The metro Denver area offers a robust housing market, with good levels of appreciation. An excellent mix of both executive and entry-level housing exists throughout the metro area. The region offers some of the best housing values of any major metropolitan area.
Housing options within the metro area range from urban lofts and downtown high-rise buildings to horse properties and rural acreage. Since Denver-area neighborhoods can suit any lifestyle, it all depends on your unique preferences for your new home.
For example, Jefferson County in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains offers several mountain communities, including Evergreen, Morrison, Conifer, Aspen Park, Kittredge and Bergen Park. Just 30 miles west of Denver, the greater Evergreen area is at about 7,500 feet elevation and encompasses about 130 square miles of pine and aspen-laden hills. It sprawls from the 14,260- foot Mount Evans on the west, to the edge of the high plains on the east, Conifer and Aspen Park on the south, and Genesee and Lookout Mountain on the north. Offering a unique mountain lifestyle, Evergreen offers its residents easy access to a variety of mountain recreational opportunities.
Located along U.S. 285, the small town of Morrison has only about 500 residents. Tourism is its major industry. Visitors come to the town to enjoy its restaurants, outdoor recreation and rock concerts. Other attractions include Bandimere Speedway, a multi-use speedway, and Dinosaur Ridge, a world-renowned outdoor paleontology museum.
The City of Boulder in Boulder County is another scenic mountain community located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. In fact, the city has been described as “the city nestled between the mountains and reality.” Located 35 miles northwest of downtown Denver, Boulder has an elevation of 5,430 feet and acres of vast open space. One of Colorado’s centers of commerce, education, research and recreation, Boulder is home to the University of Colorado. Attractions and entertainment include concert series, festivals, sidewalk cafes, galleries, street performers, and hiking, biking and climbing within minutes of downtown Boulder.
Nederland is another mountain community located 17 miles west and 3,000 feet above Boulder. The city is the largest town along the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway that runs more than 55 miles from Black Hawk/Central City to Estes Park—one of the most scenic drives in the state. Byway motorists pass ghost towns, the Golden Gate Canyon State Park, the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Longs Peak (14,255 feet) and Rocky Mountain National Park. Nederland residents can also cross-country ski or snowshoe in the backcountry – or ski and snowboard at nearby Eldora Mountain Resort.
Planned communities also dot many areas of the city, including Riverfront Park in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood and the redevelopment of the former Stapleton International Airport. Co-housing options, town centers and lifestyle communities are key elements in the redevelopment of the original Elitch Gardens and the former Lowry Air Force Base sites. Revitalization in the Cherry Creek, Hilltop, Highlands and Washington Park neighborhoods has also added eclectic and innovative new housing.
