Opinions - Denver neighborhoods

So the post by gosborne and the excellent replies got me inspired to start my own thread. My girlfriend and I are moving to Denver in the next month or so. I apologize in advance for making the front range a little more crowded than it already is.

Anyhow, I've already done 4 years of the Boulder thing and have a bunch of friends in Denver, so we're pretty set on Denver itself. With that said, wondering if anyone has neighborhood suggestions. We are looking for somewhere relatively close to downtown, but it doesn't have to be walking distance or anything. I'm also hoping to be close to the mountains too.

Based on what we've seen Washington park, Highlands, Sunnyside, Sloan lake all look like the best bets. Wondering what Edgewater/Lakewood, etc. (the areas west of sloan lake) are like. Any areas to avoid?

W. Lakewood is good. Its got great access to most everything, downtown (15-20 min), 6th ave, I-70, C-470, Hwy 93. WIth those few roads you can get just about anywhere real quick.

I live in Baker, and I highly recommend it. South Broadway is really jumping in terms of nightlife and restaurants, and Santa Fe can be fun, especially during first fridays. The Breckenridge Brewery on Kalamath is my favorite brewpub in Denver - good bbq, beer, and atmosphere. Access to light rail, highways, and downtown is quicker than from any of the neighborhoods you mentioned. Parking is much less of an issue than it is in Highlands or Wash Park. The housing stock is really diverse - beautiful old Victorians both large and small, newer condos, old rowhouses, and a few boring but cheap apartment buildings. Location in Baker is very important - it can be a bit edgier than the other neighborhoods you mentioned, and the character changes the further west of Broadway you are. There is nowhere in Denver i'd rather be.

Lakewood is fine in a boring suburban kind of way. If I wanted to live that far from downtown i'd much prefer to live in Golden though. I also considered somewhere walking distance to old town Littleton when I moved here, but i just didn't want to live anywhere that suburban.

It really depends on what you're looking for. My sugggestion is considered a "bad area" but I loved it. I lived just south of Colfax in between Federal and Sheridan.

Its great because its walking distance to Sloan's Leak and the bike paths to downtown, 10 minutes to downtown, full of good neighbors(the bad ones kind of leave you alone), and is affordable(decent houses for 125k).

Now, it is a less desirable neighborhood, but I never felt unsafe at any time of day or night. Its the type of area where someone might steal your lawnmower, but they aren't going to jump you unless you are another gangbanger. I just learned to lock things up in the garage.

It you're game, its a great place.

Evan

ever consider W.Arvada or Golden..?

where we may not match the abundance of unique curb-appeal tudors, the mountains are closer & the neighbors r-great..(: Great views, more head & elbowroom, adjacent open-space options; obviously personal preferences to weigh next to a desire for *cozier* living

the "Highlands" area maintained value during the recent decline. Central proximity, unique construction, and great neighborhoods make folks never want to leave. Good luck on your move & have fun in CO..!

cheers~ kirra

edit/add~ Tom R, this is the 1st time I've heard of crime being a problem in H.lands. Have several friends there & never heard of it (not to say it hasn't happened) -but generally speaking o'course -.02

West Wash Park. Despite what Andrew says, parking is not an issue in most of the neighborhood. Although it is pretty bad in the parts where all of the apartment buildings are.
15-20 blocks from downtown and easy access to the interstate.
I just recently moved back to Wash Park after a stint in the Highlands because I missed it so much. Also, I found the crime in the Highlands to be a lot worse than housing prices would suggest.
I wouldn't consider Sloans Lake, Edgewater or Lakewood to be close to downtown. If you are going to live that far out, Golden is a better choice.

Ben,

It depends on if you are looking to buy or rent. Sloans lake and the Highlands is only about 10-15 minute bike ride downtown. Add a little bit for the uphill ride home. Edgewater is coming around but it has some catching up to do. However there are some good deals on rent. If you need specific info pm me I work in Real Estate in all of the neighborhoods you mentioned. Piece!

Gotta plug 5 points/ Curtis Park. You can definitely walk to downtown from here. Interstate access is not an issue. Lots of 20 and 30 somethings fixing up houses along with an eclectic mix.

