Relocation to Denver area??? (renting, crime rates, neighborhoods)

[furi1120]

I am seriously considering moving to the Denver area because I love the American Southwest. The reason I am considering Denver is because there is plenty of sunshine year round...I am tired of the of grayness of the Northeast. I love to ski and I love the outdoors. I like the idea that Denver has four seasons too. Another thing that is important to me is being near a big city because of the jobs, cultural and professional sports aspects. Denver seems to fit the bill...big city with the Rocky Mountains next door.

Since I am new to this, I was hoping to get some advice from those who have relocated to this area or have lived here for a while. I have read that there are some "dangerous" areas in Denver and it's suburbs. Is this true? I am wondering what the definitionn of dangerous is, since I come from Philadelphia, which is currently ranked as one of the most violent cities in the U.S. This is a broad question, but what is it like to live in Denver throughout the year? I hear the traffic could be prety bad also, but the traffic where I live now is very bad. I guess you can't escape traffic problems anywhere in the U.S.

Any thoughts would be very helpful.

[Jerry Bckr]

Traffic is bad in any big city during rush hour. It will depend on where you live in relationship to your job. I'm a Realtor so I can't tell you what areas to avoid because then I might be in violation of Federal Fair Housing Laws. Are you renting or buying, and if buying, what price ranges? No area is immune to crime, however, higher priced areas seem to have less of it.

The Rocky Mountain News used to publish a map of the metro area showing the various crime rates for different parts of town. They got the stats from the Denver Police Department, and I think you could access it through the internet. I will say the relationship of dangerous areas to safer neighborhoods is very small.

[80skeys]

The dangerous areas of the east coast are a different animal. Yeah there's some rough and tumble places in Denver. But take that and multiply it several times to get Philly or D.C. Coming from your experience, you'll probably find Denver's crime "tame."

Anyway, the reasons you gave to move to Colorado, are the reasons to move here! So go for it.

As for traffic, I personally don't see what people in Denver complain about. They must not have experienced the New Jersey turnpike. Again, East Coast traffic is a different animal. you won't have a problem in Denver.

Originally Posted by furi1120

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Since I am new to this, I was hoping to get some advice from those who have relocated to this area or have lived here for a while. I have read that there are some "dangerous" areas in Denver and it's suburbs. Is this true? I am wondering what the definitionn of dangerous is, since I come from Philadelphia, which is currently ranked as one of the most violent cities in the U.S. This is a broad question, but what is it like to live in Denver throughout the year? I hear the traffic could be prety bad also, but the traffic where I live now is very bad. I guess you can't escape traffic problems anywhere in the U.S.

Any thoughts would be very helpful.