Mountain Project Logo

Hired in Denver, Where to live?

Original Post
Sam Latone · · Chattanooga, TN · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 45

Just accepted a job as a Denver Health Paramedic and am looking to move to Denver early August. Looking for thoughts on where to live. Requirements are

1. Proximity to ambulance garage(Capital Hill Area).

2. Where climbers live...is this even a thing? I live in Chattanooga and there are definitely "climber" parts of town.

3. Budget around $1000 a month or less and would prefer to live alone, not at all opposed to studio apartments.

4. Urban life isn't really a big thing for me. I like trees and green space.

5. Quick access to cut out of town would be nice. I prefer multipitch trad so I will be making lots of trips to Eldo, RMNP, south platte, Black Canyon, Moab during my time off.

I'm not totally opposed to Golden, but the 20-30 minute commute is a detractor. I already know Golden is cool , I would prefer to hear about other places. The 40 minute commute from Boulder takes it off the table.

Thanks in advance future friends/climber buddies.

Dan Cooksey · · Pink Ford Thunderbird · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 365

You can piss $1000 a month away in Denver. I have worked in the field before and you want to be close in case of short turnaround on shifts or mandatory OT.

Everyone in Denver climbs. Not much of a scene tho.

Just find a place near a brewery and climbing gym that you can walk to and pray for $1400/month.

Chat is sweet. You may be disappointed with the front range :-(

Dan Cooksey · · Pink Ford Thunderbird · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 365

P.S forget about boulder.

Golden is awesome, but expensive and although not far in distance, with traffic your travel times won't meet the bill.

Sam Latone · · Chattanooga, TN · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 45
Dan Cooksey wrote:You can piss $1000 a month away in Denver. I have worked in the field before and you want to be close in case of short turnaround on shifts or mandatory OT. Everyone in Denver climbs. Not much of a scene tho. Just find a place near a brewery and climbing gym that you can walk to and pray for $1400/month. Chat is sweet. You may be disappointed with the front range :-(
Dan, I have found countless studio apartments in Denver for less than $1000. Also, Chatt is sweet if you like single pitch climbing. As I said i want to be close to many multipitch venues which Denver has good proximity to.
coppolillo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 70

Yo man, welcome to town....or soon to be....

RiNo is the latest, greatest hipster neighborhood in Denver. Super urban, tons happening, very popular but doesn't sound like your scene. Yes, consider Golden. Fun, close to crags, easy access to I70 if you're skiing at all. Tennyson neighborhood in Denver has close freeway access, 20 mins to downtown by bike, up-and-coming neighborhood, some good restaurants/bars/etc, but it's not hipster hell yet....quick access to Golden, Eldo in 35 mins or so....

Definitely some other neighborhoods...not quite as young/happening as Tennyson, for example, but I'd avoid anything south of downtown by 10 minutes or so...it gets suburban/sprawly real quick down there. Keep in mind Golden has light rail into downtown these days. Takes some of the pain out of the commute. North of Denver is going to have light rail, too, up to Broomfield...tons of cheaper options up that way, but also suburban...maybe not a deal killer for you?

Anyway, PM me with more questions, whatever, if I can help.

Rob C

SteveZ · · Excelsior, MN · Joined Sep 2007 · Points: 431

Congrats on the new gig! I know/worked with a couple who are medics there and seem to like it.

It might be hard to find all the things you're looking for at the same time: Close to cap hill, easy exit to the mountains, Green space/trees, and sub $1000/month. I think if you're willing to nix one of those requirements you'll find a lot available.

If you're willing to go a bit away from work you might look at lakewood. I lived there when moving out here at first. 6th ave is a good major road in/out of Den. Health area but it depends what hours you'll be commuting. Rush hours suck. Lots of green space though (esp bear creek/lake), cheaper rents, further west and closer to the S. Platte/hills. Less urban.

Arvada might be another thought for similar reasons, though you'd have to battle it out on I70 and I25 which are worse than 6th ave in my opinion. A little hipper and more expensive. I lived up here too and could actually bike into Den. Health area pretty easily as there are some good bike trails ( coloradobikemaps.com/tag/c-…)

North might be an option too, especially when the new light rails open up. It tends to be more suburban or run down/shady depending where North you go. Suburban tends to be Westminster/broomfield. Run down more the thornton, Berkley, Sherrelwood area. I live in Sherrelwood and like it for the most part, it's super close to major roads to the mountains but I don't know of many apartments really. It's more house rental or buy.

Otherwise if you're willing to pay more you could try cherry creek or wash park areas. Super nice (rich yuppy), lots of green space. A bit longer to get out of the area. I personally can't stand it down there but everyone else seems to love it. Definitely a lot going on, bars, music, food etc. But (in my best crusty old man voice) I hate the parking, crowding, hipsters, jacked up rents, etc.

South probably just sucks as driving up from the tech center on I25 will be no fun. Also further from I70 to get out west. Also more expensive often (Littleton, Ken Caryl, Highlands Ranch). Close to the S. Platte though.

East quickly becomes Aurora. I don't know much about it, but hear not so good things.

I don't really know of climber parts of town. Probably more in the Golden/Boulder area as you mentioned.

Don't forget to scope out your closest climbing gym! Movement, Earthtreks, Rockn and Jamn, Denver Bouldering Club are the main ones I'd look into. Thrill seekers really sucks. A couple more moving in soon too... Louisville and Stapleton as far as I know.

