Wash Park vs Observatory Park vs Platt Park (Denver, Boulder: real estate, how much)

[Isabela2010]

Husband and I are looking into moving to Denver area in the fall. These are the neighborhoods we are concentrating mostly for close to work proximity. We are also looking at the Bow Mar area.

What can u tell us about these areas.

What's the vibe? not sure if we should go more of a suburban area vs closer to action.

How close/easy to walk around to shops/rest/etc? what about the people(friendly/snooty/cool/young family /mixed ages)?

And schools(no kids yet but planning on some soon)?

And traffic?

How much of a hassle is a scrape off/rebuild proposition? Anyone here with experience on that?

Can anyone comment on the following areas too? Bonnie brae, University hills, grant ranch, pinehurst?


Thanks in advance!

[Mike from back east]

If you use our search tool with those neighborhood names, you'll get a lot of info, immediately. I know we've discussed several of them.

[Isabela2010]

I read thru the different messages and most don't go far beyond saying walking and playing at park is available for wash park and that it's a yuppie place....does anyone have anything else to say?

I feel kind of let down .... If anyone has some nice threads to recommend I'll appreciate it... Already saw the pic thread on platt park.

How about the other places in the post anyone live there or know someone from there? Thanks!

[davidv]

Washington Park, Platt Park, and Observatory Park are gentrified areas of Denver. Most of the houses are quite old. Zoning law has gotten pretty restrictive about the scrape off/pop top for these areas. Same for Bonnie Brae. If you wish to move to any of these areas, bring a lot of money. Prices are pretty high compared to other parts of the metro area. Walkability of the neighborhoods is great, but traffic is very heavy. Streets are narrow and hard to navigate during rush hour.

U-Hills is an area with decent-sized lots and small houses. Lately it has become a hotbed for scrape off activity. It has little walkability and no neighborhood stores.

Pinehurst is a small country club community in southwest Denver. It is literally just north of Bow Mar. Houses there are really nice, though some need updating. Most are located on the golf course. Commuting to work can be a hassle as the major streets around the area (most notably Wadsworth, Sheridan, and Hampden) can get very busy.

Grant Ranch is further southwest and is the newest of the communities. Most houses there are less than 15 years old. Half of the community is in Denver, and half of the community is in Jefferson County. Lots are small compared to the size of the houses. Commuting to downtown Denver takes about 40 minutes.

There is nothing within walking distance of Pinehurst, Grant Ranch, or Bow Mar.

Bow Mar is a country lane sort of community in both Arapahoe and Jefferson counties. Walkability is non-existent as there are no sidewalks in the community. Moving here for less than $800k is impossible.

With the exception of Bow Mar and part of Grant Ranch, all of the neighborhoods that you mention are in Denver. Schools in Denver are mediocre to bad in nearly all areas. Nobody I know in Pinehurst sends their kids to the local public schools. They either choice into Jefferson County or Littleton Public Schools. Bow Mar is part of both districts and Grant Ranch residents who live in Denver do the same thing with their kids.

While I am trying not to make too many assumptions about your wealth, the areas you are looking at are quite wealthy. Most of the people in these areas of Denver send their kids to private schools rather than to the local public school.

[cowboyxjon]

Those neighborhoods (with the exception of Pinehurst and Grant Ranch -- not sure where those are?) all have scrapes mixed in with older (but generally in good shape) housing. To me, those areas sort of all run together and generally have similar styles of homes. The areas strike me as 'yuppie' for the most part (maybe not so much University Hills) although I have nothing against yuppies. I'd say upper middle class to wealthy for the most part and real estate is expensive. The areas are served by Denver Public Schools and I've heard mixed reviews (more negative than positive, I guess), but I don't have kids either, so I can't comment more than that.

[davidv]

Originally Posted by cowboyxjon

Those neighborhoods (with the exception of Pinehurst and Grant Ranch -- not sure where those are?) all have scrapes mixed in with older (but generally in good shape) housing. To me, those areas sort of all run together and generally have similar styles of homes. The areas strike me as 'yuppie' for the most part (maybe not so much University Hills) although I have nothing against yuppies. I'd say upper middle class to wealthy for the most part and real estate is expensive. The areas are served by Denver Public Schools and I've heard mixed reviews (more negative than positive, I guess), but I don't have kids either, so I can't comment more than that.