The Qwest tower is directly north of my house so I can actually pick out my neighborhood from mountaintops on the frontrange. If that's not a selling point....... :-)

We just put our house on the market in Grandview (Berkeley). 20 minutes from ice, bouldering, ten minutes from sport and just about 25 minutes from Eldo. Oh yah, the house is OK, too. Been good for us for 15 years. I'll include my pitons, no extra charge:)
Welcome!

The burbs. . . .

Lakewood, Arvada. . .

You'll get more house for the money, and maybe lower
taxes.

I live in the Highlands, in a tiny house, and because
some richies move in across the way, my valuation goes up through
the roof. . . as do my taxes. . .
yeah, it's a nice place to be, but I'd rather it be the way
before gentrification . ..

+1 for Baker

lakewood is my vote. downtown dosen't do a thing for me. maybe i'm not cultured enough. Green mountain has great views of the city at night and probably the best air, but i'd prefer S.E. lakewood for the mountain view. just me. i live in bear valley and like it a bunch!

I have a house in the mountains that I'll sell to you. It's about an hour from downtown Denver and 25 minutes from the Cathedral Spires in the South Platte. I'm moving to Lakewood.

It would help to know if you're renting or buying.
Plus, if you have kids it is very hard to recommend Denver b/c the school district is overburdened.
If you are really urban, explore the fresh glut of recent-built high rise condos downtown. You might get a steal if speculating investors aren't keeping prices high.

Chris , Sorry to hear you are moving to the big city . (unless for SOME reason it's a good thing )

Thanks Kevin, it will be a lot better for the kids. The Platte will still be my number one choice for climbing. It will be a few months before it happens.

Yeah, sorry to read you're moving to Denver... I lived there for a little over a year... Couldn't wait to move back to Utah!

Mike Lane wrote:It would help to know if you're renting or buying. Plus, if you have kids it is very hard to recommend Denver b/c the school district is overburdened. If you are really urban, explore the fresh glut of recent-built high rise condos downtown. You might get a steal if speculating investors aren't keeping prices high.

Good call about renting/buying, I should have included that. We are renting for now. I think we'd have trouble affording buying something in Denver proper. And when kids enter the picture (hopefully no time too soon...), we will probably be looking towards the suburbs. I actually lived in Louisville for a year and really liked it there. Golden and Westminster seem nice too.

The other thing I should add is that we're kind of leaning towards a bungalow with a yard. We stayed with a friend in Curtis Park for a week over the summer, and those high rise condos you're talking about are nice for sure, but we were hoping to have some kind of little yard/patio.

Thanks for all the great replies everyone!

BackCountry wrote:Yeah, sorry to read you're moving to Denver... I lived there for a little over a year... Couldn't wait to move back to Utah!

Haha, well it's certainly a step up from the midwest either way (except for the close proximity to the Red.) My aunt has lived in SLC for as long as I can remember and loves it there. We were pretty close to checking out Utah, but most of my friends are in Denver.

Jim Gloeckler wrote:lakewood is my vote. downtown dosen't do a thing for me. maybe i'm not cultured enough. Green mountain has great views of the city at night and probably the best air, but i'd prefer S.E. lakewood for the mountain view. just me. i live in bear valley and like it a bunch!

So is there much to do in Lakewood itself? I've seen a bunch of stuff for the Belmar shopping area, but I have no idea if it's just the Olive Garden/Starbucks/Chili's, etc. stuff we're kind of trying to avoid.

Everyone wants a huge place with great neighbors, a nice yard, nightlife, shops/restraunts, oh... and just minutes from downtown.
I'm not trying to make a wise crack- I'm serious.

The point being, what is your budget and what size place do you want? 'Cause you want what everyone else does, and that's a bidding war on price. 600 square feet of condo in Sloans Lake can go for $900-1000.
A 1700 square feet house on the other side of 38th can got for the same price and a smaller place for goes for much less. BOTH are close to the hotspot of 32nd and Lowel. The difference is your neighbors.