Ducati Monster Forum

Hello my future neighbors! I just found out that my girlfriend has been accepted to UC Denver to get her PhD. She will be going to school/working at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. I may be getting a little ahead of myself because I haven't even started looking for jobs, but I guess I'm looking for opinions on where to live. Maybe a shorter list would be "Where not to live". I would prefer to live west of Denver to be closer to the mountains, but I don't know how traffic is around there and I don't want to send her 20 miles across town if it is going to take her an hour to get there. We will most likely rent for a little before deciding on where to buy.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. She will be needing to move there by the end of August, so hopefully I will be able to find a job by then. Thanks in advance. And where do you all service your bikes at? I'm getting close to a 7500 service.

I'm so happy it's Denver. Her other choices were Galvestion, TX; Athens, GA; and Buffalo, NY. I've never even been to Colorado, with the exception of landing at the airport once or twice, but you would not believe the excitement I am feeling right now.



jon

Congrats on your impending relocation. And good luck in your job search. What kind of business are you in?

The area near the CU Denver campus can be a little pricey, but deals can be found. There can be some decent prices in Englewood too, and it's nicely between Aurora and the hills. 

Aurora is quite a hike from the west side of town. She may not like you so much anymore if you make her commute from the west side, although rent is often cheaper in Lakewood than in Denver proper. And Aurora sucks.

Service at BMS in Boulder. Parts from BMS or Northern BMW/Ducati. Gear from Performance Cycle.

Almost any town in the Denver suburbs has it's good parts and its bad parts. Aurora is mostly nasty if you ask me but there are some newer sections that are quite nice.
For me I like to stay as far away from the city as possible but I think you'll be better off to limit your travel from the campus.
I think your best bet would be to determine a max travel time then draw a circle on a map out to that travel time.
Traffic in Denver can be bad but nothing like Atlanta or Dallas

If you want some help I'd bet one of us would be happy to show you around town.  [moto]   

Thanks guys. I'm picking up that I should stay out of Aurora. I'll see what I can do.

I am in the printing industry, specifically prepress in a flexo shop that prints labels and flexible packaging. I like to tell people I print garbage. Unfortunately my degree in "Graphic Communication" (printing), doesn't transfer well to anything other than printing. I was thinking a career change, but the Department of Natural Resources isn't looking for someone with my background. But I'm only 29, still kinda young I guess. Might have to go back to school. Oh well.

Thanks for the tips. I might have to take you up on the tour of town. I'll definitely have to take a trip over there soon to take a look around.

Where are you coming from?  What do you and your wife like to do when you have time?  Are the 'burbs more your style?  City life?  Plenty of us here who would be more than happy to show you around when the time comes!  Good luck and keep us posted!

Denver is, hands down, my favorite place.  I lived in Castle Rock, then Highlands Ranch.  If I move back it will likely be LoDo or Washington Park area. 

If I had a job offer out there i'd move back this weekend - it is that awesome.  You'll love it  [thumbsup]

Adam

Definitely let us know when you're out here. We can bust out some maps and do a neighborhood scouting once you've narrowed it down.

I like my neighborhood (Highlands, not Highlands Ranch), it's still Denver, but it's northwest Denver.
Denver's not super wide, so getting from somewhere on the East side of town (closer to Aurora, but not Aurora) isn't too difficult/time consuming when you want to get to the hills.

 [bacon]

Whoa Stella! Don't go throwing down the "W" word. She might start getting some crazy ideas. My girlfriend and I are coming from the central valley of California. Turlock to be exact, but for the people who don't know where that is, it is halfway between Sacramento and Fresno. We both hail from the 'burbs, but I'm open to anything as long as I have a garage for all my crap.

In my free time I'm usually hiking in the Sierra Nevada. I'm starting to get more into backpacking though. I enjoy the act of fishing, but rarely does it result in catching fish. And I'm hoping to take the street tires off of my mountain bike and get more into mountain biking. The girlfriend's hobbies include learning, and complaining about the long hikes and backpacking trips I force her on. But she is starting to appreciate the outdoors more. I think Colorado will open her up. Of course I grew up watching Warren Miller films, so my view on Colorado is skewed towards the skiing side. You can include skiing in things I love to do. Oh, and I guess I ride that Ducati thing all the time.

