Thoughts on Baker/SoBo? (Denver, Greenwood Village: apartments, rentals, neighborhoods)

[letitbeirie]

So I've just been offered a job working down in Greenwood Village/DTC and I'm thinking about taking it and moving to Denver in the near future. As a 33 y/o single male, I'm not exactly too thrilled about the idea of living out in the 'burbs just yet, so I've been looking at living in the Baker/SoBo area near Alameda and Broadway and using the light rail to head south for work. My budget for a 1br rental is somewhere in the neighborhood of $1600. Anyone have any experiences with the area that could tell me if wanting to live here is smart/ill-advised/delusional/other? Thanks much.

[vegaspilgrim]

The actual core of the South Broadway bar/entertainment district area is a good 1mi+ distance from either the Alameda or Broadway light rail stations and not a particularly inviting route to walk to/from those stations, especially at night. There is frequent bus service up and down Broadway though. There are nice apartments right next to the Broadway light rail station but other than the station itself there is not a lot of interest in the immediate vicinity of the stations (there's a shopping center with a Sam's Club, Albertsons, fast food places) until you walk 1mi+ to the actual entertainment district. I do like the South Broadway entertainment district a lot and prefer it to LoDo-- the bars on Broadway are lower key than the ones downtown. "Baker" refers to the actual neighborhood west of Broadway and then there's the "Speer" neighborhood east of Broadway. Most of the rentals in the area are in the "Speer" area-- a lot of which advertise themselves as being in "Wash Park" even though they aren't actually in that neighborhood. Personally to me nowhere in Denver is that great to the point where it's worth paying $1,600 a month for a one-bedroom apartment just to say I live in a cool neighborhood in Denver and impress others when I give out my address, but to others that may well be worth it. I work in DTC and live just a few miles north of DTC in southeast Denver (basically the "inner suburbs") and my thoughts are I'd rather be closer to work where I commute 5-6 days/week, live in a place where it is less congested/ easier to park/ do errands, and visit the cool places on the other 1-2 days, and save money on rent. But as for the cool neighborhoods in Denver go, Speer/Broadway/Baker is a good choice.

I'm a Denver native and I've never heard anybody in real life use the term "SoBo" before. At least not in my social circles.

[mundele]

I lived in Baker (Galapago and 1st-ish) for a year in 2010, worked in the DTC, and I took the light rail to work from the Alameda light rail station. Totally doable. There's lots of rentals north of Alameda and east of Broadway and there's tons to do/see/eat/drink around there as a young man about town.

The Broadway station is a little further south and you're further from the action if you were looking to live near there and commute from that station.

Depending on where you're coming from, you might find the Baker area to be dicey or not. I got a bike and rode to the light rail most days of the year, and you could always walked/take the bus/drive to the station otherwise.

One thing to check on is how far work is from whatever light rail stop you're getting off at in the DTC.

I say go for it. If work is close to the light rail in the DTC that neighborhood is a great choice for someone who wants nightlife + lightrail access.

[livecontent]

I commend the OP for having the smarts to considering living in a walkable neighborhood and taking public transit to work. This is the type or intelligent and creative people that are attractive to a city that has good public transit and these people make our area much more productive and vibrant.

Just like Vegaspilgrim...I am saying What?. I have lived here for about 36 years and I have never heard the acronym "sobo".

I think Baker is great and growing. You could also decide to live off the southeast rail line near the Louisiana?Pearl Station in the Platt Park neighborhood or near DU and the University Station. Both the places will be nice walkable areas with DU have more of that college crowd environment.

Livecontent

[emm74]

I don't hear people actually use SoBo either but apparently it is a thing. Who knew??

South Broadway & Antique Row

[blackmet]

Broadway station is a bit of a hike to the primary entertainment areas in that area. Live closer to Alameda station. It puts you closer to the nightlife, and the stop is right next to the main shopping in the area. Also gets you closer to cap hill and downtown.

Budget is enough for a nice place in that area. Good luck!

[davidv]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I'm a Denver native and I've never heard anybody in real life use the term "SoBo" before. At least not in my social circles.

I thought I had resolved the issues regarding Denver neighborhood nicknames in this thread.

Rule of thumb: if the area is referred to by using a four letter word, you need at least $1500/month to live there.

And the Denver natives (both of us that are left) will make fun of you.

[letitbeirie]

Thanks for everyone's replies - I think I'm going to focus on the area just north of the Alameda station (roughly bounded by Alameda, Cedar, Cherokee, and Broadway) first and expand out from there if I don't find anything good in my price range. As far as the "SoBo" acronym - all of my friends in Denver have called it Baker, but the city website seems to love the Sobo term. I honestly wasn't sure what to call it so I used both, haha.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by emm74

I don't hear people actually use SoBo either but apparently it is a thing. Who knew??

South Broadway & Antique Row

Imagine That!

Historically language word etymology begins as spoken and the written language follows to scribe that which spoken. Now, culturally with the internet there may be a change coming with the evolution of language. With the obsession of texting by younger folks and and their need to shorten words, the acronym then goes from the written to spoken.

I have noticed it with conversations with people much younger. What is appalling is that these acronyms have come into formal business communications and it reflects badly when you want to be perceived as an educated professional. Yet, language does evolve and that which is consider inappropriate today often becomes acceptable in the future and it then appears in Webster's unabridged.

Interesting, very Interesting!

Livecontent

[hammertime33]

Originally Posted by letitbeirie

Thanks for everyone's replies - I think I'm going to focus on the area just north of the Alameda station (roughly bounded by Alameda, Cedar, Cherokee, and Broadway) first and expand out from there if I don't find anything good in my price range. As far as the "SoBo" acronym - all of my friends in Denver have called it Baker, but the city website seems to love the Sobo term. I honestly wasn't sure what to call it so I used both, haha.

What city website is using the term "SoBo"? It's common to refer to the commercial district on Broadway between roughly 2nd and I-25 as South Broadway - calling it "SoBo" is a recent marketing campaign.

In any event, either "SoBo" or South Broadway is not a neighborhood - it's a stretch of commercial development on Broadway that delimits the Baker Neighborhood (west side of Broadway) from the West Washington Park Neighborhood (east side of Broadway).

I'd suggest not using terms like "SoBo," "LoHi," "RiNo," "SoCo," or "the Fax" unless you want people to know you just moved to Denver.