Young couple moving to Denver with dogs- where to live? (Colorado Springs: 2013, apartments)

[jorgecazares1]

Hello, my name is Jorge. My fiancee and I will be moving to Denver in June or July of 2013 from a town in Kansas. I will be attending Johnson and Wales University. We have two dogs (neither are pitbulls, we are aware of the ban) but they are both medium to large dogs. We are not familiar with the area and were wanting to know where best to look for a place to live. We wanted somewhere affordable for a young couple (obviously, I will be on a college student budget). We are starting to send out resumes and whatnot so we don't have job situations worked out yet so we don't know what budget we will be dealing with, although we do have moving money. She has a degree in environmental biology and works in a veterinary clinic and I work part time in a kitchen. We will be looking for similar jobs there to start out. So the initial budget will be whatever that pays in Denver. That being said, we currently rent a 2-bedroom 700 sq ft apartment for about $400/mo on a combined income of about $30,000/yr (keep in mind the median income in our town is $27,000/yr). This is why it is so difficult to get a grasp on the Denver situation. What is a reasonable, affordable price for a rental in Denver? We are looking for something dog friendly. We know we probably won't be able to find anything in that square-footage. Also what are neighborhoods we should look at or stay away from and why? I would prefer that it be a reasonable distance from the university, but ultimately what matters is that we can afford it, that our dogs will be allowed, and that it's not in an unsafe area (where we currently live, we normally leave doors unlocked throughout the day and have minimal security at night, we know that won't fly anywhere in Denver, but we DO NOT want to end up in the ghetto in a big city). Any tips, suggestions, or comments would help Thanks!

[davebarnes]

Rent in Denver will be $750 and up for a 1-bedroom.
See PadMapper.com
Rents are rising daily Colorado Division of Housing: Trulia: Denver and Colorado Springs asking rents up over 5 percent

One of the worst neighborhoods in GREATER Denver is the section of Aurora just to the east of campus.
Overall, most neighborhoods are safe. But, you know what Dorothy said to Toto.

Example
https://www.padmapper.com/show.php?t...10018&src=main
$800 for a basement apartment near your school

[denverian]

I just checked and the Advenir apartments on Montview Blvd. (adjacent to Stapleton and down the street from Johnson and Wales) is over $825 a month for a 1 bdr. apartment. Not sure if they take dogs, but it's a reasonably safe area and from what I've heard, nice apartments.

I don't think you're going to find anything within 30 miles of the school for $400 a month. I was paying $375 a month to rent a run-down bedroom and bathroom (not an actual apartment) in a house in the City Park neighborhood back in 1995.