I’m starting a new job in Aurora, CO in March, so I’m moving to Colorado. I’m curious about places to go, things to do, and what are good places to live in metro Denver. Any help you can give would be very, um helpful.
St. Urho
Coming from MN? It’s not nearly as cold here (this week I think we bottomed out at -5, but that ws only for a few hours). Mosquitoes are not legendary here either although we seem to be getting more than our share of West Nile.
Where to live depends largely on what you like to do, and how you feel about commuting. I work in Aurora and live in Lakewood (Western edge of the city & suburbs), commute is about 30-45 minutes.
Denver is right on the border between the Rocky Mtns & Flatland. Aurora is in flatland. Cities to the west (Golden,Wheatridge, Lakewood, Littleton) are hilly and nice (if you like that sort of thing). Housing is a bit cheaper on the east side, especially out by the airport. But the real estate markert here is in such a slump that great deals can be made just about anywhere whether buying or renting.
Denver has pretty good footbal, Very good hockey and inexpensive-to-attend baseball (Coors field is worth going to even without a game, and it’s real close to some good pubs). Skiing is good in the moutains, but it’s a bit of a drive and spendy. National parks are good & wild with almost no fatal bear maulings anymore. Good mountain biking to the west side as well. Denver has Tha Zoo, Botanical Gardens and (out by Boulder) the Butterfly Pavilion–gotta see it if you like the bugs.
The image you probably have of CO is best found in The People’s Republic of Boulder.
Learn Spanish. If you have a truck, prepare to have it stolen. Carry collision coverage on your car because 20-30% of drivers here are uninsured.
Aurora is one of the most diverse cities in the metro area. It used to have a less than stellar reputation, but it’s honestly a fun place to live, with lots to do. Filled with suburban sprawl though.
Aurora has a lot of good golf; if that’s something you like to do. From where I am sitting, I have access to about 2 decent golf courses and one excellent one all within 15 minutes. If you like to bike or hike, there is Cherry Creek Reservoir. There is also a skate park in the city if you are into that sort of thing. The city also has a lot of good restaurants, especially if you like Mexican food. I recommend going to any shop that has Spanish more prominently displayed than English; you are almost sure to get a great meal for pretty cheap.
As for Denver, definitely check out the Central Library Branch. It’s one of my favorite places to hang out; the architecture and artistry alone is worth it. Usually something is going on across the street at Civic Park, and its fun to wander around in general. I also recommend visiting the Cherry Creek area at least once; one time will be enough of a taste to tell if you love it or hate it. LoDo is one of the club/bar areas downtown and is a fun place to hang around, even if just for the scene, as well as the 16th Street Mall. Plus the mayor has a cool name- Hickenlooper. (As well as turning out to be a decent mayor) 
T-Rex is a huge highway construction project going on here. It gets tons of local media attention and is generally a huge pain in the butt to deal with if you are trying to get anywhere during rush hour. The rush hour is pretty nasty, especially if you have to commute.
I agree with** Matchka**- try and learn a tiny bit of Spanish, it’s quite helpful.
One thing you’ll like it that it’s not winter all winter. We get cold, we get snow, but it doesn’t stay. For instance yesterday morning it was 3 degrees, today was 45, and tomorrow is supposed to be around 50. Summers are good too, and there aren’t too many bugs. Well, except for miller moths. Really, I consider it the perfect climate. We get all four seasons, but not extremely.
The zoo is very good, so is the natural history museum. I’ll agree that LoDo, the 16th Street Mall, and Cherry Creek are all cool. There are teams for all four major sports, and right now, for once, they’re all pretty good.
If you’re working in Aurora, I wouldn’t live any further west than I-25. Commuting can be hellacious; I don’t know how Matchka makes that trip everyday - I couldn’t. I live near Iliff and Parker - it’s a fairly quiet area at the boundary between Denver and Aurora with easy access to three main roads. The apartment market is overbuilt right now, so cheap deals abound.
