moving to Denver

[acarlton]

Hello all,

I am new to this Colorado forum, but have been very involved in the Grand Rapids Urban Planet forum here in the midwest. I am moving to Denver this August to attend UCDenver for my masters in Architecture. I am very excited for the move, but want to avoid living anywhere heavily impacted by sprawl, which unfortunately is a lot of the Denver Metro area.

As realtors cannot give advice on neighborhoods, I wanted to check your prespectives on the neighborhoods in downtown Denver (what's cool and what I should avoid). I am looking to buy a home as close to the central city as I can, but can't afford a great loft in LODO.

Anyone know what areas are growing or what areas are on the brink of development. I work in urban development and historic preservation here in GR, so I want to get involved in the same sort of work there.

Any thoughts or advice?

Peace -anne

[bob23]

I don't know a ton about Denver because I live in Colo. Springs. However, I have a lot of friends and family up there. From what I've heard and seen you should really check out the Cherry Creek area. It's close to downtown, and has a young population. It has great shopping, dining, transportation and real estate. You said you wanted a condo, and it has plenty for all price ranges. There's a lot of great nightlife too. So I think that would be your best bet. Let me know how your search turns out!

[DenverInfill]

Here's a quick rundown of the downtown-area neighborhoods:

CBD core: limited housing, but a bunch of high-rises are proposed. currently available are mostly conversions - old office buildings converted to condos/apts. Some are pretty cool.

LoDo: pricey, but very trendy. historic conversions/lofts. lots of character. mostly for-sale units $350 sf +

Central Platte Valley: even pricier and uber-hip. all new construction neo-lofts. good mix of apts. and condos. lots under construction. $350/sf +.

Ballpark: historic-warehouse conversions, lots of new construction. industrial vibe quickly going upscale

Golden Triangle: near the arts/cultural district. new construction mostly mid-rises. mostly condos but new apts. construction happening too.

Curtis Park/Five Points: oldest historic neighborhood. victorian/single-family homes. lots of renovations. quaint. infill mostly townhomes and smaller-scale condos.

Highland: nice historic. not as expensive as LoDo but still sort of pricey $300/sf or more. Nice mix of SF dwellings and condos and apts. New construction mostly 3-4 story stacked flats/townhomes.

Jefferson Park. diverse neighborhood finally being "discovered" just south of Highland - getting yuppified. New construction starting up. Condos in the $300/sf range. The next new "hot" downtown neighborhood. Awesome skyline views.

Capitol Hill: Most intense/urban neighborhood. Extremely mixed--super eclectic population. Edgy/slightly-gritty but starting to go upscale. Lots of 1960s-1970s high-rises and Victorian mansion conversions.

Light rail/mall shuttle makes the whole downtown area accessible by foot. walkable neighborhoods. Not quite a "don't need a car" environment, but getting close.

That's a quick rundown. Hope that helps. Good luck! For an overview of the greater Downtown area, check out: www.DenverInfill.com