Walkable neighborhoods in Denver for a young family (Boulder, Littleton: real estate, for rent)

[ghentz23]

Hi all,

I'm curious if you guys could point me to what you think are some good, walkable neighborhoods with single-family homes available (can be compact, but my wife wants a yard) that are close by to commercial areas with coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants, bars, etc. And, if possible, decent access to transit would be good too. I should also note that we want to be in the City of Denver, not the suburbs.

We have two young kids, so obviously we'd prefer if the schools weren't horrible, but we are strong believers in sending our kids to the public schools and doing our part to help those schools.

For some context, we're moving from Seattle where - over the last 10 years - we've lived in Ballard, Phinney Ridge, and Wallingford (for those who are familiar with those neighborhoods) and really enjoyed the sort of urban/suburban hybrid those neighborhoods offered. Neighborhoods that offer both multi-family and single-family homes near walkable commercial neighborhood centers with a range of local businesses.

From my experience, Denver and Seattle have somewhat of a similar urban character - can you point us to some good neighborhoods that might fit the bill?

Thanks!

[Bradburn1]

Rent/buy, price range? Where is work?

[Claire S.]

Wash Park, Congress Park, Hilltop, Platt Park, Highland, Berkeley and Park Hill.

[ghentz23]

Originally Posted by Bradburn1

Rent/buy, price range? Where is work?

We're looking to buy, if possible, but would be willing to rent if a better opportunity arose. Max price range would be $500K for a house and $1800/month for rent. My job is Downtown and my wife will be working remotely from home for at least a while.

[leosmama]

Check out Highlands, Berkeley and Sunnyside.

[philberf]

Where work is will be a big factor in this. Some of the aforementioned neighborhoods may also be tough to get into at the price point you mentioned (Hilltop, certain parts of Park Hill, Wash Park). I agree that sunnyside and parts of the the Highlands would be a good choice. Depending on how transitional of a neighborhood you're looking for, you might consider Five Points, as it is up and coming and I would expect things to perk up there in the coming years. Its proximity to downtown is also hard to beat.

[ghentz23]

Thanks all - that's helpful. Looking at real estate prices, I can see that Washington Park and the area around there seems a bit out of our price range, although Washington Park looks like a great neighborhood. The Highland/Berkeley area seems like it fits our price range better, and using google maps those areas seem to be pretty walkable, with some cool stores and restaurants to walk to.

What would commuting via transit from there to my work at Stout near 18th be like?

[davidv]

If schools are important, you must get out of Denver.

The options for good schools are few and far between, with the good schools being charters or magnets. There is no guaranteed admission to these schools and competition for spots (usually chosen by lottery) is fierce.

Look at the city of Littleton. Downtown Littleton has what you want and the schools are much better.

[Augie Daugie]

Originally Posted by davidv

If schools are important, you must get out of Denver.

The options for good schools are few and far between, with the good schools being charters or magnets. There is no guaranteed admission to these schools and competition for spots (usually chosen by lottery) is fierce.

Look at the city of Littleton. Downtown Littleton has what you want and the schools are much better.

I disagree. As a whole, Littleton Public Schools are better, but the schools located near Downtown Littleton are average at best and don't compare to DPS schools like Steck, Carson, Bromwell, Slavens, Cory, Steele, Swigert, or Westerly Creek. Meanwhile, schools throughout the city, like Montclair, Park Hill, McMeen, Lowry, and Edison - to name a few, have shown tremendous improvement throughout the last five years. None of these schools are charters or magnets. As the demographics change in the city of Denver and more of the young folks in the city have families, you are going to see even more of a shift in the quality of schools in Denver. It isn't comparable to Cherry Creek or Boulder Valley, but DPS schools are performing much better than they were just a few years ago.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by davidv

If schools are important, you must get out of Denver.

The options for good schools are few and far between, with the good schools being charters or magnets. There is no guaranteed admission to these schools and competition for spots (usually chosen by lottery) is fierce.

Look at the city of Littleton. Downtown Littleton has what you want and the schools are much better.

No, you musn't! My kids are in DPS and their school is great. We live in Stapleton.