Which Denver areas work... (Aurora, Lakewood: apartments, condos, townhomes)

[Goodgrief214]

Hello, I have spent my whole life on the eastern side of the US and am looking to head west, preferably Colorado. I've been looking mostly around the Denver area. My budget is tight and am looking for apartments only. Being single, I am looking for a fairly safe area. I also love bike riding/the outdoors and wonder what areas for friendly toward such. I also know Denver averages about 250 days of sunshine, compared to where I currently live, which averages less than 150 days of sunshine, that's a bonus! The weather is the biggest reason for moving. The excessive humidity is killing me, literally. It had caused major health issues and my doctor thinks less humidity would greatly improve my overall health. I'm used to snow every winter, snow isn't an issue. Also, my father and younger siblings are looking around Denver as well. So what areas have good schools? Both academically and athletically? And with a price max of 250K for a home? It doesn't have to be the same area, i prefer it not to be. It would be great if anyone had any input as to what areas of Denver would suit both needs, thanks!

[Scraper Enthusiast]

I'm not from the Denver area, but I've been there on occassion. From what I observed, it seemed like the southern suburbs were the wealthiest parts of town, so this may be above your budget. These areas include places like Centennial, Littleton, Greenwood Village, Parker and the like.

On the other hand, you might want to check out the northern metro areas of Thornton and Broomfield, or perhaps out east near Aurora. Of course, you'd best get advice from a local.

[rebekahrobinson]

There are lots of good areas for under $250, in the suburbs. For a condos or townhomes under $250, they are available in the suburbs and center of the city. Denver has a bike path along Cherry Creek and the Platte River that will take you from down town to Chatfield Reservoir or Cherry Creek Dam.[mod cut] The Cherry Creek School district is rated one of the best in the state.

[steveindenver]

I'm not from the Denver area, but I've been there on occassion. From what I observed, it seemed like the southern suburbs were the wealthiest parts of town

And thus you should not answer questions about which you have no knowledge.

[Scraper Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

And thus you should not answer questions about which you have no knowledge.

Get off your high horse. I gave him the limited information that I had. I acknowledged my limited knowledge. Any information is better than none.

[vegaspilgrim]

There's no rule that says you have to be from an area to post on a city's forum, but to start giving relocation advice on a city you've only been to a few times is pretty tactless. I wouldn't say "any information is better than none." Quite the opposite, actually. There is a lot of "information" available on the internet already. What this forum is about that makes it different from thousands of other websites is it's heavily moderated and designed to encourage true local advice. This is a quality forum; free speech is somewhat restricted. One of my favorite cities is Las Vegas and I've been there about 15 times, I've seen not just the strip but all the "suburbs" too, but you don't see me on their forum advising people where to live. I post occasionally on the Albuquerque forum asking questions and sometimes participating in more open ended discussions, but I don't start recommending to people where to live. I've now lived in LA for about a month and a half, and I don't give people relocation advice. With that said though, I do happen to agree with your statement-- the southern metro area (including South Denver) probably is the wealthiest sector of the city (although by no means the only one), and I do think Aurora is a pretty good place to live as long as you stay out of the bad parts. So I guess my opposition is more in theory than on what you said exactly.

[Goodgrief214]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

And thus you should not answer questions about which you have no knowledge.

From what I have checked out so far, the south 'burbs do seem quite wealthy, especially around the arapahoe co. area. Am I wrong? Can you enlighten me with areas that would be more affordable?



Anyway...



What parts of Aurora should one avoid? Does anyone have information about the Cherry Creek School District? Or prehaps the other side of Denver, Jefferson County Schools? Of course, opinions vary school to school, but in general. Preferably, but not necessarily from someone who's been in them, either themselves or their children? The south 'burbs are probably more in line with my father would like. Safety and good schools are at the top of his list as most important. I, myself would like a fairly safe area where I can get an apartment for 600/m or less. I mostly would like ideas for areas of interest, where to avoid living, etc. So when I make a trip out there to check things out, we can narrow the search down. I do appreciate the advice, local or not

[2bindenver]

Since the average price of a house is about $250 - anywhere would work for housing.

Good schools? They are everywhere too.

Affluent areas, all over - Denver, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills, Lone Tree,...affluent areas don't usually have a great selection of under $250,000 housing - Denver does, and so does Douglas & Arapahoe Counties.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by Goodgrief214

From what I have checked out so far, the south 'burbs do seem quite wealthy, especially around the arapahoe co. area. Am I wrong? Can you enlighten me with areas that would be more affordable?



Anyway...



What parts of Aurora should one avoid? Does anyone have information about the Cherry Creek School District? Or prehaps the other side of Denver, Jefferson County Schools? Of course, opinions vary school to school, but in general. Preferably, but not necessarily from someone who's been in them, either themselves or their children? The south 'burbs are probably more in line with my father would like. Safety and good schools are at the top of his list as most important. I, myself would like a fairly safe area where I can get an apartment for 600/m or less. I mostly would like ideas for areas of interest, where to avoid living, etc. So when I make a trip out there to check things out, we can narrow the search down. I do appreciate the advice, local or not

Questions about school districts, good and bad parts of Aurora, etc, have been answered dozens of times over on this forum. We recently had a long discussion about Aurora just a few days ago (tucked in the thread about Green Valley Ranch). Use the forum search and browsing tools to find these threads... you'll find a lot of useful information.

[Katiana]

To answer the question, where are the more affordable areas, I would say: parts of Aurora, parts of Denver, esp. west Denver, the close-in western burbs (Edgewater, Mountain View, parts of Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Lakewood), the close-in northern suburbs (parts of Federal Hts, Northglenn, Thornton, Westminister, Broomfield, Commerce City, Reunion, Brighton), some of the Boudler Co. area such as parts of Erie, Longmont and Lafayette, and the farther out burbs such as Frederick and Firestone. I don't know the southern area very well.