Where are the walkable neighbohoods? (Denver, Lakewood: homes, organic, live)

[guidonia]

Try looking a some neighborhoods by McStain-depending on the neighborhood, they have some of these qualities.

[xxman777]

People in Colorado love the outdoors so most neighborhoods are very walkable. Many suburban communities will include trails and fairly good pedestrian access. It would be easy to walk to shopping in most suburbs if your house is close to shopping because of the wide sidewalks and large setbacks. However, most suburbs are still car oriented. I think you are looking for a more pedestrian oriented community which you aren’t really going to find much of in Westminister, Arvada or Lakewood. Your best bet is still Golden.

Somebody mentioned McStain. They are right this incorporates many of the design elements you are looking for. They have one community called McStain at Platte Park which sounds a little like what you are looking for but I don’t know too much about the community. It is in Denver so the high school won’t be the best but the elementary school is one of the best in Denver and the middle should be pretty good too.
People in Colorado love the outdoors so most neighborhoods are very walkable. Many suburban communities will include trails and fairly good pedestrian access. It would be easy to walk to shopping in most suburbs if your house is close to shopping because of the wide sidewalks and large setbacks. However, most suburbs are still car oriented. I think you are looking for a more pedestrian oriented community which you aren’t really going to find much of in Westminster, Arvada or Lakewood. Your best bet is still Golden.

Somebody mentioned McStain. They are right this incorporates many of the design elements you are looking for. They have one community called McStain at Platte Park which sounds a little like what you are looking for but I don’t know too much about the community. It is in Denver so the high school won’t be the best but the elementary school is one of the best in Denver and the middle should be pretty good too.

[Crackerjack]

Here is info I gathered on the locations but know data and populations may have changed since this report came out.
Demographics
Arvada is nestled between the foothills of the Rocky Mountains on the west and Metro Denver on the east with a population of nearly 105,000. At an elevation of approximately 5,340 feet, this city comprises 32.7 square land miles.
Recreation and Sports
This residential community is crisscrossed by a unique system of creeks and canals where you are able to enjoy hiking, biking, horseback riding trails and parks. The closeness of the mountains provides numerous opportunities for skiing, mountain biking, camping, boating, fishing, and white water rafting.
The Arvada/Blunn Reservoir site is open to the public for fishing, hiking, and electric motor boats only.
Art and Culture
The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities provides musical theater, drama, pop, and classical concerts, children's theater, gallery and museum exhibits and a wide variety of educational classes in the arts and humanities. The Arvada Center is the tenth largest cultural center in the state and features a 1,200 seat outdoor amphitheater and a 500-seat indoor theater. Two galleries exhibit contemporary art by regional, national, and international artists.
Dining, Entertainment, and Shopping
The historic Olde Town Arvada is a Colorado Main Street community and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This four square block section has 61 buildings, 42 of which are historic. Residents and visitors enjoy antique shops, boutiques, and an eclectic variety of stores. Dining venues are plentiful with an array of delicious cuisines. Or while away the hours sipping cappuccinos and lattes in one of the many coffee houses.
Education
Arvada learners attend the Jeffco Public School District, which is the largest district in Colorado. The District consists of 129 neighborhood schools, nine option schools with a special education focus, and ten charter schools. The District offers numerous programs such as pre-school for three to five year olds, family literacy, Indian education, International Student Exchange, and multicultural student services.
For higher educational pursuits, Red Rocks Community College offers weekend college, online courses, certificates, Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees, nursing assistant programs, and fire science technology.
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Village Homes is building the Village of Five Parks. Matt Osborn, Village Homes regional manager, said the development looks to incorporate housing, commercial use, amphitheaters and public parks in the hopes of breaking traditional development trends.
The community will incorporate different home styles, apartments, a downtown commerce square and public park space. This mix will make the development fall somewhere between traditional suburban development and new urbanism.
New urbanism is based on the community being self-sufficient, with homes having little or no land and everything being within walking distance. Garages are traditionally placed in alleys and public parks provide all necessary recreation area.
Traditional suburban developments are based on the idea that homeowners will commute to work and houses are generally bigger with some land. Those living in an area like this are usually not dependent on a neighborhood.
So far, the response from the community has been positive, Osborn said. And, like the city, he hopes this concept will catch on. The development will have more than 900 units built into seven different neighborhoods. There will be 662 single-family houses and 246 apartment-style and town home units. Homes will be priced between $200,000 and $380,000, and rental prices have not be set.
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Westminster
COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION: Welcome to the Village at Harmony Park, a fun place to live! It's a magnificent lifestyle community where spacious, inviting homes, an abundance of recreational features, and the beauty of nature blend to form an incomparable all-single-family home community. Located in beautiful Westminster, Colorado, the Village at Harmony Park offers an exceptionally convenient location minutes from I-25 and area shopping, and within walking distance from area schools and parks. And with only 313 homes and three separate, distinctive neighborhoods, Village at Harmony Park has a small town feel where neighbors become friends and people look out for each other.
Hope This Helps!

[klsyncolorado]

My vote is for Wash Park! The area is so nice and close to everthing. I would move there in a heartbeat if we could afford it! The schools are average and if you live in Denver County you can choose what school your kids go to within the county. Good luck!

[Scott5280]

Cherry Creek...Rated Denver's fourth most walkable neighborhood by walkscore.com....WalkScore gives Denver the #11 spot for most walkable cities..related article Sunday April 26,2009 Denver Post real estate section: WalkScore breaks down the Score index from 1-100..here is it it's list for the top ten Denver hoods:
http://www.walkscore.com/


1)Lodo= 97
2)Golden Triangle=96
3)Capital Hill=93
4)Cherry Creek=90
5)Baker=90
6)Alamo Placita=87
7)Five Points=87
8)City Park=85
9)Highland)=79
10)University=75

MOD EDIT: Great info, I'll copy this to the 'walkable neighborhoods thread.'

[Katarina Witt]

You need to take walkscore with a grain of salt, as others have said. LoDo is great if you want to walk to a bar, but there is no grocery store there. Many of the highly rated neighborhoods don't have anywhere to do "general shopping" such as clothes, stuff you'd get at Target, etc.

[steveindenver]

Lodo is walkable? What a joke. Have fun getting groceries. You will however have good luck hooking up at 2am as all of the bars let out. Same with the Golden Triangle -- although there is one grocer at the edge.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by steveindenver

Lodo is walkable? What a joke. Have fun getting groceries. You will however have good luck hooking up at 2am as all of the bars let out. Same with the Golden Triangle -- although there is one grocer at the edge.

Hey! For once I actually totally agree with steveindenver. Whowuddathunkit?

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Hey! For once I actually totally agree with steveindenver. Whowuddathunkit?

Ditto!

[MantaRay]

Seeing as I don't get groceries every day and when I do go I end up with at least 5 or 6 full bags, I say forget walking to the grocery store, I'll drive, and give me walkability to the recreational things I would do. Walking to the area bars and restaurants, to Commons Park, to Coors Field for some baseball or Pepsi Arena for some basketball, not far to Oktoberfest and other festivals, a few blocks to the Performing Arts Complex for a show, all more than makes up for not being able to walk to a grocery store and drag 5 or 6 bags for 5 or 6 blocks.