From NJ to Denver... (Boulder, Highlands Ranch: appointed, ski resorts, apartments)

[Kimmaranclh]

Hi All!

So here we go! My Cousin and I are seriously considering moving to Denver. I'm hoping you all can help us with some insider info..lol

We are both SWF in our late 20's that would like to live in an apartment somewhere that is fun, diverse, cultural, but safe!! Safe being the number 1 priority. I am going to be taking a trip out to Denver prob in the spring to look for housing but it would help if anyone had any suggestions to narrow down the search.

I like to be in the middle of all the action...my Cousin prefers a more country setting. Does Denver have anything a little more in the middle?

How is the job market? We are both Administrative Assistants.

How is the single scene for the late 20's and 30's crowd?

Do you need a 4wd vehicle or can you get by with a car? I know how to drive in snow but it's usually inches in NJ vs feet...lol..

Our renting budget is from say: 900 to 1200 a month. Any decent areas with 2 bedroom apartments in that range?

Thanks so much for the help. Looking forward to reading all the responses.

Kim

[tfox]

Welcome to Denver!

Originally Posted by Kimmaranclh

I like to be in the middle of all the action...my Cousin prefers a more country setting. Does Denver have anything a little more in the middle?

Well, you have the core cities (Denver and Boulder), the suburbs, and then rural and mountain areas, so take your pick. Since you want something in the middle, sounds like you may want the suburbs -- the western suburbs are on your way to the mountains and ski resorts, if that's the thing that your cousin is looking for.

You also mentioned how important safety was to you -- from my perspective metro Denver is not a high-crime area, though there are pockets of high crime in some of the lower-income neighborhoods and things do occasionally happen. Most of central Denver is relatively safe -- not necessarily "leave-your-bike-unlocked" safe, but fairly safe. The suburbs are generally as safe or safer than Central Denver, and in some cases have virtually no crime at all -- this would particularly be true of the southern suburbs.

Originally Posted by Kimmaranclh

How is the job market? We are both Administrative Assistants.

Things are pretty good these days as far as job markets go, but I would expect to get paid less than you did in NJ.

Originally Posted by Kimmaranclh

How is the single scene for the late 20's and 30's crowd?

As you'd expect, the single scene in the core cities of Denver and Boulder is really active -- probably more so than a lot of people think. There's not much of a scene in the suburbs and outlying areas, so most singles drive into the core cities for entertainment.

Originally Posted by Kimmaranclh

Do you need a 4wd vehicle or can you get by with a car? I know how to drive in snow but it's usually inches in NJ vs feet...lol..

It certainly couldn't hurt, but isn't really necessary for driving in town. Like most places, SUVs are more of a status symbol here than for practical usage. If you plan on going to the mountains a lot in winter then it might come in handy. I should mention that the level of snowiness this year is unprecedented -- this is not a normal year by any means.

Originally Posted by Kimmaranclh

Our renting budget is from say: 900 to 1200 a month. Any decent areas with 2 bedroom apartments in that range?

If you look on Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org/) -- you'll find lots of apartments virtually anywhere in that range. Even in our most expensive city (Boulder) you could find a 2br place in that range, so you'll be fine.

[TinajaCo]

If you're driving around town, you don't generally need 4WD. As tfox said it's completely unusual to get this much snow. I have a Corolla that serves me well, it has only been twice (2003 and this last storm, the first part of it) that it could not get out of the street (but then again, neighbors with SUVs couldn't get out either, so.....). If it's really bad there's always public transportation as an option as well.

[Kimmaranclh]

Thanks for the info! How is the public transportation system? Also, can you recommend zip codes or communities to check out? I went on apartments.com and there had to have been at least 50 hits...looking to narrow it down a bit.

Thanks again!

[tfox]

Originally Posted by Kimmaranclh

Thanks for the info! How is the public transportation system? Also, can you recommend zip codes or communities to check out? I went on apartments.com and there had to have been at least 50 hits...looking to narrow it down a bit.

Public transit is okay, but it's not really comparable to somewhere like NYC or DC. Since you're from NJ, you'll probably be disappointed. The best spot transit-wise is without a doubt Boulder -- it's all bus transit but there are so many routes and they come by every few minutes.. Getting to/from downtown Denver is probably easiest on transit, and the light rail lines are convenient as long as you're headed that direction. That being said, most people here have a car, even if they are frequent transit riders.

I'd love to give you some advice on where to live but I really don't know what's important to you. So the more you tell us, the better. From you last post, it sounded like you wanted something in between city living and country living -- I'm not sure if country means "mountains" -- if so, you may want to check out Golden -- it's a small-town turned suburb right on the way to the mountains.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by Kimmaranclh

Hi All!

