I am a native. I grew up near Washington Park/Baker/Byers area. You will love the urban charm of these neighborhoods. Recently, I moved from Historic Highlands Square in North West Denver. I can personally attest that these neighborhoods will suit you wonderfully. Yes, Associate Broker that I am- more importantly a past resident of these areas. Vist the neighborhood websites and Historic Denver. If you need any additional information or the website addresses- feel free to email me. Welcome to Colorado-

Oops, another broker, sorry. The walking communities near Washington park on old south Gaylord and South pearl streets, are your best bet. Both offer small mom and pop coffee shops --freinds don't let friends drink starbucks-- bookstores, some of Denver's best restraunts --including the Sushi Den-- and various other stores. If community is important these are two areas you should check out.

PDX - I know, I know, I am the Realtor you did not want to hear from but I couldn't help myself - have you lived or explored Denver neighborhoods before? I am curious because some of the desired neighborhoods by locals (like Wash Park, Bonnie Brae, Observartory/University Park, Hilltop, Mayfair, Crestmoor, Park Hill, etc) are not on your list and if you have not explored or lived here before, then you may want to add these to your possibility list. I recently had a client move from Park Hill to Congress Park and she recently commented she liked the neighborhood in Park Hill better - I am sure there are some who feel the opposite but I thought you may want to hear about some other neighborhoods also

For newer homes in the city, you may want to add Stapleton and Lowry - further East from downtown Denver but both still have amenities like cafes, coffee shops, and parks within the neighborhoods.

For Buyers with children, the topic of schools typically comes up and you can look at the "School Accountability Reports" on the Colorado Department of Eduacation web site (I have listed the link below) - 4th tab down on the left side - you will need to know the name of the school (hopefully you have a good map that includes the names of the schools). I hope some residents from all of these neighborhoods chime in as they are all great.