarian), and Strings (pricy).

I'm doing lots of reading and trying to narrow down where to look for apartments. Capitol Hill sounds like a good start. I can't get a handle on how bad the parking is. The closer you are to Colfax, the harder the parking, but Capitol Hill is a large area. Wikipedia has a good map to start with of the neigborhoods:

Imageenveneighborhoods.gif - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Capitol Hill starts at the Capitol, Lincoln on the west end, 6th Ave on the south, York on the east and Colfax on the north. It is not full of druggies as earlier stated by someone who does not live there. Colfax is the longest commercial street in the country and has everything imaginable on it, good and bad. However, you will find no slums or ghettos in Denver. Colfax has nightclubs, restaurants, liquor stores, concert venues, churches, government buildings, condos, car lots, hospitals and general retail. Since all of these types of businesses are here, parking can be difficult at times, but it is all metered so easy for a quick run in and out. Colfax will attrack all types for the live concerts and bars as does the SoCo (south of Colfax on Lincoln and Broadway area). Some of the larger nightclubs are on the west end of Capitol Hill and bring heavy suburan traffic to the area on weekends. The liveliness of these street can cause folks to think the area is bad when it is not. I have lived on the Hill for over 20 years and if you are from DC, you will think this is a cakewalk. West of Capitol Hill is the Golden Triangle and one of the most expensive places to live in the city.

The northeast end of the Capitol Hill area has less parking available because it is closest to downtown and more dense with apartment structures. Many students live in these apartment buildings and walk to campus or ride their bikes. Auraria Campus does have the three schools mentioned above and due to being next to downtown, many professionals who are continuing their education work downtown and attend class on this campus. Being 30, you won't want the typical college campus life style and they do have a nursing program here. I live in Governor's Park which is the southwest end of Capitol Hill. Several highrise apartment and condo structures and mixed with historic gems of mansions and restuarants. Check into condo owners renting out their units in this area as you will love it's proximity to everything.

Southeast Capitol Hill has more residential areas and tons of easy street parking. This area is nest to the country club and Congress park area where some of Denver's wealthiest reside. This is a great place to start as people are very friendly here and of all income bracketts not below 30,000 annually as again incorrectly stated above.

I have a car and plan to keep it, so how difficult is that issue? Not difficult at all, but you will want covered parking if possible due to occassional snow in the winter and slim but possible chance of hail in early summer.After spending the last year right in DC I found I hate having to deal with very urban living (carwise).
I want to live somewhere that isn't all families and is lively, but safe. Washington Park is three miles south east of downtown and very family and single family home oriented. The east and south east end of Capitol Hill is the same way and runs right into the Cherry Creek Mall shopping area, which is the most popular tourist destination in the state. Upscale shop and large department store, Neiman, Saks, Nordstrom, Macy, etc.

I like character and eclectic people. Highlands and Capitol Hill will find most of these types. Lodo has many young professional who are still in college mode.The most improtant thing to me really is that there will be a friendly vibe and that it will be easy to interact with people b/c after 8 years in Dc/NOVA I want to feel like I live in a neighborhood. I wouldn't mind living in a more suburban area, but I'm not sure if the Suburbs of Denver are like Northern VA where there is still a younger crowd and plenty to do. Cap Hill, Wash Park, Highlands are very friendly, Lodo - less.
I don't like when things close down and the street is dead at 6pm at night. I also don't like arrogant, work obsessed attitudes. Laid Back is good. Downtown is vibrant, day and night, during the week and on the weekends. It is the 10th largest downtown in the country and more going on then that of cities that are larger. The downtowns of Dallas, Houston, Phoenix are very dead once the work crowd leaves but not Denver. Arrogance can be found with those new to the nightlife but some real gems mixed in like Herb's, El Chapultapec, Dazzle. The lifestyle is very health oriented and with close to 300 days of sun annually, it make you want to just get out and enjoy it.

If anyone could throw some ideas at me I would greatly appreciate it. I am going to have about a week to 14 days max. to go to Denver and look. I don't know anyone in Denver so I don't have help with this. I am getting frantic that I will get stuck in DC for another month which is going to cost a lot if that happens. I just don't want to end up in a neighborhood that's dead quiet or super snobby or where it's difficult to get around any further than walking the neighborhood (I don't know, maybe that will change if I love the neighborhood).