On a side note: Is Denver not a hockey town? When she was there interviewing for the school, she was giving them crap about the Avs, and they said that Denver doesn't really like hockey. I'm huge on hockey (Go Sharks!). I mean, Denver has had a championship team there for awhile. Do you not worship the ground Joe Sakic walks on?

Thanks for the tips, and I'll keep you posted on my status.

Denver's status as a hockey frenzied town has waned due to their lack of winning.   ;D

Plenty of good non-NHL stuff - University of Denver, Colorado Eagles, etc.

Your hobbies kinda fit really well with what CO has to offer.  Denver is a nice metro hub with access to hiking, biking, fishing within a short drive.

I fixed myself    ;D

better tell Mr. Max...  ;)

So, as you can tell, we are a fun bunch too!  ;D

I can tell. A lot more active than http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?board=22.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?board=22.0)

You said she's gonna be working at Anshutz?  Will she be attending school at Auraria?

If so, and you like living in the city, I vote somewhere around City Park.  Decent commute to both places, and as an added bonus, I just moved there!

Welcome to God's Country.

Oh, and definitely Boulder Motorsports for service.  Brian and JP and the shit!

+1  [thumbsup]

I keep hearing mixed reviews about these guys....great technicians but they say it will cost $x and it costs 1.5 that when you go to pay the bill.  hmmmm.

There are cheaper places to go, for sure.

But their attention to detail is amazing, and they have this weird obsession with doing things right. And great customer service.

In my book, that's worth the $$.

so hey, speaking of places to live....

?  [bacon]

My girlfriend is a pescitarian, so living in  [bacon] is out of the question.



Work/school at Anshutz. Getting her PhD. So she has to learn, but she gets paid. That's why I call it work/school.

 [laugh]

Actually, so am I. Except I still participate in bacon trafficking and pushing.

your cholesterol is better than mine for sure....but mmmm bacon....and sausage.....and filet...

this thread is most awesome. I'm in Michigan now, but plan on getting the hell out of here next summer, so hopefully ill have the joy of riding with other Ducatis! IN THE MOUNTAINS!!

Man i need to get out of here...

I know the feeling.  T-Minus 6 weeks ...

Adam

Well hurry up then!  We're waiting for you!  Make it this summer, not next summer silly.   (Having come from Michigan myself, I know what you're crying about.)

And then what?  Or where?

Denver.  Was out there for 5 days last week, and as always, am kicking myself for leaving.  Time to step up and get back out  8)

Adam

After sitting at the pool this last sunday and being surrounded by more silicone aftermarket parts than I could count I would have to recommend Ballpark Lofts. 24th St and Blake. Its a wicked location for city life and still right next to the highway for easy access.

I have heard reviews that it's basically a frat house atmosphere and has super thin walls ...

... But you can't beat the LoDo scenery! It's on my list  [evil] ;D

Adam

You need to let us know your schedule!  I can't speak for everyone on the board but most, if not all, are more than happy to meet you out for food, tasty beverages, show you where or where not to go, etc.

Sweet!  [thumbsup] Much appreciated.

Can't wait to move back ... Looking like 4 weeks  8)

Cheers,
Adam

The wife may have a job opportunity in Aurora, man i need to move to denver.

Have CAD and product design experience, anyone know of an opening?

how far are you/ is she willing to commute?

do you like urban living, or a little less...?

if you like really urban, then any of the close ins to denver (but recommend to the west)

if you like "smaller" city/town feeling, then look toward colorado springs or similar

i lived in Ft. Collins for 11 years (after 4 in Vail) liked it a lot. had relatives living in boulder.....hated that place!

as long as its in colorado i think i'd be happy at this point. Hopefuily close to Arvada or Denver. I;m a big skiier so close to the highway would be nice. i guess we'll see.

I don't want to discourage you, but the traffic from the West side of Denver to the ski areas typically sucks on the weekends in the winter.  Too many people on too small of a highway.  Throw in any kind of an accident or snow/ice...creepy crawly all the way there.

yeah but its better than my commute from michigan!

'tis true.

You a native to MI?

Stella and I are escapees.

Yep, in southwest michigan now, grew up in traverse city. we are hopefully moving to colorado this summer. I have a buddy in Arvada, we really like that area.

ducducgooseme currently lives in that area.  convenient location for a lot of things.  [thumbsup]