Living close to downtown advice (Denver: rent, condos, crime)

[Nea1]

We are tired of the burbs and we are moving back to the area and want to consider living closer to downtown. We do have kids and we want a nice area any neighborhood ideas? Thanks

[Dorthy]

There are a lot of nice neighborhoods close to downtown. A lot will depend on your price range. What kind of houses do you like? What other things are you looking for in your neighborhood? Will your kids be attending public schools?

[CamaroGuy]

Originally Posted by Nea1

We are tired of the burbs and we are moving back to the area and want to consider living closer to downtown. We do have kids and we want a nice area any neighborhood ideas? Thanks

Nice to see on the boards Nea1! God I've missed you sooo much.:'-)

[TeamFoster]

What are you looking for as far as size and price? Do you prefer a certain style ie; victorian, mid century, newer? How close you want to be to work?

[icewater]

Just going off of nothing as far as preferences go, I'd say stay away from north and east of downtown for sure and probably west as well.....maybe south/southwest is a better bet. The farther out you get the more options you have, but I'd say that anything within 1 mile of the 16th street mall in any direction isn't really a good place to raise a kid if it isn't mandatory.
Don't get me wrong, near downtown is fine but as a long-term solution it doesn't fit the traditional definition of house and kid(s)......good luck with the search.

[steveindenver]

Just going off of nothing as far as preferences go, I'd say stay away from north and east of downtown for sure and probably west as well.....maybe south/southwest is a better bet. The farther out you get the more options you have, but I'd say that anything within 1 mile of the 16th street mall in any direction isn't really a good place to raise a kid if it isn't mandatory.
Don't get me wrong, near downtown is fine but as a long-term solution it doesn't fit the traditional definition of house and kid(s)......good luck with the search.

Ignore that entire post; there are areas all around the metro that are fantastic.

Until a response is given with the aformentioned questions it is tough to nail down a list of specific areas.

[Nea1]

We will be renting at first. Our kids will be in public schools and we like older homes but the area needs to be kept up but doesnt need to be fancy. We like parks and walking to things. Driving to work is not a worry his work is all over the area.

[tfox]

How close to downtown? Do you want to be within walking distance or driving distance?

If you say "walking distance," I think your best bet would be East Highland. With the new bridge there, it's a pretty easy walk to downtown. East Highland has become quite safe by Denver standards, so old stereotypes about crime don't really apply there any more. And, there are a surprising number of kids in East Highland, though there are more in West Highland. The problem would be schools, of course -- although there are a couple of decent elementary schools (Academia Sandoval being one). High School is screaming "reform" there, and likely North will be broken up and closed eventually.

Barring East Highland, I might also mention the Governor's Park area -- it might be okay though it's mostly condos there, and not so many kids. Rent is quite reasonable there, however. It's also stretching the definition of "walking distance," but it's still doable.

If walking distance is not a factor, then there are a number of options where there are some great schools. I'd look to the southeast. Congress Park, Hilltop (expensive), Country Club (expensive), Alamo Placita, Washington Park, Bonnie Brae (expensive), Cory-Merrill, Platt Park are all good options. It's a misconception that DPS schools are all bad; in these areas mentioned there are some great schools. These areas roughly correspond to the "old money" section of Denver, so back even in the bad old days of urban decay and white flight, these schools were kept up.

If your kids are going into high school, I would shoot for East as opposed to South, however, though my perception from parents is that South is underrated. I'd say your preference should be East, then GW, then South. Of course, much better than any of them would be the charter DSST or the magnet DSA.