Living in Denver and surrounds

[socaso]

We are seriously considering moving to Denver and have been researching the area. We currently live in L.A. and are feeling extremely priced out of the market here. We want to be able to buy a house and save a larger portion of our income. We were wondering what neighborhoods are good for small families? What about some of the surrounding areas like Aurora, Arvada, Littleton, etc? Do they give you good access to the city? We'd like to live somewhere accessible by public transportation so we could possibly ditch one of our cars. We've heard great things about the public transport in Denver and how bike friendly the city is. What online resources are popular in Denver for finding rentals? We would like to rent for 6 months to a year before buying so we can get comfortable with the city. What are people paying for a 2-3 bedroom rental in the area? Thank you so much for any advice. We really hoping that this move can give us more badassity through moving, as MMM suggested in a post!

[socaso]

Maybe someone will have a response today?

[innkeeper77]

Denver metro is rather expensive, which is something you have to realize before moving here. However, that is my perspective coming from the midwest! We spent some time in Denver/Aurora (Stapleton neigborhood) and then rented an apartment in Broomfield (for job reasons)

Public transport- ehh.. they have the light rail system and busses, but I have not found an occasion to use them yet. The light rail spiders out but has no outer loop connecting it, and isn't exactly convenient compared to the systems I am used to (Chicago etc) - However, the bike paths are decent in denver and in the surrounding towns- I am very happy with it, and my wife and I bike almost everywhere (including to work!)

Renting- expect no less than $1200 for a two bedroom, likely more than that. Outside of Denver Metro is cheaper, but also likely not where you want to be. Produce is expensive compared to the midwest, though probably comparable to what you pay.

[Metta]

Denver's bike path system is more than "decent". It's among the best in the country. I grew up in Denver and didn't need to own a car until I left for Ohio. Public transportation is also fairly good, certainly better than other places I've lived but not as good as L.A., Chicago, or NYC.  FWIW, I biked from SE Denver (almost Aurora) to downtown Denver every day for work and was never on a major street. Most of it was on dedicated bike paths (not, mind you, parts of the road labeled for bikes).

My recommendation is that you look at Walkscore.com for Denver (which also includes a bike score and a public transportation score and then zero in on neighborhoods you are interested in. You can also find apartments this way and get a sense of how they fit with the bike path/public transportation system.

http://www.walkscore.com/CO/Denver

You can also find a bike path map for Denver here. Take a look at the "off-street, multi-use trails".
https://www.denvergov.org/bicyclingindenver/denverbikemaps/tabid/438249/Default.aspx

[nessness]

Lakewood and Littleton are both family-friendly communities that have light rail stations. Public transportation is so-so; definitely not as good as LA. $1200 is a reasonable budget for a 2-bedroom apartment in many parts of the metro area. When I moved here two years ago I paid $950 for a nice two-bedroom that was right on a bike path, but I believe rents have gone up a fair amount since then.

[socaso]

Thanks! The bike maps are so cool.

[Ftao93]

Lakewood and Littleton are both family-friendly communities that have light rail stations. Public transportation is so-so; definitely not as good as LA. $1200 is a reasonable budget for a 2-bedroom apartment in many parts of the metro area. When I moved here two years ago I paid $950 for a nice two-bedroom that was right on a bike path, but I believe rents have gone up a fair amount since then.

This about sums it up.  Now, coming from LA, you might find that some of the nearby areas aren't bad.  Your commute might only be 40 minutes :P.

There are a lot of places that it's not bad to get to.  Public transit is getting stronger every day, but it's still not viable for many.

Keep in mind we do, at least every now and again, have a real winter.  During those times it's best just to not go out, as so many people that didn't grow up driving in snow are now flinging themselves down I25 or a faster city street while on their phones, lights not on, and thinking 4wD will save them.....

It's still a reasonable place to buy a good house for 2-300k if you have that from your sale in LA

[dbanta]

If you wanted to consider a Colorado move, but not necessarily Denver, you could consider Fort Collins.  Housing costs are less expensive than Denver and it is rated one of the friendliest bike cities in the country.  The city continues to improve biking infrastructure and just added some more bus routes. 

http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-u-s-cycling-town/

For an idea of rental prices you could look at https://northerncoloradorentals.com/

The job market in Fort Collins is strong.  It can be competitive with the university and recent graduates in town depending on what type of job you are looking for.  There are a number of tech jobs and GIS is also pretty big.  Otterbox is based out of Fort Colins and we have HP, Intel, and a few other larger tech companies.  However, if you are looking to work in Denver I would not recommend Fort Collins because the commute is terrible. 