Coming from the east, Denver will be a breeze, more so then if you came from a southwestern U.S. city. Watch for our Happy Hour thread and you are more then welcome to join some of us to meet some actual "Denver" residents. Our next is for breakfast at Racine's in Cap Hill/Governor's Park on July 12th and we might even show you around if you are up to it?

Best Wishes!

Denver Aztec

[DenverAztec]

Check out these City Data links for more information:

Condos around Cheesman Park

best areas to live in Denver

Where to Live - Within Capitol Hill

Colfax?

Moving to the Denver area - Diversity in Denver

[jjacobeclark]

Originally Posted by DenverAztec

Capitol Hill starts at the Capitol, Lincoln on the west end, 6th Ave on the south, York on the east and Colfax on the north. It is not full of druggies as earlier stated by someone who does not live there.

Actually I lived in The Adele at 20th & Sherman for nearly 3 years. I had to step over bums passed out in the hallway to get to my apartment. Once I even had a neighbor knock on my door to borrow a sheet of tin foil at 1am so please don't tell sit here and say it's not full of homeless people and drug addicts. We're trying to do blueorbitz a favor not pigeonhole her into renting in Capitol Hill just because everyone else new to the area does. I wish someone would have warned me how terrible it really was. I also forgot to mention that nearly every apartment in Capitol Hill is infested with cockroaches in summer.

The way Denverites describe the neighborhoods here is very misleading. DenverAztec is saying how Denver doesn't have slums or ghettos is he serious? What about Five Points, Cole, Whittier, the area around 1st & Federal, Park Hill, Barnum Park, Jefferson Park, Lincoln Park, Baker, etc. Perhaps to you Denverites they don't seem run down but compared to eastern cities they look like they belong in third world countries. Overgrown lawns, broken/boarded up windows, peeling paint, delapitated exteriors, grafitti, bars on the windows, etc.

As for having the 10th largest downtown, according to denver.org that is based on workers and retail not physical size. Not to mention the retail scene downtown is quite possibly the worst I've ever seen in a city this size. State St. Mall in Madison has better stores than 16th St. Mall and its about half the length. Sure Denver gets hopping on the weekends but doesn't offer much besides bars, clubs, and restaurants. Pretty much no 24 hour stuff though besides the coffee shop Leela and Denver Diner both of which totally suck balls.

I'm pretty sure you mean Cheesman Park when you were talking about southeast Capitol Hill. There are some nice old mansions in that area but would not go as far as to say its one of Denver's wealthier areas. Capitol Hill is bordered by Broadway, Colfax, York, & 6th I would not call any of the areas within that boundary wealthy. Its full of poor kids in their first apartments.

Back to blueorbitz if shopping is really that important to you then your only real choices are between Cherry Creek and DTC. The Cherry Creek neighborhood has the large Cherry Creek Shopping Center with Macy's, Nordstrom, Burberry, etc. as well as Cherry Creek North which is more focused on locally owned businesses. I bet you would find it somewhat similar to Georgetown in D.C. The neighborhood is very expensive considering many of the houses are not very large. The other place I mentioned DTC is actually where I reside. It is where Denver, Aurora, Greenwood Village, Englewood, Centennial, and Lone Tree converge. Houses are larger and less expensive and you still have access to Park Meadows Mall which is as nice as Cherry Creek IMO. They don't have Burberry but they do have Armani Exchange. The DTC is also located on the light rail and it takes you directly to Auraria campus, where as central Denver is not served by rail.

[startech]

I am going to have to agree with jjacobeclark on this one. There are some undesirable areas in Denver as mentioned.

[DenverAztec]

A few run down homes and unkept yards do not create a slum or a ghetto. We do have some unsavory neighborhoods here and nobody is recommending the OP live in Westwood or Five Points. Unless you been to Cabrini Green in Chicago, Spanish Harlem NYC or South Phoenix, you don't know what a slum or ghetto really is. If one thinks Barnum is a slum, you must think the same of Glendale, which is not far from I-25 and Hampden. Crack houses and crime in general are in every city and in every neighborhood.

