Parker, Broomfield, or Lakewood?? (Denver, Aurora: fit in, affordable apartments, rental)

[jlstiff]

My husband and I are a young couple (mid 20s) with no kids planning to move to CO in January. We were in CO for 5 days last week and loved it. We looked at some apartments and toured the area around Denver, but are still unsure which city would be right for us. We also will need to find jobs - I will have a M.S. in nutrition and dietetics and will be a registered dietitian shortly after we move. My husband has an Associate’s degree in electromechanical technology and will have a B.S. in Industrial Technology Management - basically he can work in electrical engineering technology, manufacturing, safety, and industrial project management. We toured around the outskirts of Denver and also visited Boulder and Fort Collins. We do not want to live in the city, but do want to live where there are things going on (i.e. outdoor concerts in the summer, farmers markets, and festivals) and there is easy access to outdoor activities (Boulder was great, but we didn't get to see any other cities with a lot of hiking or outdoor malls like Pearl St). After touring around, we are stuck on Broomfield, Parker, and Lakewood.

1. Broomfield - we loved this area and the apartment complex we found (Camden Interlocken). The complex is right by a shopping center and has a view of the mountains. We like that it is close to Denver and to Boulder. However, the apartments are very pricey for us (1 bedroom, attached garage, w/d, 840 sq ft, $991/mo right now - 1 bedroom, 1 den, attached garage, w/d, 975 sq ft, $1196/mo right now). We were told prices drop in the winter and could be up to $100/mo off, which is still pricey for what you get.

2. Parker - we also enjoyed this area, but wish it were closer to more hiking. There were a lot of trails, but most of them are flat and paved, which can get boring when you do the same one all of the time. The people are very nice and the apartments we liked there were affordable (Windrock - 1 bedroom, 1 den, 970 sq ft, $743/mo or $847/mo with attached garage and w/d). It is equal distance from Pikes Peak and Rocky Mountain National Forest, which is a positive. It does seem to be closer to Aurora, where there are a lot of hospitals (greater possibility of finding a job). I am worried it may be too much of a family town, which would be great in the future, but for now may be boring after a few months.[/font]

3. Lakewood - this is our idea of a compromise. The apartments are little more affordable than Broomfield and we would still be by the mountains. We only looked at one apartment complex in Lakewood and decided we did not want to live there. The area seemed nice but we did not really get a feel for it because we left shortly after to go to a Rockies game. Since this is between Broomfield and Parker, near the mountains, and more affordable, we are throwing it in the mix. If you suggest Lakewood, do you have any suggestions on nice, yet affordable apartments (1 bed, 1 den, at least 850 sq ft, $700-$900/mo)?

Any opinions on which is better?
Are there more affordable apartments in Broomfield?
Is Parker any fun for young married couples without kids?
Any suggestions about the job market for either of our professions in these areas?
Which interstates are the worst to travel during rush hour? All of them?

Any advice at all would be great!

[steveindenver]

Find a job then decide where to live. If you lived in Parker and worked in Broomfield, that would suck, etc.

None of these places sound like a good fit for someone in their 20's, but that's just me.

[HighlandsGal]

I'm 30 and live with my BF and dog in Northwest Denver (no kids yet). It's a great area with neighborhoods like Berkelely, Highlands, Sunnyside, etc. but it might be out of your price range.

From the three places you mentioned, I'd go with Broomfield first, then Lakewood, then Parker but I am biased because I like the northern suburbs much better than the southern. In Lakewood you could research the Belmar area and around Broomfield are two other suburbs, Louisville and Superior, which are nice as well.

[cowboyxjon]

I'm 27, partnered if that makes a difference.

Out of those three, I'd look in Lakewood first -- specifically the Green Mountain area. But that's just my preference. Broomfield and Parker are fine, but like Steve mentioned, I don't think any of these areas are the absolute best fit for a young couple.

[Katiana]

For once, I agree with steveindenver. (Look out, the system may crash!) Get the job first. I would think you, OP, may get hired first. There are a lot of health care jobs here. The rest of the economy is not so great right now, but there are jobs to be had if you look.

