Which neighborhoods for a young single have lots of trees and tree-shaded trails? (Denver: transplants, real estate)

[wheregirl]

THank you all, that is very helpful.

[Nav]

There are a lot of places in urban Denver to find the tree lines streets. The pollution however is an ever present problem. Denver sits in a valley on the plains. The smog settles over the city so the air quality is not supreme. Is it really bad, absolutely not. But it is not what you would call clean air. If you go to the foothills on any afternoon and look over the city, you will see a brown haze over the area.

Unfortunately, what your looking for doesn't exist. To be in a "happening" location, you have to trade air quality. If you want air quality, you will not be close to town. The choice is up to you. Either way, you'll definitely love it here

Nav

[DenverAztec]

Originally Posted by wheregirl

Thanks. Which are the old neighborhoods in Denver?

Denver Neighborhoods

Denver Neighborhoods

Denver: Neighborhoods - TripAdvisor

Denver CO Neighborhoods

Denver's Most Walkable Neighborhoods - Walk Score Neighborhood Rankings

List of neighborhoods in Denver - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[zenkonami]

Originally Posted by Nav

There are a lot of places in urban Denver to find the tree lines streets. The pollution however is an ever present problem. Denver sits in a valley on the plains. The smog settles over the city so the air quality is not supreme. Is it really bad, absolutely not. But it is not what you would call clean air. If you go to the foothills on any afternoon and look over the city, you will see a brown haze over the area.

Unfortunately, what your looking for doesn't exist. To be in a "happening" location, you have to trade air quality. If you want air quality, you will not be close to town. The choice is up to you. Either way, you'll definitely love it here

Nav

I would add that the "brown cloud" phenomenon seems endemic to many western cities. I don't know the science of it exactly, but I believe it has to do with temperature inversions trapping pollutants in valleys (or in Denver's case it's almost more of a bowl) and having insufficient air pressure movement to clear it out. Though I've certainly noted smog in cities back east, I can't say I've ever seen the effect quite the same there...though that's by no means a reliable measure.

I wonder myself if cities like Columbus, Cincinnati or Indianapolis have such problems? I've rarely noticed such a problem in Kansas City or Oklahoma City, but Denver seems more dense than either of those two plains cities (in addition to being centered around the Platte River Valley.)

Denver seemed to have just the right amount of tree lined neighborhoods for me, and I rather like the mostly treeless trails. I could see how someone from the East Coast or the Northwest might have some difficulty adjusting, though.

[formercalifornian]

Originally Posted by zenkonami

I wonder myself if cities like Columbus, Cincinnati or Indianapolis have such problems?

The short answer is: yes, they do.

As far as the OP and where to live...My neighborhood has shaded, paved trails (great for biking), but it's hardly the place for a young, single female. BTW, how young? Twenties or thirties young? Around here, we're mostly families and retirees, along with a smattering of affluent, techie singletons who work 90 hrs/wk and hire out their house and lawn care.

To help you narrow things down, how about telling us what draws you to Colorado and how you plan to support yourself, because that will have a huge effect on where you'll want to live.

* Are you looking for a house, a condo, or an apartment?
* Will you be working? Where?
* Do you want to live in the city, the suburbs, the country, or the mountains around Denver?
* Besides hiking, what else is important to you? Do you want to be near a university? A hospital? Bars & clubs? A great library or bookstore? Ski slopes? The light rail?
* Are you politically-minded? If so, do you prefer a more liberal or conservative environment?
* Do you want access to trails purely for recreation use or do you plan to use them to go about your daily business? Hiking or biking or both?

[formercalifornian]

Okay, I took a look at your other posts, and at this point, I suggest Boulder if you can afford it.

[wheregirl]

Thank you all, now i am better informed about the neighborhoods of Denver.

So the air quality of Denver is significantly worse than Boulder? Because of the inversion?

Is the winter in Boulder milder than in Denver?

Thanks!

[wheregirl]

Also, how far do you have to go to get above tree-line, from Denver?

It is not easy, I am looking for an area with lots of trees but without a lot of rain. I like to have some sun, but partly cloudy days are the best, especially if it is cloudy in the morning and sunny in the afternoons. Thanks.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by wheregirl

Thank you all, now i am better informed about the neighborhoods of Denver.

So the air quality of Denver is significantly worse than Boulder? Because of the inversion?

Is the winter in Boulder milder than in Denver?

Thanks!

They are about 30 miles apart, at roughly the same elevation. What does that tell you?

Originally Posted by wheregirl

Also, how far do you have to go to get above tree-line, from Denver?

It is not easy, I am looking for an area with lots of trees but without a lot of rain. I like to have some sun, but partly cloudy days are the best, especially if it is cloudy in the morning and sunny in the afternoons. Thanks.

About 7000 feet in altitude.

[Hipchik]

Originally Posted by suzco

You have posted in many forums on C-D over the last few months, saying you're considering relocating to places as diverse as Seattle, Arkansas, Santa Fe, Connecticut and many more. If the most important factor for you in where you live is tree-shaded trails, Colorado is not a good choice.

I agree! After reading your posts I would say that Colorado would be the least likely place that would fit your requirements.
Definitely no to Boulder. As you stated, there are no friendly people there! Boulder winters are terribly harsh - much worse than Denver. And Boulder air quality is horrendous compared to Denver (cough cough).