Keep all your options open and use the search features on this site for comments by more then just the few that have replied. I love my neighborhood, Governor's Park. I live two blocks from the State Governor along 7th avenue, which if fantastic for walkability and 1/2 mile from downtown. Remodeling : Styles : Tour the Homes: Denver's Seventh Avenue Parkway : Home & Garden Television

2 miles finds east finds me a the Cherry Creek Mall, the best mall by far. More then the typical suburban mall, Google the stores. Downtown is more oriented for entertainment then exclusive shops, but some can be found in the Pavillions and on Larimer Square.

The last thing you need in making such a large move is negativity, so explore more then just this site. Check city records about crime, check out Denver News, Events, Restaurants, Music from Denver, CO - Westword for entertainment. Downtown has some fantastic museums, all of the sports arenas and a Six Flaggs amusement park. Tons to do downtown and in Capitol Hill and don't be mislead to think other sections of town are more livelier. Other then food and strip malls on Colorado Blvd. or Hampden, not much in the way of entertainment there. DTC if very new and very business oriented with suburban living near by.

[jjacobeclark]

Originally Posted by DenverAztec

A few run down homes and unkept yards do not create a slum or a ghetto. We do have some unsavory neighborhoods here and nobody is recommending the OP live in Westwood or Five Points. Unless you been to Cabrini Green in Chicago, Spanish Harlem NYC or South Phoenix, you don't know what a slum or ghetto really is. If one thinks Barnum is a slum, you must think the same of Glendale, which is not far from I-25 and Hampden. Crack houses and crime in general are in every city and in every neighborhood.

Keep all your options open and use the search features on this site for comments by more then just the few that have replied. I love my neighborhood, Governor's Park. I live two blocks from the State Governor along 7th avenue, which if fantastic for walkability and 1/2 mile from downtown. Remodeling : Styles : Tour the Homes: Denver's Seventh Avenue Parkway : Home & Garden Television

2 miles finds east finds me a the Cherry Creek Mall, the best mall by far. More then the typical suburban mall, Google the stores. Downtown is more oriented for entertainment then exclusive shops, but some can be found in the Pavillions and on Larimer Square.

The last thing you need in making such a large move is negativity, so explore more then just this site. Check city records about crime, check out Denver News, Events, Restaurants, Music from Denver, CO - Westword for entertainment. Downtown has some fantastic museums, all of the sports arenas and a Six Flaggs amusement park. Tons to do downtown and in Capitol Hill and don't be mislead to think other sections of town are more livelier. Other then food and strip malls on Colorado Blvd. or Hampden, not much in the way of entertainment there. DTC if very new and very business oriented with suburban living near by.

Wow where to begin tearing down that statement.

First of all I come from Milwaukee so I am quite aware what a slum looks like. Cabrini Green? If you knew what you were talking about you would know those were torn down years ago and replaced with brand new condos. Harlem has pretty much been gentrified below 125th St and the Sunnyside area near Columbia has always been nice. Also no not every single neighborhood in every city has crack houses.

Second you saying 7th Ave is walkable? It does have a sidewalk if that's what you meant by walkable. When most people think walkable they mean does it have access to things like coffee shops, pharmacies, restaurants, laundromats, dry cleaners, bars, grocery stores, etc. and the answer is no it doesn't. E 17th Ave, E 13th Ave, E Colfax, E 6th Ave, S Pearl St, yes. E 7th Ave, no.

What museum is there downtown besides the Art Museum? You sound like you should be writing a brochure for the DMCVB they way you describe everything like its so close together. Most people don't go out and get hammered every single night and therefore don't need to be within arms reach of SoCo or LoDo. Same goes for all entertainment. Unless you want to attend every single home game for the Rockies then you wouldn't really need to live in LoDo. I much prefer having access to stuff like Super Target and Loews instead of just 7-Eleven or Walgreens like in Downtown. Where does DenverAztec go major shopping? I'm going to guess in one of those strip malls on S Colorado Blvd. since there is no affordable major retail located within Alameda, MLK, Colorado, & Federal besides. There is Cherry Creek Mall but they don't have a home improvement store or anything along the lines of Walmart, Target, or Kmart beacause that's too tacky for rich people. If blueorbitz is very affluent then that's the place for her, otherwise I would recommend the DTC instead.

