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Thread summary:

Moving to Denver: safe area, buy a house, buying a home, minor repairs, walkability.

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Old 01-22-2009, 10:19 AM
 
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I am debating between moving to Denver area, or Ottawa IL, about 2 hours away from Chicago. I hope someone can help me out.

So I've researched a lot, and Denver keeps popping up in my list of places that I would like to move to. I've heard the bad, but a lot of them pale in comparison when you've lived in Chicago most of your life!

So I'm wondering what areas to look into. My friend told me lakewood/green mt, which sound wonderful! The housing styles, mostly ranches, doesn't really excite me (looking at old victorian style houses in Ottawa, so I must admit, I am quite spoiled!!) but I can deal with the house if the area is worth it, which everyone told me so far it is.

Are there any other areas which are safe? I love hiking, and don't want to be afraid to go by myself. Also, my pets are my life, and I would love an animal-friendly area. Any areas where you can take your dogs to outdoor cafes or anything along those lines?

I do love communities that are smaller, with a small downtown area, and being walk-able from different stores is a plus. Does this exist in the denver area? I don't mind being about 30-45 mins, or even 1 hour from denver if necessary.

Prices, up to 225,000. Any suggestions?

TIA!
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Old 01-22-2009, 10:36 AM
 
Location: Arvada, CO
13,824 posts, read 29,773,509 times
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Talk about two vastly different places. Why Denver? Why Ottawa?

There are plenty of great places in/around Denver, Lakewood/Green Mountain being one of them. There are tons of threads (do a search!) here on the Denver forum that will lead you in the right direction.

There are Victorian houses here as well, but will be harder to find in a "good area" in your price range.

Of course there are other areas that are safe, the other 2,000,000 of us that don't live in Green Mountain get along just fine. I haven't been shot yet!

Much of Denver is animal-friendly, a little too much IMO. There are some places where you can take dogs to cafes, you'll have to get a response from a dog-lover to help you out with that one.

There are a few neighborhoods around with "small, walkable, downtowns," but more in the phony than the real sense. A thread search/other posters can help with that too.

If you are going to need to work in Denver, I would highly suggest being no more than 30 minutes from work. Long commutes can get old FAST, especially here.

I'm not quite sure if Denver is exactly what you are looking for, Ottawa, IL seems more of a fit for you, except I don't know what kind of hiking options the Ottawa area offers.

Last edited by Count David; 01-22-2009 at 10:36 AM.. Reason: removed quoting
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Old 01-22-2009, 10:56 AM
 
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Thank you for your response David! Well, basically I've lived in the north suburbs (evanston) for 5 years, and the rest of my life basically in the SW suburbs of Chicago (Orland Park). I am looking to buy, and I always just assumed I would stay in Chicago, but I need to get further out to be able to afford anything. I've loved Ottawa because of skydiving, and it's close to Starved Rock (great hiking for IL, but probably a joke compared to anything you have in CO!)

So I've looked for houses, and found some I love in Ottawa, but I am afraid I won't be too happy being so far from a city. Plus, this winter really helped firm up the fact that I really hate the weather in Chicago. The winters are too cold, and too brutal, and really, summers are too humid and miserable. So what's the point of living near Starved Rock when I will never leave my house??

Anyways, so Denver seems to keep winning when I look at different areas, yes, still some cold, yes, still some hot days, but it seems like a milder version of Chicago. I love being outdoors, and I love mountains!! Oh you have no idea how much they thrill me! Haha, it's actually embarassing!

It doesn't seem like there's very bad areas, I see a lot in Aurora, can anyone tell me more about that?

Also to elaborate on the dog thing, I've heard the National parks don't allow dogs period. This frightens me, is this a rule but not enforced? Can someone explain more?
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Old 01-22-2009, 12:05 PM
 
Location: Arvada, CO
13,824 posts, read 29,773,509 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by definemylife View Post
Thank you for your response David! Well, basically I've lived in the north suburbs (evanston) for 5 years, and the rest of my life basically in the SW suburbs of Chicago (Orland Park). I am looking to buy, and I always just assumed I would stay in Chicago, but I need to get further out to be able to afford anything. I've loved Ottawa because of skydiving, and it's close to Starved Rock (great hiking for IL, but probably a joke compared to anything you have in CO!)
You're welcome.