Good luck, whatever you do I'm sure you'll like the long routes you find out here. Shoot me a PM if you want more long winded opinions.

Tradgic Yogurt · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2016 · Points: 55

Yeah, sounds like Lakewood will be a strong option. About halfway between Golden and Denver, relatively easy to get up to Boulder area via either US 36 or CO 58.

Broomfield is another option if you're going to headed toward Boulder Canyon and other things northward a lot. Rough commute in by CO standards, but lots of open space still. I had partners who moved from Broomfield to Lakewood to buy and to get away from I-25 after switching jobs, and they know traffic (former Houstonians).

Five Points and north of City Park areas may also worth considering. Not quite as gentrified as say , Cap Hill or RiNo (not even it's original name, apparently). Relatively easy bike to work if that interests you, but not as much green space as say, Lakewood. Prices are probably a bit above $1000 though.

Anonymous · · Unknown Hometown · Joined unknown · Points: 0

Basically you're screwed. But so are all of us that live here. My recommendation is live a cheap as you can and live close to the train and get a bike! Driving is a nightmare in Denver, I drive a big ass gutter truck around 5 days a week and it's always stop and go, construction here, there, everywhere. Long story short, driving is slooooow and more frustrating than being behind three parties on Bastille crack.

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50

Anyplace you live here will be expensive, unfortunately.

I know that Denver Health used to require employees to live in Denver County but I don't know if that's still the case

Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880

Pretty much wherever you can even find a vacancy.
A general area for you to look would be Broadway to the west, Colorado Boulevard to the east, Colfax north and Alameda south. Lots of old 3 story apartment buildings with fairly high turnover.
The new apartments are overpriced. Unfortunately the multi pitch trad areas are not part of Central Denver so you will have to compromise on that.

Sam Latone · · Chattanooga, TN · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 45

Sorry for the delayed response guys. I wanted to thank everyone for their input. I will be performing a scouting mission to Denver mid July that will also involve some climbing in RMNP. I'm stoked to meet and climb with y'all.

Sam

Sir · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 10

My advice is that you live close to work. No more than 6 miles. Most jobs are 5 days a week and the weekend is 2, so the math is strongly in favor of close to work. Print out a map, whip out and compass and put a circle on that sucker. Then start looking inside the circle.
I suppose you could do it in Zillow or something if the compass thing is too old school.
You are gonna love it here.

Sam Latone · · Chattanooga, TN · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 45
Sir wrote:My advice is that you live close to work. No more than 6 miles. Most jobs are 5 days a week and the weekend is 2, so the math is strongly in favor of close to work. Print out a map, whip out and compass and put a circle on that sucker. Then start looking inside the circle. I suppose you could do it in Zillow or something if the compass thing is too old school. You are gonna love it here.
My schedule will be 4 days on 3 days off...but I think I would rather be close to work and not leaving my cool house to sit in traffic 2 hr every day.
John McNamee · · Littleton, CO · Joined Jul 2002 · Points: 1,690

I think it is all relative to what you are used too... Personally, I don't think traffic is that bad in Denver. We have a condo in Lakewood, off 6th and Simms, close to St Anthony's (my wife works there) and I can ride to work in under an hour, mostly on bike paths for 8 or 9 months year. I started commuting in March this year. Driving takes me 20 minutes in the morning and 35 to 40 in the afternoon on days when I'm feeling lazy or the weather sucks. I work 6am to 4.30pm, 4 days a week.

Lakewood is really quick to get into the city center and exit the city at weekends, via 6th avenue, i70, etc.

Having lived in some other cities around the world, I think the Denver traffic isn't too bad, as long as you don't work a 8 to 5 gig.

Hope you enjoy your move.

Aleks Zebastian · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 175

climbing friend,

do not be moving to denver. it is done and there are too many of the peoples there already, living in quiet desperation, and elbowing and competing each other for routes. I move from Denver to western Colorado, yess hmmmm yahhhhh, and I now dislike peoples from Denver and Boulder coming here to "escape," even though you say this, how you say, perhaps quite hypocritical.

I would like build wall in Glenwood canyon to keep them peoples from boulder trapped down on the front range like the animals they are and prevent them unwashed masses coming here and perverting my quiet mountain community and crowding of rifle with many yahoos utilizing intermittent no hand grigri technique and excessive loop of slack to knees or lower, making holds oilier than a 6-month mackerel in bucket, yessssssssmyahhhhhyahh.

Aleks Zebastian · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 175

climbing friend,

I also will start website blog in attempt to make money off climbing media as everyone and their grandmother brunilda they try to do, and then simultaneously complain about new peoples learning to climb in gym and crowding on my climbing rocks for sport climb climbing rock-ropin' on rocks with trad for crack.

Jim Amidon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2001 · Points: 850

If you wanna stay within your 1k you may have no choice but a small apartment in Capitol Hill.

You'll be close to work but rents out here are really high and you wont be looking at much for 1k.

I live in Wheatridge 10 mins from Downtown Denver and actually have a 5 bedroom house if you wanna talk short term rental while your just getting to town send me a Private Message.

I've been climbing in Colorado for oh almost 20 years....

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
Post a Reply to "Hired in Denver, Where to live?"

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.