Relocating to Denver in 2012 (Lakewood, Greenwood Village: real estate, apartment, rentals)

[jennyazriel]

Hello,

My fiance, 6 yr old daughter and I will be moving from San Antonio, TX to Denver in the late spring early summer of 2012. We are looking into moving into a more eclectic area of denver, close to downtown, 2 bedroom apt or duplex. I would like to not pay more than $800/mo. Good schools are a must since my daughter will be attending 2nd grade next year. We like the feel of being in a suburb right outside of downtown in a nice decent neighborhood. Right now I love outside of down town in a duplex in San Antonio.

Thank you!

[Mike from back east]

I don't think you'll find much in the $800/month price range. Look at padmapper.com to see rentals and prices.

I'll let Denver residents advise on eclectic areas of Denver, though I'd hazard a guess they'll talk about a number of areas found on this map. I'd call the "CBD" area as the heart of downtown and the areas with a small circle of that. There are certainly eclectic parts in the areas surrounding the CBD, but price will almost certainly be an obstacle.

[davebarnes]

1. School. Look at Colorado School Grades

2. Neighborhood. Look at Sunnyside United Neighbors, Inc. Part of Zip code 80211

3. Rentals. Look at PadMapper.com But, you going to have to increase your budget. Colorado apartment vacancies at 10-year low | Inside Real Estate News and Denver home vacancy rates rise slightly | Inside Real Estate News

[strawberrykiki]

I don't think you can find a 2 bedroom close to downtown for 800 dollars. I've been searching myself for something downtown and even studios or 1 bedrooms can be over 1,000 dollars. I don't know if there's any leeway in your budget, otherwise you may have to move further outside of the city to find something in that range.

[albagal]

Glendale would be a cheaper area, but I am not sure about the schools there. It's close to Cherry Creek, with plenty of great shopping and activities, not too distant from the Zoo, Museum of Natural History, Denver Art Museum, Denver Library etc. If you are used to a more suburban feel, this might be a bit too much, since Colorado Blvd can be congested at all times. But if you like hiking, (and don't mind the cold) then walking to Washington Park could prove an enjoyable family activity with dining and shopping along the way (Bonnie Brae and Gaylord street areas).

[jennyazriel]

thank you for the info!...we are so back and forth as far as location. After talking this over with my fiance, we want an area that close to the mountains but not too far from downtown.

[Suzatlarge]

Originally Posted by jennyazriel

we want an area that close to the mountains but not too far from downtown.

You need to look more closely at a map. "The mountains" aren't anywhere close to downtown Denver.

If you want to be closer to the mountains/foothills, you should look in areas west of downtown. Lakewood is the suburb that borders Denver on the west side. I don't know what rentals cost there. I think the schools are in the Jefferson County Public School system. The SW areas of Denver proper may be more affordable. Be sure to check crime statistics and public school achievement data for any neighborhood you look at.

[davidv]

Originally Posted by albagal

Glendale would be a cheaper area, but I am not sure about the schools there. It's close to Cherry Creek, with plenty of great shopping and activities, not too distant from the Zoo, Museum of Natural History, Denver Art Museum, Denver Library etc. If you are used to a more suburban feel, this might be a bit too much, since Colorado Blvd can be congested at all times. But if you like hiking, (and don't mind the cold) then walking to Washington Park could prove an enjoyable family activity with dining and shopping along the way (Bonnie Brae and Gaylord street areas).

Interestingly enough, Glendale schools are excellent. Glendale is a part of Arapahoe County and the Cherry Creek School system.

The elementary schools are Holly Hills/Holly Ridge, the middle school is West MS, and the high school is Cherry Creek HS.

Many people move to Glendale so that they can send their kids to Cherry Creek schools. The downside is that West MS has some of the wealthiest kids in the metro area as it gets kids from Cherry Hills and the wealthier parts of Greenwood Village. This can be hard for kids whose parents are working class. It gets better at CCHS as many of the middle class/upper middle class kids from Centennial get mixed in.