So here we go! My Cousin and I are seriously considering moving to Denver. I'm hoping you all can help us with some insider info..lol

We are both SWF in our late 20's that would like to live in an apartment somewhere that is fun, diverse, cultural, but safe!! Safe being the number 1 priority. I am going to be taking a trip out to Denver prob in the spring to look for housing but it would help if anyone had any suggestions to narrow down the search.

I like to be in the middle of all the action...my Cousin prefers a more country setting. Does Denver have anything a little more in the middle?

How is the job market? We are both Administrative Assistants.

How is the single scene for the late 20's and 30's crowd?

Do you need a 4wd vehicle or can you get by with a car? I know how to drive in snow but it's usually inches in NJ vs feet...lol..

Our renting budget is from say: 900 to 1200 a month. Any decent areas with 2 bedroom apartments in that range?

Thanks so much for the help. Looking forward to reading all the responses.

Kim

I would guess outgoing single women in their 20s and 30s would have a relatively easy go at it in Denver/Boulder as far as being single goes, especially if they're feeling available and are outgoing and into the typical scene here. There are plenty of guys. More guys than girls by quite a bit relative to most any other city. If you're looking for a mix of city/country, there are some suburbs up by Boulder that would fit that well. If you're into city/mountains, Boulder on up to Nederland or Lyons (these can require some commuting time, and probably prohibitive if Denver's what you're often after), maybe even Golden (15 minute drive to Denver, 25 to Boulder - barring much traffic - and there's a bus to either), would fit that. It's possibly hard to be "in the action" - walking to a bar or coffee shop or something - when trying to split the difference like that. Boulder is a bit city like with restauarants, bars, theaters - but no dance club that I'm aware of if that's your thing, and does not feel "urban" - VERY white, athletic, and affluent there mostly. It's a 30-50 minute bus ride into Denver from Boulder, shorter from the burbs b/w Boulder and Denver. Buses in Boulder and Denver are very good and very popular. Denver and Boulder are not very diverse, so culturally it tends to seem like sort of white yuppy versions of cultural opportunity, by and large, in a SWM's experience. More of a mix in Denver, but not a ton more. Way less variety than northern New Jersey and New York City, for example. There are some more ethnic neighborhoods or areas with more character (art deco, Victorian buildings, funky shops and restaurants, etc.) that seem to feel safe for the women I know for the most part. Baker, Cap Hill, or Highlands come to mind (not Highlands Ranch). The suburbs are so suburban here they're sort of cartoon like - Highlands Ranch, Superior, etc are so probably safe you may forget you're in your twenties. Do you like Walmart, Chili's, Starbuck's, and soccer balls bouncing across the street to the sound of lawn sprinklers? In Denver, there's a performing arts center, and actually a ton of theaters and bars/clubs that host a bunch of music, depending on what you're into. I would say that scene is actually especially good in Denver as far as arts and entertainment go. Cheesman Park area might be the best in terms of culture, arty younger people, safer, walkable nightlife (though maybe not quite as walkable for a woman at night - though this is not Oakland or south Chicago or north Manhattan...Denver overall is a relatively very safe sort of midwestern feeling city to a large degree, but it IS a city with haves, have nots, and otherwise, so things can happen).

This is not NJ...VERY not NJ, as you'll find.

You'll find 2 BR apartments for your budget with no problem at all pretty much anywhere in Denver, and even in Boulder towards the upper end of your budget.

You definitely do not need 4WD. A lot of people have it here, to the point of wasteful. Front wheel drive will be more than enough almost ALL of the time. It tends to snow several inches, maybe, and melt in a couple days. The sunshine's really intense here (you're at high altitude with much less atmosphere to deflect 300+ sunny days, so). Occasionally, you'll get 3 feet of snow - enjoy the day off from work. This year's been very unusual with the amount of snow and rain in Denver. Otherwise, even getting into the mountains on the main roads (I70 etc) is easy with 2WD (front wheel drive). You can find a friend (or ten) with a Jeep or something if you want to go offroad for a weekend trip on forest service road or out to Utah. Not a bad way to get to know some guys, if that's what you're looking for.

Not sure what the admin assist job market's like. In general, I think the market can be a little more competitive than some places because there are so many people like yourselves looking to do what you're looking to do. Maybe either have a stash of cash to fall back on if need be or make some connections before you get here. Do you have other friends here? Probably good to get em involved in your search for work if possible. It might be different, as it often is, for girls relative to guys.