Golf is HUGE here. I don’t care for it myself, but as Galaxiastar said, there are a lot of courses. If you’re a golfer, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven. Outdoor pursuits in general are very popular. The mountains are close, and lots of fun to visit for any number of reasons. And you’ll never lose your sense of direction; the mountains are west.
Politically, the Democratic areas of the state are Denver, the infamously liberal Boulder, and Pueblo. The rest of the state is Republican with varying degrees of conservatism.
It’s a great place to live; you’ll love it!
The basics have been covered pretty well so far. Some areas of Aurora are a little seedy, but most is pretty livable.
If you have a couple more details we can give more specific advice. Are you single and looking for fun, familied and looking for safety and good schools, Dirt poor graduate looking for any place cheap, looking to by a big ass house etc.
Well, I’m going to be watching this thread, because one of the job applications I’ve sent is near Denver from what I can tell (Arvada, actually). Since I’m hoping for an interview - it sounds like a neat job - I definitely want to know if it’s the type of town I’d like to spend a couple of years in, minimum.
Of course, I may not even get an interview, but I’m hopeful!
I take Evans & amuse myself by honing my clutch-less shifting skills in my 83 Corolla 
- laugh * When I first moved here, I commuted from Capitol Hill to Southwest Plaza in a Tercel. You couldn’t pay me to do that now.
Everyone’s covered much of what you could say about Denver/Aurora.
I’ll just throw in the fact that we have an extensive park system, lots of green spaces around here, and nice hiking/biking trails.
I live in the heart of central Denver,west of Cherry Creek North, and saw a coyote not long ago! (See foxes and raccoons all the time.)
Also there is much to do and see at the Denver Center for Performing Arts, the Denver Botanic Gardens Arboretum is a haven in the winter and the Gardens are lovely and have a great concert series in the summer.
Finally, independent (read: un-Hollywood) film is popular here, there are several indie movie theaters scattered around the metropolitan area.
I’ll be working as a paramedic in Aurora. I’m moving out at the end of the month, then going back to Minnesota to get married in May, then moving everything out to Colorado towards the end of May. So I’m looking for a decent place in an area my (soon-to-be) wife can feel safe.
I’ve lived in Aurora for 30 years and I’m moving to Capitol Hill (near downtown Denver) in two weeks.
Once you get beyond the golf and other sports stuff available there is not one other thing that draws people from Denver and surrounding cities. There aren’t even many top rated restaurants there.
I spend most of my time driving back and forth to Denver which I one of the reasons I’m moving.
Denver, of course, has the museums, theatres, concert venues, restaurants and bars and sports stadiums that other cities wish they could have.
My recommendation would be to live as close to downtown Denver as possible and commute back and forth to Aurora.
Oh, yeah, I’m retired so I don’t have the work commute, but, even when I did I was spending much of my time in Denver.
Bob
I’ve been holding my tongue waiting to respond to this. I don’t want to offend anyone. But now that a resident has spoken up, I’ll jump in.
Aurora represents (and it shows) a lot of the things that went wrong with urban planning in the 70’s and 80’s when the boomers were buying houses like crazy. While Denver and Boulder were built around parks, Aurora was built around roads. Driving in Denver you’ll run unexpectedly into great parks like City Park and Washington Park - big, open, wooded spaces that you have to drive around. You’ll never see that in Aurora. Parks there are multi-function squares of grass at the end of some road. If you drive I 270 through the middle of Aurora, you’ll see malls and big box stores, lots of houses, hospitals, but damn if I can recall seeing a park, unless you count golf courses.
It really is American Suburbia. I concur on the restaurants. You’ll have all the chains you can handle, but other than a few funky barbeque places, nothing outstanding either in good eats or fine dining.
There are some really nice neighborhoods in North Denver (used to be by the airport, but it closed down) that might be still affordable. Down south in Parker and Franktown are nice, but check on water supply in those places. Wells are drying up due to all the growth and many subdivisions are going to be in trouble if something isn’t done. You’d be safe with water in Denver or Aurora.