[Lkxe]

Here's the map for Public Transportation http://www.rtd-denver.com/PDF_Files/broncosridemap2014.pdf  It's for the Bronco ride express buses but will give you an idea where the hubs are. Additionally, there are three new train routes coming Soon 2-3 years. One follows 225, one from Union Station to the airport thru Stapleton (which will not be in the 200-300K range) and one north through Commerce City and Thorton to the East of I 25 (the traffic is horrific most days on 25). We were shopping last Summer in Littleton, Highlands Ranch and Broomfield, Westminster. I want to shop Arvada but the spouse ( who was here) could not be swayed. I looked at the school scores and picked areas from that to start. The good schools in the core of Denver use lotteries to gain entry- can"t do that to the kid or where in the 500-600+ range (couldn't do that to my spouse.) Littleton was nice, Highlands Ranch a little distant We ended up in Broomfield for no HOA, a mile to the Rec Center, Trails, parks, 2 miles to Library, 3 blocks to Elementary and 4 miles to Park and Ride ( Spouse works downtown) We're suburbanites- can't seem to break it, well at least till the boy is grown. and aa article on Denver money from the latest 5280 http://www.5280.com/news/magazine/2014/08/mile-high-money

[Doaner19]

If you're coming from LA, Denver will seem like a bargain, no matter where u live.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

We just moved to southeast Denver. Our two-bedroom townhouse is $1300 a month; we looked at some that were cheaper, but less suitable for a family of four. People complain about real estate being expensive here, but it is comparable to where we lived before (Fredericksburg, VA, AKA the very outer suburbs of Washington, DC).

We are getting by with one car, but it takes some effort and planning. Like I will only get to go to Costco tomorrow if Mr. FP gets up early enough to catch a bus to work. If he's running late, he'll take the car and I'm out of luck. (I do not work outside the home.)

We live within easy biking distance of a light rail station and hop on it often to go downtown. Our toddlers love it. We've been really happy here. We do a lot of biking on streets as well as bike paths, but I find I can bike everywhere I go regularly--the YMCA, several grocery stores (if I'm not buying much or don't have the kids), Target, the library, several different parks, even downtown if we're prepared to make half a day of it.

But we haven't seen winter yet...

[ncha1271]

Speaking of the winter, how cold does it get in the winter? Lots of snow? I currently live in the very antimustachian boston area and would like to relocate to CO but my wife wants at least some improvement on winter weather.

[dbanta]

Speaking of the winter, how cold does it get in the winter? Lots of snow? I currently live in the very antimustachian boston area and would like to relocate to CO but my wife wants at least some improvement on winter weather.

I grew up in NJ and relocated to CO.  My experience is with winters on the front range (Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins).  The mountains are different. 

Winters in CO are much much more pleasant than winters back east.  We are at least a mile closer to the sun than you east coasters; any snow we get is pretty quickly melted by the sun.  With the sun being so strong and the air being so dry a 30-40 degree day in CO is much warmer than a 30-40 degree day back east.  We usually get an early light snow storm in October.  Not usually much snow during the winter.  Our big months for snow are usually March/April (it's when we get the most moisture).  This year it actually snowed on Mother's Day, but melted the next day.  If you don't mind the longer season for potential snow, but overall warmer and faster melting snow, I think it's an improvement.

[orbix]

I guess the real question in my mind is exactly why you're looking at moving to Denver, because I think that'll make a big difference as to what kinds of answers you'll get on the housing front.

My wife and I lived in Erie (a northern suburb of Denver) for about 3 years, and then bought a house in Broomfield (a not-as-far-north suburb of Denver) mid-last-year. From experience, I can tell you that location will make a MUCH bigger difference in cost here than I'd have anticipated. Louisville is a lovely small town right between Denver and Boulder, but has ludicrously high housing costs. Don't even get me started on Boulder... ($400k for 1,200 sqft 2 bed 1 bath? Count me out.)

Major points to you for wanting to rent before buying- we'd never have made as informed a decision if we'd tried to buy here right away.

[socaso]

I guess the real question in my mind is exactly why you're looking at moving to Denver, because I think that'll make a big difference as to what kinds of answers you'll get on the housing front.

My wife and I lived in Erie (a northern suburb of Denver) for about 3 years, and then bought a house in Broomfield (a not-as-far-north suburb of Denver) mid-last-year. From experience, I can tell you that location will make a MUCH bigger difference in cost here than I'd have anticipated. Louisville is a lovely small town right between Denver and Boulder, but has ludicrously high housing costs. Don't even get me started on Boulder... ($400k for 1,200 sqft 2 bed 1 bath? Count me out.)

Major points to you for wanting to rent before buying- we'd never have made as informed a decision if we'd tried to buy here right away.

We have a few reasons for our interest in Denver. We both work for a company with locations in Denver and can transfer our jobs easily. We are also urban people and prefer a city environment but are willing to do the suburbs while our child is young. My husband has spent a good deal of time in Denver for business reasons and he likes it, which is a big deal because he is less adventurous than I am when it comes to living different places (I could live almost anywhere) Also the mountains and great outdoor recreation opportunities are a big draw for us.

[LisaCO]

Denver has lots of family friendly neighborhoods and suburbs.  It sounds like you can transfer with your job, which is great.  Traffic here can be bad, so if based on your work location, these suggestions are out of the way, I’d nix them. 

Within the city itself,  look at Highland, Platt Park, Wash Park, South Park Hill or Stapleton.  Here’s a link to a Denver neighborhood map. http://www.dwell-denver.com/denver-neighborhood-map.php 

For suburbs, Arvada and Littleton both provide easy access to the city.  With Aurora, it really depends on which part.  The original city of Aurora is right next to Denver, but South East Aurora (closer to the e-470 toll-way) is further away.  Littleton currently has a rail line to downtown Denver and they are building one to Arvada, which will open in 2016.   Other suburb options could be Englewood and Centennial to the south or Wheat Ridge, Lakewood or Golden to the west.   

I’ve lived here for 26 years, so I haven’t had to look for housing in a long time, but I’ve heard that people have used PadMapper to search for rentals http://www.padmapper.com