Is being that far out, or moving to an entirely new city, worth having four walls that you can call your own?

Quote:
Originally Posted by definemylife View Post
So I've looked for houses, and found some I love in Ottawa, but I am afraid I won't be too happy being so far from a city. Plus, this winter really helped firm up the fact that I really hate the weather in Chicago. The winters are too cold, and too brutal, and really, summers are too humid and miserable. So what's the point of living near Starved Rock when I will never leave my house??
Living far from a city can be a drag for some people not accustomed to small-town living. I was one of those people it was a drag for.

This winter (so far) has been fairly mild here, with the exception of December. I think winters here would be kinda like Chicago's, but in very short spurts. It's rare for the weather to be the same for more than three days at a time here. Heck, it's been in the 60's/70's here for the past few days without a hint of precipitation. That should change tomorrow, however.

Summers are nice for the most part, but do expect some draining mid 90's-low 100's days occasionally. This past summer sucked, we had a lot of those days. But it does cool off nicely at night.

In Denver, you will leave your house, we have too many nice days to not.

Mountains are cool.

Quote:
Originally Posted by definemylife View Post
It doesn't seem like there's very bad areas, I see a lot in Aurora, can anyone tell me more about that?
I live in Aurora. The general "rule" around here is the further south you go in Aurora the better. The housing stock tends to get newer as you go south as well. I live in the central-west part of Aurora, and previously lived in the southern part. Most of Aurora is just fine, and even the worst part will look/feel tame compared to some of the worst parts of Chicagoland.

The thing about Aurora, is that it can be quite boring in some areas, and would definitely be boring in comparison to Evanston. It is primarily a residential city, there isn't much to "see" here. Imagine long, wide roads with housing on both sides with shopping centers at major intersections.

Last edited by Count David; 01-22-2009 at 12:06 PM.. Reason: comma, word deletion
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Old 01-22-2009, 01:00 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aguilar View Post
You're welcome.

Is being that far out, or moving to an entirely new city, worth having four walls that you can call your own?
Yes! It's a great time to buy, and (as I always tell people) some girls dream of their wedding, and what it will look like, or their kids, and what they will name them, and I dreamed of my house! I could give a poop less about the other things, but a house, that's my dream! Also, I didn't mention that we have (takes deep breath) 2 dogs, 9 cats, 2 rat, 2 gerbils, and a turtle. Finding an landlord that would take us, and to have enough room for the literal zoo...too much. Give me a house thank you!



Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aguilar View Post
Living far from a city can be a drag for some people not accustomed to small-town living. I was one of those people it was a drag for.
I feel okay about being away from a city. Yes, there are aspects that I love, but there are things that I hate too. I have taken many trips to ottawa and love it! It's a mix between middle of nowhere town, and city. But I do wonder if work-wise I will be okay, and if it can really keep me interested enough....

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aguilar View Post
This winter (so far) has been fairly mild here, with the exception of December. I think winters here would be kinda like Chicago's, but in very short spurts. It's rare for the weather to be the same for more than three days at a time here. Heck, it's been in the 60's/70's here for the past few days without a hint of precipitation. That should change tomorrow, however.
I do daily weather checks now, sometimes it's par with chicago, but other times it's almost brought me to tears! I don't mind cold or snow, but winter here just seems too drawn out and steady bad. Someone from there told me that snow doesn't sit around for months like it does here. It would be nice to have it cold and snow, but be gone and half-way decent in less than 4 months! Haha

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aguilar View Post
In Denver, you will leave your house, we have too many nice days to not.

Mountains are cool.
2 strong points.



Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aguilar View Post
I live in Aurora. The general "rule" around here is the further south you go in Aurora the better. The housing stock tends to get newer as you go south as well. I live in the central-west part of Aurora, and previously lived in the southern part. Most of Aurora is just fine, and even the worst part will look/feel tame compared to some of the worst parts of Chicagoland.