I never claimed my part of town to be livlier, just way more convenient. I can take the light rail to LoDo on the weekends and get dropped off right at Union Station. I don't have to worry about a DUI or pay for parking. That isn't to say the DTC isn't improving rapidly. We will be getting a Comedy Works location down here soon, we have Coors Amphitheater, The Tavern DTC, and a few other night spots are making their way. But again going out and getting wasted isn't as important to most people as being able to walk and buy some milk, eggs, and bread.

[blueorbitz]

This is so helpful. I printed it out and highlighted things to take with me when I look at apartments! Nothing better than opinions from people that know the area.

Reading this made me realize, I don't want to live right in the middle of the city. After doing that this past year in DC, I hate it. The only places I can get w/o hassle are CVS and Walgreens and drycleaner and stores like that. I don't care if I can walk to bars and restaurants. I like to be able to zip over to Target, Home Depot, Marshalls, big shopping malls, Staples etc. I like convenience over anything else! I don't go out drinking that often, but I was thinking as a new person it would be better in the center of the city for meeting people. I don't want to end up in a suburb filled w/families and married people. I'm single and never been married so I have a single persons outlook on life still. I still want activity ya' know! I would be happy as long as I can get to places easily from where I live and some coffee shops, maybe a local bar. And as long as it's a neighborhood that is safe, but isn't old. I have cats so I would also like something bigger w/plenty of space, but not a house.
I'm not wealthy. The only reason that I'm not making expenses and issue are b/c I don't know the area and would rather mistakenly end up somewhere safe/enjoyable/overpriced rather than cheap/scary/depressing. So far when looking at apt. ads I just go to the expensive ones b/c I'm trying to avoid bad area.

So DTC is sounding like it would be good. Is it more houses there or apts? I like that the rail goes to the community college. What falls under DTC? When looking at apartments would they most likely say in DTC, or would they be under other names? Such as Aurora, Englewood, etc. or are those just nearby? (I have a map I printed, what would be considered DTC?)

Now that I've given it more thought, is Highlands something that fits what I want? Does it have big stores and stuff that are easy to get to? I read that it became more expensive over the last 5 years, is there any particular reason for that?

I want to add, my sister lives in Colorado Springs and I like it there. I actually wanted to move there, but after discussing it with my sister decided that I would get bored and it's conservative area for my tastes. But that area has the kind of shopping that I like. I don't expect to find that up in Denver, but maybe it helps explain that I'm used to area where you drive more and have any store you need around the block. I guess I'm looking for something like that, but more urban.

I went to Cherry creek when i was in Denver 4years ago and it was a little small for me to have as the only easily accessible mall. I liked it, pretty area, but yeah it is similar to Georgetown and I never go to Georgetown. I would rather have lots of choices and diff. shopping centers to be able to go to.

I have a story from when I visited Denver. I went out to a bar with 2 guys I met at the youth hostel and we were out late, maybe 2 or 3 am, not sure. I ended up on my own b/c 1 guy left early and the other met a girl. So i was walking down the street trying to get a cab. It was late, so no cabs were coming, but cars kept trying to pick me up. Apparently there are still hookers walking the main street, I believe i was on Colfax. There were a lot of people around and out b/c there was a 24/hr. Diner right across the street, so I didn't feel scared about it. Could have been the Diner someone mentioned above. It was years ago so I don't remember the details. But it was kinda weird. I mean I had a big puffy jacket on and guys are pulling up to me and some strange people. A crackhead started talking to me asking for money. A group of guys tried to get me to go upstairs to their place. Some guy came out of nowhere and asked me to go have a coffee with him in the Diner, so we sat and had coffee. I was drunk. Finally a cab pulled up when I went back ouside and I grabbed it. I don't know if it's still like this b/c things change, but it definitly wasn't a safe feeling. I have to say I believe that there are issues with bad area there. DC doesn't even allow hookers out in the open anymore. And I don't know anyone in Denver so I might be on my own a lot for a while until I meet people.

Thank you guys so much!!! I want to hug you! I feel like I'm getting a better grip on what I want and where to look. I think I could have ended up in an apt. similar to what I have now and I absolutely don't want that to happen.
All your opinions are helpful and appreciated : )

I want to have this narrowed down so that when I'm in Denver I can focus most of my time looking at the areas that will probably suit me. I think I will still take a look at apartments in various areas, but it's impossible to see everything in a week.