Since you will be renting, if one of you gets a job quite far from where you live, you can move w/o too much disruption.

Of the three you stated, I would go Broomfield, Parker, Lakewood. I especially agree with Highlands Gal that from Broomfield you could branch out to Louisville, Superior, and also Lafayette. We moved to Louisville w/o kids and fit in quite well, even though Lsvl is known as a "family" town. There were lots of young couples in our neighborhood. There is an apt complex in Superior, Horizons, which is also near FlatIron Crossing Mall, and which has gotten good "reviews" here on CD.

[Jerry Bckr]

They gave you great advice. Find the job first and then work from there. Some interstates are OK to drive during rush hour if you're going agains the grain. Again, it boils down to where you live. Parker isn't high on most people's list for a great location for singles. Try Littleton. It has an old down town area with restaurants, shops, etc. and so does old Wadsworth. You won't find anything like the Pearl Street Mall, except in Boulder, but you may be ready to get away from the college environment. As far as being close to hiking and out door activites, you may consider Ken Caryl Ranch. See pics in one of my albums. This may be too far out, like other areas, once you figure out where you'll be living. There aren't apartments in Ken Caryl, but there are condos you can ren't as well as apratments nearby.

If you and your husband don't have pets, are bad house keepers, and have nice furniture, I may have a solution for you. It will give you a chance to experience different parts of town and not get locked into anything. If you're interested, reply back as I'm too short on time, presently.

[bhcompy]

Something you may not have noticed in Parker is that Cherry Creek runs through it. It may not be hiking, but there are dirt trails that run along it as well as the large state park at the north end of the city

[jlstiff]

Thank you all so much for the advice. I was thinking the same thing about getting a job first and then going from there. However, it is so spread out when dealing with the suburbs that my husband and I were hoping to narrow down the area where we would apply so it doesn’t end up that one of us gets a job near Parker and the other a job in Broomfield. I guess if this happened we could settle on Lakewood.

Why are these areas not good for young couples? Are they mainly families or is it because there are not a lot of bars, clubs, and nightlife?

We do not want to live in the big city, nor do we want to live in the high traffic areas then basically blend into the city (west aurora, Englewood, ect…). When dealing with the south suburbs, we would prefer to be closer to 470 than to the city. We do enjoy going out for a drink once and a while, so would like to live near some night life, but we are not really into going out every Friday and Saturday. We would prefer to be closer to outdoor activities than nightlife, if we had to choose.

Broomfield really is our first choice, but it the apartments just seem so expensive. Again, if you have suggestions on good apartments in this area that are affordable (A 1 bed and den for no more than $900/mo, preferably no more than $850/mo) I would appreciate it. I plan to look into some of the suggestions posed here.

[Katiana]

All of the communities you named are suburbs, therefore, more "family" style areas than you may like. OTOH, as I said, Louisville is very family-oriented and my DH and I fit in just fine when we moved there w/o kids.

Here is a link to the Broomfield paper. It comes out 2-3 X /wk. It may have some apt. ads.

BroomfieldEnterprise.com : Broomfield, Colorado News, Business, Homes, Jobs, Cars & Information

Also, here is the city website.

http://www.ci.broomfield.co.us/index...enu=employment

Broomfield does have the festivals, concerts, etc that you are looking for. I like it. It's on the northern edge of the metro area, so you get a more open feeling. It also gives you reasonable access to Denver. I don't know if there are lots of young, childless couples there.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by jlstiff

[color=black]
Broomfield really is our first choice, but it the apartments just seem so expensive. Again, if you have suggestions on good apartments in this area that are affordable (A 1 bed and den for no more than $900/mo, preferably no more than $850/mo) I would appreciate it. I plan to look into some of the suggestions posed here.

Look on Craigslist. I think you're problem is that you're looking only at corporate-managed apartment complexes, which are going to be overpriced and tenant-unfriendly. Nearly $1k rent for a 1 BR is outrageous. You may have to sacrifice a bit on amenities but you should easily be able to find a rental in Broomfield for hundreds of dollars less.