The thing about Aurora, is that it can be quite boring in some areas, and would definitely be boring in comparison to Evanston. It is primarily a residential city, there isn't much to "see" here. Imagine long, wide roads with housing on both sides with shopping centers at major intersections.
Noted. I've heard it was bad, so this is good to know, I mean really, I guess there's bad areas anywhere, and I've been in some of Chicago's not great areas, and I am still alive....

I don't expect it to be Evanston per say, but I do love some of the concepts of Evanston, but that helped. I do have a better feel for Denver between reading and here.

Thanks again!
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Old 01-22-2009, 01:11 PM
 
Location: Arvada, CO
13,824 posts, read 29,773,509 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by definemylife View Post
Also, I didn't mention that we have (takes deep breath) 2 dogs, 9 cats, 2 rat, 2 gerbils, and a turtle. Finding an landlord that would take us, and to have enough room for the literal zoo...too much. Give me a house thank you!
My god! Okay, get a house.

Quote:
Originally Posted by definemylife View Post
But I do wonder if work-wise I will be okay, and if it can really keep me interested enough....
You might have to take a step, or a few down as far as jobs go. You kinda gotta take what you can get in small towns.

Quote:
Originally Posted by definemylife View Post
Someone from there told me that snow doesn't sit around for months like it does here. It would be nice to have it cold and snow, but be gone and half-way decent in less than 4 months! Haha
Unshaded snow is lucky if it lasts here more than 4 days! I hate that it melts so quickly! Maybe I'd like Chicago's winter more?
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Old 01-22-2009, 02:34 PM
 
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Get a room you two.
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Old 01-25-2009, 06:25 PM
 
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I spent the first 11 years of my life in the Ottawa/Mendota/Dixon area before I moved to southeast Wisconsin. About 35 years ago I moved to Denver and have never regretted it. If you have to have a Victorian, move to Ottawa, as you won't be able to afford one here at your price range. There are some that you "could" buy but they're going to need a lot of work and you won't like the area. There's no comparison with the climate. Looking and comparing the temperatures really doesn't tell the true story. Back in your hood it's much more humid, so the cold seems to go right through you, but here it's drier and doesn't feel as cold as it says. Plus, with the increase in elevation, the sun is much warmer. I spend most winter days wearing nothing but a fall jacket during the day. We can get a cold snap but it doesn't last long, especially with the 300+ days of sunshing we get annually. Quit tring to duplicate what you're leaving behind. As Dorthy said to Toto, "we're not in Chicago, anymore". Take Denver for what it is, a great city in a part of the country with a different climate and different amenities. If you keep trying to compare you'll always feel disappointed. I missed the many lakes when I first got out here, but then I had to tell myself I don't live in that part of the country anymore. Once I settled that, I was fine. Worry about were you'll be working first, then worry about where to live. There are plent of great neighborhoods to choose from. Five years ago, $225K was about as low as you could get to buy a three bedroom, 2 bath home with a two car gargage, in the suburbs. Now you can do it at $200K. You could go even lower but you'll have to do some repairs or the area might not be what you want.
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Old 01-25-2009, 07:44 PM
 
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Default about those pets...

Quote:
Originally Posted by definemylife View Post
Also, I didn't mention that we have (takes deep breath) 2 dogs, 9 cats, 2 rat, 2 gerbils, and a turtle. Finding an landlord that would take us, and to have enough room for the literal zoo...too much. Give me a house thank you!
One thing to keep in mind is the amount of wildlife in the areas you may be considering. I live not too far from Green Mountain, and in the past week have seen 3 coyotes (whereas have seen none in the past 9 months). Please consider keeping your cats indoors, for their protection; and be watchful of your dogs when you have them out-of-doors.

Good luck in your search!
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Old 01-25-2009, 08:04 PM
 
Location: Green Mountain
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I think you could find something for 225K in Green Mountain. It would most likely need some fixing up but well worth the effort. The two things that impressed me about Green Mountain are the location and the lots.
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