The 10 Richest Neighborhoods in Denver, CO
Denver has a total of 78 neighborhoods to its name. Not all of them are the kind you'd want to live in, but all are imbued with their own distinct sense of charm, personality, and culture. Some are also imbued with the kind of house prices and living costs that will make you do a double-take... as, indeed, will the average earnings of their residents.
If you've ever wondered which of Denver's neighborhoods ranks as the swankiest, find out now as we run through the ten richest neighborhoods in Denver, CO.
10. University
The cost of goods and services won't cost you much more in University than they would in any other part of the city. The cost of accommodation, on the other hand, most definitely will.
Live here, and you can expect a mortgage that's 149 percent bigger than it would be in most other parts of the US. Fortunately, the high living costs are offset by an equally high median income: most households are pulling in around $74,000 per year.
9. Lodo
A few stats about Lodo for you: the cost of goods and services is around 9 percent higher than the average for Denver; the cost of property is 110 percent higher, and the overall cost of living is 22 percent higher. If that sounds unreasonable, don't give up on the neighborhood just yet. With a median income north of $80,000, most households are earning 34 percent higher than the national average.
8. Park Hill
The vast majority of Park Hill residents have very decent jobs. At least, they do if the neighborhood's $82,311 median wage is anything to go by. In fairness, they need every dime - with a single-family home costing a whopping $366,040, this is the kind of place where even an above-average wage won't take you far.
7. Civic Centre
Civic Centre, or the Golden Triangle as it's most commonly known, is a small community of around 2000 residents. A large part of the area overlaps with the Denver Civic Center, allowing residents easy access to the parks and civic amenities of the area.
Blessed with safe streets, a welcoming community, and the full complement of recreational and entertainment facilities, it's understandably a popular place to live. Just be warned - if you're serious about moving in, you'll need to be prepared to pay upwards of $480,000 for a single-family home.
On the plus side, you can also prepare to enjoy the fruits of an $83,929 median income.
6. Auraria
Once a tiny mining community in the Kansas Territory, Auraria has now been incorporated into Denver. Located just south of the super-deluxe neighborhood of Cherry Creek, Auraria is a wealthy, well-heeled neighborhood with wealthy, well-heeled residents.
Thanks to its excellent transport links into the rest of the city, Auraria workers are blessed with their pick of jobs - something that's plain to see in an enviable median income of $85,521. Housing, as you'd expect, is on the high side - expect to part with around $450,000 for a single-family home.
5. West Colfax
Not only do renters have a tough time finding an apartment for less than $2100 in West Colfax, but prospective homeowners struggle to find even a modest property for $600,000 or less. But there's a reason for those high prices.
Live here, and you can expect one of the lowest crime rates in Denver, an engaged (and engaging) community, plenty of green spaces, and enough shops, bars, coffee shops, and entertainment venues to blow what's sure to be a very healthy income.
4. Central East Denver
Usually, high living costs go hand in hand with low crime, high living standards, and bountiful amenities. Central East Denver has decided to buck the trend. While it's got the high living costs (according to Area Vibes, the average property price is 42% higher than the median for Denver and the overall cost of living is 14% higher), it's lacking in other departments.
Crime is 2% higher than the Denver average, the schools are a little below par, and the housing options are limited. On the plus side, most people are earning enough ($88,432 on average) not to worry unduly.
3. Washington Park
If the thought of splashing out $537,873 on a single-family home gives you a migraine, you might want to avoid Washington Park. If it doesn't, you'll find few better places to call home.
Blessed with scenic vistas, plenty of green spaces, and all the schools, amenities, and recreational opportunities you and your family could ever need, it's unquestionably a great place to call home. If you're anything like most of the other residents, you stand a good chance of bringing home the very respectable median income of $104,384.
2. Cherry Creek
There's a lot more to Cherry Creek than just a pretty name. Blessed with great schools, faultless amenities, and superb links into the rest of the city, it's understandably one of Denver's most desirable neighborhoods.
If you want to join the ranks of the 6550 residents who've already decided to make Cheery Creek home, expect to shell out big-style for the privilege. The average single-family home here comes with a very un-average price of $663,500.
If you were thinking you could save some cash by renting, think again - according to denverite.com, the neighborhood falls into Denver's most expensive zip code for renters. On the plus side, most people are earning enough ($124,277 by the latest reckoning) to have plenty of cash leftover once the bills are paid.
1. Stapleton
Denver is a city of contrasts. Sometimes, those contrasts are easy enough to overlook. Other times, they butt up against each other so jarringly, they're impossible to ignore. As bizjournals.com points out, few places in Denver highlight the city's wealth disparity more than Stapleton and its surrounding neighborhoods.
While neighboring Montbello, Northeast Park Hill, Elyria Swansea, and Globeville all rank amongst the city's poorest, wealthy Stapleton is another matter entirely.
Despite being just a stone's throw away from areas where people are struggling to make ends meet, Stapleton is packed with high earners, most of whom relish the neighborhood's easy commuting distance to the Business District. If you want to join them, expect to part with around $665 thousand for a property.
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Written by Dana Hanson
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