Sking and boarding! Lot’s of sun, invest in a pair of sunglasses. Denver clean clean city. I moved here (littleton) from NJ/NY definatly cleaner here. Lots of state parks here if you like hiking check out roxborough. (if you weren’t active before you will become it) Very dry here you need to drink tons of water have lotion…ummmm i think that is it except beware of the happy people they are everywhere
Yes, compared to Gotham, this probably is a pretty happy place.
I’ll be in Centennial for some training the second week of March. Any recos on what to do while I’m there? I’ll probably have to stay over a Saturday night to get a cheap fare.
thanks,
Shibb
I also don’t mean to offend anyone, but I avoid Aurora like the plague. I moved from the east a few years ago, and rented an apartment in Littleton (suburbia). When the lease was up, I moved downtown, and loved it. I’ve since bought a house in downtown Denver. I’m 28 and single, and am more into biking and running than golf, so take that into account.
That being said, I know people who live all over the metro area, and some love Aurora, some prefer downtown, some like Highlands Ranch. I’d suggest getting a 6-month lease somewhere close to where you’ll be working, and explore in your spare time, to find out what areas you like. The metro area can vary greatly from downtown and between the various 'burbs.
But the best thing about the city is the weather. It’s sunny 85% of the time, and with the lack of humidity, 40 degrees is comfortable. Plus the weather changes so much. As someone told me, if you don’t like the weather in Denver, just wait 20 minutes.
Welcome to the area, and good luck.
One week too early. The first round of the NCAA basketball (Men’s) tournament is on the 18th and 20th.
Mid-March is just about the best time of the year to ski. We get big storms that time of year that melt quickly down in Denver, but are still powdery in the mountains. The sun is high, so it is warm in the day and pleasant at night.
Things to do in Centennial (which is samck in the middle of Metro Denver) - ehh, not too much. It is a center for business, especially tech, and as such has some nice restaurants, especiially the conspicuous consumption kind like Morton’s and Brooks steak house.
I’d recommend a cab or bus/light rail to Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo, as its known), which is full of galleries, bars, restaurants, Coors Field, and some funky shops. Don’t miss the Tattered Cover bookstore, there is a LoDo location, and while not as huge as the Cherry Creek location, it is one of the best bookstores in the country. The Denver Chophouse is a nice restaurant where the pro athletes hang out after games, right next to Coors Field. You can spend a day in LoDo and not get bored.
Speaking of elected officials, how do you Coloradoans feel about your senator, Ben Nighthorse Campbell? Does he live near any dopers? Do you think he’s doing a good job? Do your local papers have any editorials concerning his performance? The reason I ask is that I live in Alexandria, VA which is about 10 miles south of Washington D.C. My local paper, the Washington Post, is about chock full of stories about politicians and their activities.
St. Urho: Find a little Mexican restaurant called La Taqueria Patzcuaro on the north end of Denver. Bring cash. Order the a la carte burrito with the beef chunks in it smothered in green chile sauce. Actually, order two. I can’t remember what it’s called, but it’s the best $3 burrito you’ll ever have. It goes well with one of their refreshing fruit drinks.
Mmmm. Burritos.
In my circle of friends it is often refferred to as Saudi Aurora. Not sure why, mostly because it sounds funny. But generally it is not a suburb you look forward to going to. Postcard for the blight of urban sprawl. It is one of the most eastern suburbs of Denver, and the further east you go the less desirable generally.
The weather here is great and bizarre at the same time. Wednesday it will be sunny and almost 70, by thursday night it is supposed to be 20 degrees and snowing, and by saturday sunny and into the high 40’s. Basically we do have some real bad weather here and there, but it never sticks around for very long. Sunny and comfortable is pretty much the norm.
A lot of people move here from somewhere else, meeting a native coloradoan is something of a rare experience. I often wonder why people who aren’t into outdoors activities move to Colorado, because otherwise you just have a nice view and a high cost of living. If you are into hiking, skiing, biking, fishing, rafting, etc… you will have a lot of company on the weekends but there is a limitless supply of active diversions here.