2025 rank: 18
This energetic, tree-covered neighborhood boasts low crime and a continuously high-performing school (Asbury Elementary). Although it’s one of the more affordable ’hoods in our top 25 (with a nearly 2.5 percent drop in average home sale price), it’ll still cost you nearly $830,000 to put down roots here.
But don’t let the data deceive you; this is no sleepy suburb. With the University of Denver (DU) within the neighborhood boundaries, residents benefit from all of the coffeeshops, bars, and fast-casual eateries that college students require. Housing stock ranges from apartments and townhomes to bungalows and Craftsman-style homes.
Neighborhood Rankings
How we got these numbers: We utilized the city’s official list of 78 neighborhoods (only 73 had enough data to be included), and ranked them using four variables: home prices, crime data, school rankings, and an X factor score that accounts for things like access to open space, proximity to public transportation, and restaurant and shopping options. For more on our methodology, return to the main page.
Your Itinerary
Eat & Drink
The neighborhood’s dining offerings are clustered along South University Boulevard and East Evans Avenue. The Pioneer may have started as a hangout for college students, but its stellar tacos and rooftop patio appeal to the masses. Yemen Grill continues to sling reliably delicious Middle Eastern dishes. University vegans can lean on Next Level Burger for plant-based grub.
For breakfast (or to put a dent in that hangover), head to Greek diner Pete’s University Park Cafe or retro eatery Jelly Cafe. Kaladi Coffee Roasters is a long-standing java spot, while Insomnia Cookies satisfies sugar cravings from midday until after midnight.
As for bars, DU students hang out at the Stadium Inn. Find a slightly more mature crowd (and a certified sommelier) at La Belle Rosette espresso and wine bar. For a pub with grub, hit up Spanky’s Roadhouse, which has an expansive tap list, great wings, and a roster of juicy burgers.
Get Cultured
On campus, the striking Newman Center for the Performing Arts hosts a packed calendar of multidisciplinary events, from modern dance performances and operas to keynote lectures and student productions. The Chamberlin Observatory is a popular scientific and historical landmark, but you’ll have to plan ahead to get inside the Romanesque sandstone building; public tours often sell out a year in advance.
Get Outside
The DU campus is actually a 125-acre arboretum, lined with more than 2,100 trees and thousands of plants representing more than 427 species. Another option to commune with Mother Nature: DeBoer Park, which has a playground and sits on the five-mile-long East Harvard Gulch Trail.
The university’s outdoor Stapleton Tennis Pavilion is also open to drop-ins.
Spots to Eat
About This Neighborhood
- Washington Park
- Washington Park West
- South Park Hill
- Platt Park
- City Park
- Congress Park
- West Highland
- Wellshire
- Hilltop
- Skyland
- Baker
- Southmoor Park
- Cherry Creek
- City Park West
- Lowry Field
- Speer
- University
- Sunnyside
- Regis
- University Park
- Indian Creek
- Union Station
- North Park Hill
- Five Points
- Berkeley

/ Neighborhood Guide