Moving to Denver (from Boston) (wood floors, apartment complex, rentals)

[redvelvet]

My boyfriend and I are moving from the Boston area to Denver around early August. We have not yet been to Denver but have a trip booked for late June to visit the city and see some apartments. We are in our late 20's and are looking for a moderately priced (1 BR at $800-$1,100) dog-friendly apartment complex that houses young professionals. I will be attending Johnson and Wales in the fall and we would like to be close to the campus within no more than a 30 min. commute. My boyfriend is an accountant and does not yet have a job secured. We both have cars, but as a resident of Boston for many years I am very comfortable with public transportation. We just want to be somewhere decent and safe for me to walk our dog at night, and nearby running or bike trails and other outdoor activities are of course a plus. I've read many other posts on this site that seem to indicate we may have to actually live downtown in order to have this short of a commute to the J&W campus. The apartment complexes we've found online that appear to be good options so far are:

Tamarac Village Apartments (3300 S Tamarac Dr.)
The Breakers (9099 East Mississippi Ave)
Metropolis Boutique Apartments (Congress Park)

Any advice on specific apartments and/or areas would be much appreciated!! Thank you all for your posts on this site as they are extremely helpful.

[shukertj]

Hi There,

Would you consider a small rental house? We used to live near Johnson and Wales and it's in a great neighborhood called Park Hill. Most of the houses nearby are cute bungalows with small yards and you may be able to find one in that price range. Park Hill is about 15 minutes from downtown and 10 minutes from City Park, or closer depending on where in the neighborhood you live. I'll post some sample rentals in a few minutes--have to go take care of the kids! : )

[shukertj]

Here are some rental listings in Park Hill that are night near Johnson and Wales (5-10 minutes):
Fabulous Park Hill Condo (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1687212116.html - broken link)
duplex with granite, stainless, yard (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1684852985.html - broken link)
Park Hill Flats (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1684711351.html - broken link)
Beautiful~~~ Spacious~~~ Renovated~~~ Condo (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1681575872.html - broken link) (in Mayfair, 10 mins from J&W)
charming house in N. Park Hill (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1680583958.html - broken link)
Wood Floors, Lots of Light, End Unit (http://denver.craigslist.org/apa/1679370875.html - broken link)

There's a variety of properties in there, but they're all very close to J&W. Lots of luck and welcome (in advance) to Denver!

[Ceij]

Lowry is one of those communities where you can walk almost anywhere you need to go. A large grocery store, restaurants, Denver county library, etc. And it's just off Colfax. Buses run Colfax regularly. It's an upscale neighborhood, comparatively. The zip code is 80230. I'm not as familiar with the Stapleton area, but it's a newly developed area. Stapleton is a larger area than Lowry but they are similar. Be aware, on the east side of Denver an affluent block will be right next to a disadvantaged block. If you are looking for a typical western suburb within 30 minutes of J&W I can't make a recommendation.

Also, in Denver it's easier to travel east and west than it is to travel north and south. The daily commute in Denver will be night and day different from Boston. Good Luck.


New Homes Lowry Denver| Master Planned Sustainable Community
Discover Stapleton | A Sustainable Community Near Downtown Denver

[redvelvet]

shukertj: Thanks for the suggestions. With being new to the area we would like to be in an apartment complex/community type place, so that we can have more of an opportunity to meet new people, etc. Eventually we may be looking to rent a house or duplex maybe, but not quite yet.

Ceij: Thanks so much for the response. The Lowry Park Apartments appear to be just what we are looking for and the location is great in terms of proximity to J&W. And having lived in downtown Boston for a longtime I am used to walking pretty much everywhere so this sounds great. We will definitely add this to our list of apartments to see when we visit in June! And Stapleton looks like another good option for us too. And thanks for the tip on traveling east to west in Denver; the amount of options are overwhelming and this will certainly help me narrow it all down.