Pinehurst is directly north of Bow Mar. It is the neighborhood on the northwest corner of Sheridan Blvd and Quincy Ave. Grant Ranch is east of Wadsworth Blvd and north of Bowles Ave. It is directly southwest of Bow Mar.

[vegaspilgrim]

All three of those neighborhoods are overhyped and overrated, IMO. There's not really a whole lot of shopping/restaurants in any of those neighborhoods. Especially practical shopping. Platt Park has old south Pearl St, which has a few restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and some boutique frou frou yoga, organic dog food type places. Washington Park doesn't really have any commercial activity other than a little boring stretch of Gaylord St, and a smattering of stuff along Alameda. The DU area has some college-oriented bars and restaurants off University & Evans-- which are not particularly pleasant streets to walk on. I think of these neighborhoods collectively as sort of the "Boulder" of Denver.

[BlueWillowPlate]

I agree that none of these are exactly cheap-o neighborhoods, but sometimes you can get lucky; a bit of searching might turn up the perfect spot.

I've lived in U-hills (and had good friends in Observatory) but it was so long ago it barely matters. Much more recently, I lived in Country Club North and several of the areas you mention are my old stomping grounds.

The thing about Wash Park or Observatory, is that while you can't walk to grocery shopping, it is a very close drive to Whole Foods, Safeway or King Soopers, and the Cherry Creek Mall as well.
Also, IMHO those neighborhoods are very pleasant to walk in, with mature trees, plenty of green spaces and nice ambience. I've heard good things about University Park Elementary in Observatory Park, and Steele Elementary in Wash, but you have to be an involved parent.
And yes, any sort of scraping/rebuilding will be strictly regulated.

From what I have seen, University Hills and Platt Park are up-and-coming (or already arrived) in terms of desirability. I've heard positives about Slavens School in U-Hills. I have a younger friend (40's) who lives there with her 3 kids, she is happy.

Bow Mar is kind of a different situation. We had friends who moved there; their daughter went to private school. In terms of architecture and history of the place, it was fascinating, and we loved the lake. But it was this sort of self-contained community in and of itself, you either embraced it, or left. Our friends eventually left. Another acquaintance of mine, a the mother of a child in of my preschool class, felt like she was joining a cult when they moved there.

[Scott5280]

Bow Mar/Pinehurst areas rely heavily on private schools rather than DPS. The majority of kids in the area attend either Mullen or Colorado Academy. Shopping is limited to either Bear Valley to the north or South Wadsworth area(Jefferson County adjacent to the southWest. Bow Mar is mainly comprised of 50-60s ranch homes on mini acreages surrounding several bodies of water. The setting has the look and feel of a much more rural area than Denver proper. Probably one of the best real estate investments for someone looking to stay in Denver for a while IMO. They are not manufacturing land in Denver County any more. 750-850 k is roughly the starting point for homes there.

[davidv]

Originally Posted by Scott5280

Bow Mar/Pinehurst areas rely heavily on private schools rather than DPS. The majority of kids in the area attend either Mullen or Colorado Academy. Shopping is limited to either Bear Valley to the north or South Wadsworth area(Jefferson County adjacent to the southWest. Bow Mar is mainly comprised of 50-60s ranch homes on mini acreages surrounding several bodies of water. The setting has the look and feel of a much more rural area than Denver proper. Probably one of the best real estate investments for someone looking to stay in Denver for a while IMO. They are not manufacturing land in Denver County any more. 750-850 k is roughly the starting point for homes there.

Pinehurst is within Denver city/county limits. Bow Mar is its own town and is not a part of Denver. The main road into Bow Mar from the north, Sheridan Blvd. is the dividing line between Jefferson and Arapahoe Counties.

Houses west of Sheridan are part of Jefferson County and Jeffco Schools. Children who live there attend Blue Heron Elem., Summit Ridge MS, and Dakota Ridge HS.

Houses east of Sheridan lie in Arapahoe County and are a part of Littleton Public Schools. Children in this area attend Wilder Elem., Goddard MS, and Littleton HS.

In regards to shopping at Bear Valley, the King Soopers supermarket is the busiest supermarket I've ever been in, and there is really no other supermarket within 3 miles or so (There is a KS and a Safeway at Kipling and Belleview and a really old small KS at Federal and Belleview). The retail and restaurants on south Wadsworth do offer the best variety, albeit mostly chain restaurants, for miles, and SW Plaza Mall is a pretty vibrant mall.