Denverites

[Zephyr]

I seem to remember a few people here lived in the Denver area.  I just accepted a job offer in Boulder and my fiance is looking at something in Aurora and Broomfield, hopefully the latter. 

Are there really any bad areas in Denver?  We are looking for something in the Westminster/Broomfield area west of I-25.  I drove up 36 and 25 and it all looked pretty nice to me, but I am not sure if things get worse off the highway.  As her job is with a government agency, we won't know if she got the job until we are out there.  I am hoping we can find something with a 6 month lease in case she gets the job in Broomfield instead and start looking for a place a bit closer to Boulder.

[MrHat]

We moved away last year, but miss it terribly.

There really aren't any bad neighboorhoods west of central Denver.  Broomfield is beautiful if you can get there.  It's where most of the tech people that work in the Boulder area live (IBM and all that).  Longmont (N of Boulder) is great if you like it laid back country style.  Westminster is where we stayed for a year while I worked out of Siemens in Littleton (45 mins) and my wife was doing her Masters @ CU in Boulder (20 mins).  Westminster is still catching up a bit imo, but it's a quick drive to downtown (~25 mins) and a quick drive into Boulder (~25 mins) so it's an ideal location.

If you can afford to live IN Boulder, more power to you.  Where/what will you be doing?

[Drai]

There aren't really any bad areas of Broomfield and Westminster; they are just normal (read: bland) suburbs.  Since it sounds like you and your fiancee will be working on opposite ends of the Denver metro area (if she ends up working in Aurora), living in either Boulder or Denver is probably out of the question simply for commuting sanity.  Being a city person, my first recommendation would be Denver proper, followed by Boulder (very nice, but very expensive).  However, if you're just looking for a decent spot that is between both of your work locations, Westminster/Broomfield is probably your best bet.

[Zephyr]

Thanks for the info.  It looked pretty suburban to me, but I never got off the highway.  I was worried it would be the opposite of NJ, where everything looks like shit on the highway, but there are some nice spots once you get off them.  We are really looking at a worst case commuting scenario first and hoping for the job in Broomfield to pull through. 

If you can afford to live IN Boulder, more power to you.  Where/what will you be doing?

I am a civil engineer.  The job is located down on 14th St. and Spruce, pretty much downtown.

I went for an interview in Westminster and thought, wow what a great view.  The next day I was in Boulder and they showed where I would be sitting on the 2nd floor with a view of the Flatirons.  What I saw in Westminster could not compare.  Also it is about a 5 block walk to CU campus, so I can get to work on my masters.  So that pretty much sealed the deal.  :P

I loved downtown Boulder though and hope we can start looking for something at least out in Gunbarrel.

[MrHat]

If you are an active lifestyle kind of person, Boulder is amazing.  I know where 14th and Spruce is and it makes me miss Boulder.  Becareful, once you've lived there, it's hard to leave.  Grats on the job, mind if I ask the company? I have 2 friends that work at different Civil firms out there atm.

[Zephyr]

If you are an active lifestyle kind of person, Boulder is amazing.  I know where 14th and Spruce is and it makes me miss Boulder.  Becareful, once you've lived there, it's hard to leave.  Grats on the job, mind if I ask the company? I have 2 friends that work at different Civil firms out there atm.

It will be with JVA.

Boulder seems to be a bit eccentric, which I like.  The office is bookended by a meditation center and an art gallery.

[Paelos]

And plenty of pot connections. Most of my Boulder friends loved to paaartay.

[Mandrel]

The job is located down on 14th St. and Spruce, pretty much downtown.

I loved downtown Boulder though and hope we can start looking for something at least out in Gunbarrel.

[/quote]

I worked on the mall for 8 years, just left last year, and I miss it myself.  Might want to avoid Gunbarrel, as it's pretty bland itself, and the prices are still high since it's technically still Boulder.  You may want to check out Lafayette or Louisville, they're a bit nicer than Gunbarrel IMHO, and "feel" closer to me.  There's some new townhomes and nicer, more affordable developments too.

