I am moving to denver in a month, I am looking for a house to rent and would like to know what are some of the good areas. I am currently looking into Arvada. Hmm....Given the current rise of gas prices, that really depends on your budget, what kind of activities you like and plan to do, and how far your work is. If your work is closer to Arvada, then it would be the better choice. I used to live in Wheat Ridge, just a few blocks south from Arvada. And to me, Arvada is kind of far out from central Denver metropolitan area (in terms of the cost of time and distance of commute). The biggest shopping center (mall) is by I-70 and Wadsworth Blvd. Then there's another higher class mall, Flatiron Crossing, up in Boulder that's about 20 minutes away. Most of Arvada neighborhoods are not the best in terms of the residents. Unless the apartment/house has recently been remodeled, most of the houses there are older (built long before the 70s), so be sure to take pictures of EVERYTHING (cabinets, cupboards, cracks in the vinyl kitchen floor, sinks, and so on) before you actually move your stuff in. I had an argument experience with an owner over the security deposit because he tried to say that I did all the damages to his kitchen floor during the time I lived there. Good thing I had pictures for proof. The part of Arvada that's closer to Boulder (beyond 70th, down toward U.S. 36) gets better and safer, but I would not trust the neighborhood between 63rd down to Colfax Ave (Arvada to Wheat Ridge) between Sheridan Blvd. and Wadsworth Blvd.
Lakewood, a few more blocks south of Wheat Ridge, is a much better area. It's consisted of mostly retirees (lots of elders), so the lifestyle is much slower paced. Since they're retired, they are not as quick-tempered to yell at workers/employees at stores, banks, and supermarkets. Most of the elders I have encountered there were educated and able to articulate in a friendly civilized manner even when they do get upset. They were my favorite customers at the pharmacy. What I loved most was the new "subdivision" city called Green Mountain (it used to be a part of Lakewood, but due to significant expansion, the city got divided). The scenery is just gorgeous. Everywhere I turned was full of green.
Littleton, SE of Arvada, has one of the top school districts in the state of Colorado (the other one is Cherry Creek School District). The houses, residents, neighborhood or communities are just heartwarming. As you get farther south, closer down to Castle Rock area, it's even nicer. There's just so much open space for you to see the panoramic view of the Rocky Mountains. And at night time, you can also enjoy a glimpse of the city lights of the central Denver metropolitan area, as most of those houses between Littleton and Castle Rock are set kind of up on a hill. The driving distance is about 20-45 minutes (depending upon traffic rush hour) to get to the Denver Tech Center (DTC) and downtown Denver. If it's rush hour, it can take an hour or slightly longer, as the population around here are growing so fast over the last few years. Then Littleton even got divided further into Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree. But it's still a nicer area.
Aurora--Cherry Creek (still part of Aurora city, but it's more toward Parker Rd, Quincy, and Buckley and E-470) area is another nice choice. It is also closer to Littleton, where there's plenty of open space for views of the mountains and city lights. There's the Cherry Creek School District, in which there are many more academic and extracurricular programs available than the Aurora Public School District. But try to stay away from NE Aurora, Colfax Ave. area, as that's where the majority of crimes, gangs, and prostitutions are.
Centennial, which used to be a part of Englewood, but got divided, too, is a decent area. I think the school district is a part of Douglas County, but I'm not sure anymore. Located between Aurora and Parker cities, it is also closer to Littleton area, so it's pretty nice area in terms of neighborhood, housing, residents, and commuting efficiency.
Parker city is pretty nice, too, in terms of the neighborhoods and residents. I don't know how their school system is, I just know they're a part of the Douglas County School District as well. But they are kind of far out, too. The city is still developing and building more and more convenient stores.
Greenwood Village/Cherry Creek. That's where the multi-million-$ homes are, with horse ranches and high-fenced walls over by University Blvd. and Belleview. The nicer part of Aurora aforementioned is located near this area. It's nicer in terms of those residents pay higher annual property taxes, so they have more programs available and smaller class sizes for their public schools.
In terms of rent cost, anywhere downtown Denver is always the highest (for the convenience of all the night club activities), with second comes to the Greenwood Village/Cherry Creek areas. I think another reason for such high cost in Greenwood Village is because it's so close to DTC and 15-20 minutes driving distance from downtown. Lakewood, Littleton, and Aurora-Cherry-Creek have a much better rent cost for the kind of nicer neighborhoods, commuting time and distance, and public school education funding.
Then there's the newer community built right by Pena Blvd and 48th, called Green Valley Ranch, closer to the Denver International Airport (DIA).....Eh, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Rent may be cheaper than all other areas, but it is sooooo far out that it takes 20 minutes driving just to reach the I-70 highway to go anywhere. Plus, it's right by a part of Denver called Montebello. So once you move into this neighborhood, your car insurance rates goes up significantly----even though you're out in the "boondocks" and the chance of you getting into car accidents (with squirrels and crickets?) is soooo rare. I fought with my car insurance over that and they just said "It's based on your zip code, because you're close to Montebello area".....even though Montebello is a good 20-30 minutes away. So, stay away from there if you can. The houses out there are so poorly constructed that I thought my house was going to blow over every time a breeze came our way. It may be quiet, but, with just the howling of the breeze and the crickets, it was a bit too quiet for me. It's just open space with no scenery to compensate. You can get a much better deal in Aurora with just a bit higher price, because after a while, the gas and time prices become a killer.
Stay away from Colfax Ave (regardless of city, as it runs across several cities), Capitol Hill, Montebello, and Martin Luther King Ave areas.
But overall, I think you will enjoy living in Denver. The people here are so much nicer and more laid back than big cities like L.A. or NYC. You can actually go into stores and briefly chat with the cashier at the check-out lanes without hostile glares. Or ask a neighbor to briefly watch your kid(s) for an hour or so while you run to the grocery store for medicine. I love Lakewood, CO, you could check in to that. Some parts of Arvada are okay, but you should check out Littleton. It has better schools and the same proximity to the mountains and Denver that Arvada does, it's just that Arvada is North and Littleton is South. I would highly recomend Littleton or Centennial. I live in Centennial and I am 15 min form I-25 10 min from C470 and 7 min from 285. I can get pretty much any where in 30 min and I am about an hours drive from the mountains. I wouldnt recomend Highlands Ranch unless you are a stuck up snob and want to live with a bunch of other snobs, plus if you have kids it is NOT a good place to raise kids. I would also recomend Lakewood or if you want to be further north the new parts of Thornton are really nice too. (I25 and 136th). Good luck! Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, and Arvada. All on the west/best side of Denver....I would go with Wheat Ridge first...then Lakewood.... We live in Parker and love it, the schools are great, it's safe, it's very small town, and the commute isn't too bad,
also, look into Castle Rock, same kind of feel, a bit longer commute, but it's cheaper, too
Littleton is beautiful, schools are great (I graduated from Littleton High), but the houses are very pricey
Lakewood is okay, same with Arvada, Golden is nice, if a bit far, Wheatridge is good, too (as well as most of the Boulder county cities)
I would avoid Highlands Ranch, it's too 'plastic'
I would also avoid Centennial/Aurora east of I-225/I-25 (crime, cost, commute problems)
Also avoid a lot of Adams county (see above)
Yep, I sound like a snob, but I live here, went to school here, my kids go to school here, etc. You kind of get a feel for things after a while...
Hope this helps you and welcome to Colorado! :) |
