Some Denver questions... (Fort Collins, Boulder, Center: houses, employment, neighborhoods)

[InsaneTraveler]

Hi all! A few questions

I am currently living in Chicago. I simply cannot take the weather any longer. I love seasons, but I want them in a more milder sense.

I am considering a move to Denver. I have read on the internet that Denver has built its city to be more dense. I have also heard of their current investments in public transportation, which interests me greatly. Can you live in Denver and get by without a car?

Also, are there any cheap universities in Denver?

[denver_hacker]

It's probably not as easy as Chicago (definitely not as easy as NYC or SF) to not have a car. But if you pay attention to light rail and bus lines while you're picking out your residence and your work is in a central location, it can be done.

I know folks who live and work in and around downtown Denver and have cars, but rarely use them...and then it's mainly to go up into the mountains. I think I only know two people without cars in Denver. Central Denver has decent public transportation and good bike access. You could also live anywhere along the light rail route and get around that way. I also know people who live in classic suburbia but use the bike to get around all year (they stay home on snowy days and stockpile food. Boulder has really good public transportation (all bus) as well, so you might want to check that out too.

Here's the website of the agency for public transportation:

http://rtd-denver.com/

As for cheap universities...do you mean stuff like University of Phoenix or ITT Tech? Or more like state schools/universities?

Out of state tuition for state colleges/universities is not cheap and on par with tuition for private schools. In-state resident tuition for state schools is decent. There's a commuter campus, not a traditional college setting, in downtown Denver that houses a state university, state college, and city community college:

Auraria Higher Education Center

The 'big' traditional state schools are CU Boulder and CSU in Fort Collins.

There are also some private schools around the metro area.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by InsaneTraveler

Hi all! A few questions

I am currently living in Chicago. I simply cannot take the weather any longer. I love seasons, but I want them in a more milder sense.

I am considering a move to Denver. I have read on the internet that Denver has built its city to be more dense. I have also heard of their current investments in public transportation, which interests me greatly. Can you live in Denver and get by without a car?

Also, are there any cheap universities in Denver?

I think you'd like it here.

Look in the Index of threads, under "Walkable Areas..." for the thread on Car-Free Living in Denver, which is quite doable.

[Katiana]

Denver sure as heck isn't as dense as Chicago. I like it the way it is, but if you're a huge "urban" person, you might not.

[tfox]

The public colleges and universities in Colorado are relatively expensive, especially for out of state students, and it also takes considerable time and effort to become an in-state resident for the purposes of tuition. There are also relatively few state-funded scholarships.

[904jax]

The Capital Hill/Cheeseman Park neighborhoods (zip code 80218) of Denver are excellent walking, non-car based lifestyle neighborhoods. The areas around 9th Ave & Downing St. have most, if not all, of the goods and services necessary for a good life within walking distance. Downtown, a major employment center, is also within walking distance of Capital Hill/Cheeseman Park. I grew up in and around these neighborhoods and lived in them as an adult. I rarely utilized my car, unless I was traveling to the mountains or to see a friend in the suburbs.

With regards to affordable schools, it is important to become an in-state resident. Get a Colorado drivers license and register to vote within your first week of relocating to Denver (it may take a year before you'll be considered a Colorado resident). The Auraria Campus has three affordable schools for in-state residents: University of Colorado at Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver, and a community college. The Auraria Campus is a ten minute bus ride from Capital Hill/Cheeseman Park and about a 15 to 30 minute walk, depending on which part of Capital Hill/Cheeseman Park you are located in.

http://www.ahec.edu/

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by 904jax

The Capital Hill/Cheeseman Park neighborhoods (zip code 80218) of Denver are excellent walking, non-car based lifestyle neighborhoods. The areas around 9th Ave & Downing St. have most, if not all, of the goods and services necessary for a good life within walking distance. Downtown, a major employment center, is also within walking distance of Capital Hill/Cheeseman Park. I grew up in and around these neighborhoods and lived in them as an adult. I rarely utilized my car, unless I was traveling to the mountains or to see a friend in the suburbs.

With regards to affordable schools, it is important to become an in-state resident. Get a Colorado drivers license and register to vote within your first week of relocating to Denver (it may take a year before you'll be considered a Colorado resident).
http://www.ahec.edu/

You have to do more than that. There are some links on this forum. You can do a search for "Colorado residency" and find them.

[904jax]

The prior poster offers a critique, but no specifics. That is because there are no bright line tests. One should read the Colorado statute governing in-state tuition.

For folks who are "emancipated" adults not receiving support from out-of-state parents, intent to establish residency, continuous physical residency and time are the most important factors. Registering to vote and obtaining a Colorado drivers license are objective, measurable manifestations of intent to establish residency in Colorado. I did not include automobile registration, because the original poster contemplated living without a car. Of course, if your sole purpose in moving to Colorado is to obtain “in-state” tuition, then you could have problems; in this case, the original poster's motivation to potentially relocate to Colorado seems to be its agreeable climate; a valid reason to relocate and become a Colorado resident.

[Katiana]

^^^Good grief! Just because I do not want to spend two hours on here finding a link for someone else, you choose to say something smarmy.

I say to the OP, do not get all your information on this subject from CD. Get on the web and find out the "real deal" on Colorado residency. I have filled out these forms several times for myself and my kids. The universities have some leeway in interpretation, but the rules are the rules.

[InsaneTraveler]

Thank you so much for all the imput! =P

It is really appreciated! I will certainly look into the neighborhoods you all suggested. Thanks also for letting me know the requirements for becoming an in-state resident.