Pretty much all the development between Boulder and Denver is new in the last 10-15 years.  I moved there in 98, and the only major town you noticed on 36 was Westminster.  Now the whole corridor is developed.  You really can't go too wrong with the area you pick.  I actually lived in Downtown Boulder at 5th and Pearl, and loved being so close to everything.  The only area I would tell you to avoid is "the Hill" area along Broadway near CU, as the students up there can be noisy and a PITA at times.

Commuting to Denver or Boulder isn't too bad, as there are multiple Park and Rides along the corridor, and very frequent buses if you'd like to commute that way.

[Viin]

We live in Wheat Ridge which is between Arvada and Lakewood. It's a good little place to live, but if your wife is going to be working in Aurora or anywhere east then Broomfield or Westminster are your best bets - easy access to HWY 36 for both of you.

The only sketchy places that I can think of are pretty much directly east and north of Downtown Denver and some places in Aurora. Most everywhere else, including Boulder and beyond, are doing pretty good. Though I hear Longmont has gang activity!?!?

Welcome to the neighborhood!

[Daeven]

Just moved form Denver (Erie) to Seattle. It's definitely one of my favorite parts of the country.

In fact, if you're looking to buy a house.......

[Zephyr]

Almost unpacked now.  We ended up in Federal Heights, pretty much on Federal Blvd. and 104th.  Everything seems brand new in this section of town though.  There are plenty of shops and food within walking distance. 

The drive to Boulder in the morning is pretty easy, but the drive back at 5 is a major pain.

We won't be looking for a house until next year, once we are both working again.  Hopefully somewhere a bit more west of here or even up in Longmont depending on where my gf ends up at.

Other than that, I am loving low humidity living.  Even with it hitting 90+ over the weekend, we haven't bothered turning on the AC.  We went up to Rocky Mountain Park last week while my parents were still in town and maybe head into Denver this weekend to check out some places.

[Viin]

Almost unpacked now.  We ended up in Federal Heights, pretty much on Federal Blvd. and 104th.  Everything seems brand new in this section of town though.  There are plenty of shops and food within walking distance. 

The drive to Boulder in the morning is pretty easy, but the drive back at 5 is a major pain.

We won't be looking for a house until next year, once we are both working again.  Hopefully somewhere a bit more west of here or even up in Longmont depending on where my gf ends up at.

Other than that, I am loving low humidity living.  Even with it hitting 90+ over the weekend, we haven't bothered turning on the AC.  We went up to Rocky Mountain Park last week while my parents were still in town and maybe head into Denver this weekend to check out some places.

Yah, low humidity has it's perks! I die every time I got to someplace like Florida in the summer.

Federal and 104th isn't bad, I use to live up that way (Washington and 92nd), but I much much prefer to live in Broomfield/Westminster. If your gf is going to work downtown Denver you should look there - that is where the mall is (Hwy 36 and 120th-ish) and it's pretty much right between Denver and Boulder. It's also Jefferson County which is way better than Adams north of Denver (don't ask me why, it just is!).

If you need suggestions for food, fun, camping, hiking, whatever, let me know :) There's an airshow starting at noon this Sat and Sun at Front Range just east of DIA (take I70 east past DIA until you see the sign for the airport or rocky mountain regional fly-in).

[MrHat]

I'll second that area S of 36 Broomfield/Westminster, there's some great houses just off of Wadsworth right near the highway that provide you with 2 minute access to the freeway.  Viin, which mall? I hope your not talking about Westminster mall when Flat Irons is ++.

[Viin]

Nah I meant Flat Irons (over by Interlocken which is actually Wads and 36, but 120th is just on the other side of 36).

Is there anything even left in the Westminster mall? Oh I guess there's a Sears ..

I actually have a house at 100th and Wads that I'm renting right now. I really love the area but the house isn't as good as my wife's plus we're closer to Denver in Wheat Ridge.

[MrHat]

lol, we used to live @ 92nd and Wads.