BM - 50 y.o. - wants to move to Denver... (Aurora: rent, how much)

[bigpicture]

Born in California, uprooted to NYC at age 6. Never felt at home there.

Left NYC for PA last year. Realized just how much I had hated NYC, and how "rootless" I am.

Don't want to go to CA for many of the reasons I don't want to go back to NYC.

Denver, according to the internet, is a mid-sized city, with nice weather, easy access to beautiful nature, and a tolerant atmosphere, which are all gigantic pluses for me. Sounds like a place I can put down roots, live out my days...

Maybe even meet a few kindred spirits -- easy-going, free-thinking, nature-loving types... (They don't come in the female variety in the cities I've experienced so far...)

Problem is, my career sucks. I was a marketing writer in the publishing industry back east, and I don't expect to find that kind of work in Denver, at least not for me at age 50.

Since I know a bit about front-end web development -- the basics of HTML, CSS, Javascript, Jquery (and learning PHP) -- I'm hoping I can find work related to that ... or maybe something in tech support.

In short, whatever I find, I won't be raking in the dough.

I plan to find work out there before I make the move.

... So my question is, what are some areas you'd recommend I look for housing? I don't need much -- a 1 b.r. or even a studio will do just fine...

As I hear it, finding an affordable place in Denver proper will be hard -- so what towns outside of Denver proper will make for a reasonable commute?

I have a car, but I also like to have public transportation as a back-up... Do these towns have public transportation into Denver?

What towns (or areas) can I count on not being treated like an alien -- being a "lone black male" and all? (I'm 50, I've had my fill, the less stress I have to deal with, the better...) Are there places I shouldn't even bother looking for housing? (There sure are in NYC... I don't want to waste time & hassle...)

Any other considerations special to my case?

Right now I'm just at the planning/job hunt stage. Any and all comments and insights are greatly appreciated.

[2bindenver]

Come for a visit, and base your housing needs on the job location. We do have public transportation. See RTD for bus & light rail routes.

We do not really have towns outside of Denver. We have suburbs. The MSA is Denver-Aurora. Aurora is a pretty large city, compared to the others.

[davebarnes]

1. RMIUG jobs list on Yahoo Groups

2. Greater Denver is more similar to Los Angeles (on a much smaller scale) than Philadelphia when it comes to sprawl and towns around the big city.

3. The black population of Colorado is 4%. Denver is 9% and falling very slowly. Aurora is 10% and growing very slowly. You should PM SkinsFan82 for a black male perspective. (Ignore the aspect that he is a delusional Redskins fan.)

[SkyDog77]

i have been traveling a good bit of the country for work over the past 6 months and gotten to see parts of the south and east that I had never seen before.

The reason I bring this up is that I feel like I have a better understanding of what people are looking for when they say "town near Denver" and I think it is something that we lack compared to the east. I was in Pittsburgh last week and drove from there to Nemacolin and got to see a lot of small towns. We don't have many places like that. It's not to say there aren't any, but mostly we have suburbs.

From a happiness standpoint, it would probably make sense to just grab a studio close in for $1000 a month

[bigpicture]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I know that in New York the further you move outside of NYC, the less you'll pay in rent. I'm guessing it's the same around Denver, so I was hoping to pinpoint areas where the cost of rent is lower, but still within commuting range of downtown (by public transportation in a pinch).

Are the Denver suburbs like that?

Special thanks dave for pointing me to the jobs list. (I've also pm'd Skinsfan... )

[denverian]

Originally Posted by bigpicture

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I know that in New York the further you move outside of NYC, the less you'll pay in rent. I'm guessing it's the same around Denver, so I was hoping to pinpoint areas where the cost of rent is lower, but still within commuting range of downtown (by public transportation in a pinch).

Are the Denver suburbs like that?

Special thanks dave for pointing me to the jobs list. (I've also pm'd Skinsfan... )

I think it really depends on what your price range ends up being. There are parts of Lakewood that are near a light rail line, and I think prices are lower than in the city of Denver.

They're building a light rail line through Aurora right now. Southern Aurora is nice, but very suburban. Not so much "small town" though.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by bigpicture

Are the Denver suburbs like that?

No.
In upstate NY, there is always more town just a bit further away.
East of Aurora is nothing. Just prairie and prairie dogs. Until you to Kansas City.
It blew my mind when I moved here from the suburbs of Boston.