Moving to Denver, want to make sure the area I am looking at is safe. (Parker: apartment)

[Paramagnetic]

Hey all,


So to keep it as short and sweet as possible:

Moving to Denver for work, which will be just north of the DTC.

I want to live very close, and I will have to rent for the first year or so.

I am born and raised in Long Beach, CA (not the major ghetto areas, but within a 5 or 10 minute drive of them, and I have plenty of experience with pretty bad areas growing up near them in Cali)

Im 24, married, and have a 4 yr old son.


The area we are looking in is Florida ave. between S parker and S Dayton. The crime data doesn't indicate that the area is any worse then anything I live in or near right now, but I wanted to get some real feedback from real people.

The place would be very convient for us because the company we rent for right now has properties there, and we would be able to transfer. It would be a 10 minute drive from my work, and so It seems a good place to live for a year to save some money up and then look in to something more permanent.

It is also situated in the Cherry Creek school district? Which is supposed to be one of the better ones in the city, and that is of course VERY important to me because my son will be starting K at the end of the year, and I want him to be in the best hands possible.


I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thank you all!

[davidv]

That area feeds into Overland HS. It is not horrible, but it is the worst performing high school in CCSD. If you moved down into the Tech Center, you would be in Cherry Creek HS' feeder area. CCHS is the highest performing high school in CCSD and one of the top high schools in the state. High school is a long way away for your son, but one of the reasons CCHS is so high performing is that the schools that feed into it are excellent.

You can check out this map of the school district's schools.

[Paramagnetic]

Thanks for the map! Yeah, we will move well before he starts high school, haha. I am mostly concerned about someplace with a good K right now, by the time he finishes K we will likely be ready to move.

Other then the bad HS, is the area pretty safe to walk around in? We won't be heading north, only south, east (a little) and west.

[cowboyxjon]

I think the area is fine. I would probably suggest one of the apartment or condo complexes on the south side of Florida Avenue, simply because the neighborhood bounded by Florida Avenue to the north, Parker Rd to the west, and say.. Colorado Avenue to the south and Havana to the east has at least two parks that I know of and the traffic is less heavy than it is along Florida Avenue.

Also, you might want to look into my old neighborhood, which is Denver's Indian Creek neighborhood, which is just west of Parker Rd along Florida Avenue (i.e., down the hill). The schools are Denver Public Schools, though, but the neighborhood is quiet and walkable in the sense that the sidewalks are wide, there's a park, and there is generally little traffic, but there aren't any stores to walk to or anything like that. Just a thought.

Are you looking at a specific complex?

[Paramagnetic]

The Carmel Alton Green complex is the one we are looking at, mostly because they are going to give us an amazing move in deal because we rent with carmel here in orange county. We would be getting one the newly renovated units with new everything; so that is enticing to say the least.

Another question: what are the immediate tools I should have for my vehicle for the snow? (forgive my ignorance in this department, im a dumb Californian when it comes to snow, ha ha)


Thanks for all of the help!

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Paramagnetic

The Carmel Alton Green complex is the one we are looking at, mostly because they are going to give us an amazing move in deal because we rent with carmel here in orange county. We would be getting one the newly renovated units with new everything; so that is enticing to say the least.

Another question: what are the immediate tools I should have for my vehicle for the snow? (forgive my ignorance in this department, im a dumb Californian when it comes to snow, ha ha)


Thanks for all of the help!

I don't have any tools. I park in my garage, park in a garage at work. I probably have one those stick things with a brush on one end and a scraper on the other, but I don't think I've ever used it since moving here from CA. You can get them at any gas station or automotive store. I guess you'd need one if you park outside.

[hammertime33]

Originally Posted by Paramagnetic

Thanks for the map! Yeah, we will move well before he starts high school, haha. I am mostly concerned about someplace with a good K right now, by the time he finishes K we will likely be ready to move.

Other then the bad HS, is the area pretty safe to walk around in? We won't be heading north, only south, east (a little) and west.

Overland is not a bad high school. It did me just fine - my graduating class sent people to Harvard, MIT, multiple people to Stanford, etc. My parents initially wanted to move into the Cherry Creek HS feeder area, but after visiting CCHS they hated it and decided not too. I'm glad they chose Overland. It's a much more diverse school (most diverse in the state), and they provide a top notch education.

[cowboyxjon]

I would get a scraper with a brush and a shovel if you don't have covered parking, but really, you shouldn't have a problem. It doesn't snow very much here.

If you can, you should come and look at Alton Green before you move here. I'm not trying to dissuade you, but I have a friend who lives there, and while the apartment itself is fine (though it seems like they skimped on the renovation a little bit -- like, for instance, the countertops are new, but the appliances are from the 80s), his windows and balcony overlooks an adjacent complex, which I think is called Sierra Vista. According to him, Sierra Vista is noisy at night on weekends and the police are there often. It bothers him enough to the point where he's going to move when his lease is finished.

Again, I'm not saying that Alton Green is terrible, but I would check it out first just to make sure it's a good fit. (and then make sure to ask for a unit that doesn't overlook Sierra Vista! )

[Paramagnetic]

Thanks for the tips and the heads up!

The apt will be in the very center complex, so it will not overlook any other complexes other then the rear building of the alton green complex. Thanks for the heads up about the appliances, the women we spoke to said all of the appliances are brand new energy star compliant, but I never put it past these companies to try to pull some stuff.