Apartments in Boulder (Denver, Lafayette, Louisville: apartment complexes, rental, home)

[wmspeep]

Does anyone have any suggestions on apartment complexes for a family in Boulder?

We are moving end of December and want to rent for a while until we get familiar with the area. We will need 2 bedrooms, quiet (not completely populated with students), have 2 small dogs, would like a pool and good schools for our son - elem./middle (although it seems from pp that all of the schools in Boulder are good ?) and near open space/parks/something to walk the dogs.

Any advice would be welcomed. We are hoping to spend about $1000-$1200/month. Husband will be commuting to Denver for work by bus.

Thanks!

[nelumbo]

The Humane society has information on pet-friendly apartments: Humane Society of Boulder Valley | Pet Friendly Housing - Cats And Dogs

You might want to consider east or south Boulder, where the college student population is lower, and you have easy access to trails that run along the edge of the city. The B and BX buses to Denver run down Broadway and then turn east onto Table Mesa, there is a large park and ride at Table Mesa and Foothills Pkwy. Many apartment complexes have pools, although they tend to be outdoor pools - there are indoor pools at several rec centers around boulder.

[Katarina Witt]

I don't think you will have any problems with any of the Boulder schools. You might also look in Louisville, Lafayette, and other nearby areas, as they are more family friendly. My DD lived in E. Boulder last yr in an apt complex, and it was mostly students. nelumbo is right that there are fewer students in the periphery of Boulder than right near campus, but there are lots of students everywhere in the city.

[wmspeep]

Are Louisville and Lafayette etc. all connected by bike trails like Boulder? One thing we are hoping to avoid is having to drive everywhere.

[Katarina Witt]

Louisville is, I'm not as sure about Lafayette. The thing about Boulder, too, is that most of these trails are recreational; you can't really go to the grocery store, to the shopping centers, etc., on the bike paths. You can take them for part, but not all, of the trip. Louisville's are similar, but Louisville is much smaller. As an example, it is possible to ride a bike from my home to the Louisville Rec Center entirely on bike paths until crossing Via Appia in front of the RC.

[POhdNcrzy]

Miss Peep, I think your price range is in the ballpark but a little on the low end. You will find SOME acceptable apartments although with significant shortcomings/defects in that price range.

Katiana is spot-on as usual about the bike situation. Boulder is fantastic for recreational/athletic cycling, quite a bit less so for bike commuting and errands. Pros: good bike path system relative to most places in US (i.e. no bike path system whatsoever) Cons: What Kat said, plus incredibly crowded (with cars) streets make cycling for errands VERY dangerous.

Louisville and Lafayette are about as bike friendly as most anywhere in the US (i.e. not very really).

For 98% of people in these areas and the Front Range in general, the personal automobile is how you get around, run errands, etc.

[nelumbo]

I actually have a 2B/2Ba apartment in Boulder in a complex that allows pets (sorry, limit one dog iirc) and has a pool for less than $1000/mo, and I don't think there are any undergrads allowed by management. There are a few grad students, but the population seems to be a mix of retirees, young families with small children, and professionals. Managed complexes that are less than $900/mo in Boulder are probably high student population, but if you aren't looking for a high end place and can deal with things like 1970s and 80s color-schemed tile in the bathroom, I think that $1000-1200/mo is very doable. Then again, I came here from Boston, where the rental housing stock that was even vaguely affordable all had *major* issues and zero amenities, so my viewpoint may be a bit warped....

If you choose carefully to be near good bus lines, a convenient bike path, and/or accesible shopping, you can easily keep driving to a minimum within Boulder.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by nelumbo

I actually have a 2B/2Ba apartment in Boulder in a complex that allows pets (sorry, limit one dog iirc) and has a pool for less than $1000/mo, and I don't think there are any undergrads allowed by management. There are a few grad students, but the population seems to be a mix of retirees, young families with small children, and professionals. Managed complexes that are less than $900/mo in Boulder are probably high student population, but if you aren't looking for a high end place and can deal with things like 1970s and 80s color-schemed tile in the bathroom, I think that $1000-1200/mo is very doable. Then again, I came here from Boston, where the rental housing stock that was even vaguely affordable all had *major* issues and zero amenities, so my viewpoint may be a bit warped....

If you choose carefully to be near good bus lines, a convenient bike path, and/or accesible shopping, you can easily keep driving to a minimum within Boulder.

Management cannot discriminate on the basis of age. Your complex may not be convenient to campus.

[wmspeep]

Thanks all! We have been looking online and it seems we can find a few that will fit our needs. We aren't expecting shangri-la for the price we want to pay but are vowing to live frugal for 6 mo - 1 year and try and save a lot for a future purchase

[nelumbo]

wmspeep, good luck with your apartment search. I would try to find one with on-site laundry, there aren't very many neighborhood laundromats (except maybe on the Hill in the middle of the student area).

Originally Posted by Katiana

Management cannot discriminate on the basis of age. Your complex may not be convenient to campus.

That may be the law, but one of the property managers told me flat out that after one bad experience with undergrads, they won't rent to them any more. I doubt that it is a posted policy, but there are usually other ways to get around the law, and Colorado has weak tenant laws that favor landlords. There are some complexes about a block away that seem to be predominantly students and a bus that goes straight to campus.