Highland

The area is a mix of young and old and everything in between. City records reflect the 19-64 age group comprises nearly 65 percent of the population. Young Hispanic families are becoming the norm in this lower-middle class neighborhood. Mexican restaurants dot the area, especially on its northern edge on 38^th Avenue and western rim along Federal Boulevard. Despite the influx of yuppies and Hispanic transplants, there remains a good dose of older, European immigrant families who have stayed here (nearly 12 percent of the area is more than 65).

Stretching across the 15^th St. bridge over I-25 is a natural transition from downtown to Lower Downtown (LoDo) to Highland. Two of the most hopping places are side by side at 1575 Boulder St. – Lola and Vita. Lola is an upscale Mexican eatery that relocated from its popular South Pearl Street spot. Whether you’re looking for just a margarita, a great meal, a night to watch football on the many TV screens, Tequila Tuesdays or the Saturday or Sunday brunch, chef Jamey Fader gives the menu a coastal Mexican flair (bacon-crusted Mexi-toast,  guacamole prepared table side, family-style paella on Sundays and Vera Cruz stew). Vita offers a modern American menu, and like Lola, has splendid views of downtown. Highland is a mainstay for fine Italian food. Places like Patsy’s, Pagliacci’s and Gaetano’s not only serve excellent fare, but have a noteworthy history. Gaetano’s, recently revived by the restaurant group once led by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, originally owned by the Smaldones, Denver’s most renowned mafia family.

Lower Highland is the section of the Highlands that is just over I25 from LoDo/Downtown. Lower Highland spots include Boulder Street, 15th Street and Platte Street. One of the best places in Highland to chill, eat quac and drink mojitos is Lola on Boulder. They have a swell patio that overlooks downtown. If Lola is full, you can always go to VIta next door which has a stellar rooftop deck overlooking downtown. Both have good food that isn't cheap, but well worth it. The best Sushi in Denver is Sushi Sasa on 15th but lacks a little due to the sterile atmosphere. Sasa is not cheap either, but again well worth it. Cheap eats/drinks in this hood include: My Brothers Bar (decent burgers and a shaded patio) and the Highland Tavern. The North Star Brewery has tater tots and good beer. Proto's Pizza on Platte is good for grabbing some thin crust and quick glass of wine. There's a new ice cream place: Little Man, I haven't been there yet, anyone? There is also Forest Room 5 on 15th where the environment is interesting although service there seems to be phantomlike.

The city says the median price of a home in highland is less than $210,000. The median household income is less than $40,000. All this 2000 census information includes recent construction, so you can see this is a poor to lower-middle class neighborhood. The newer rentals, obviously, will go for more than the median rental price of $600. Depending from street to street and house to house you may find homes that are well kept or run down. This is not Cherry Creek, one of Denver’s pricier neighborhoods, but more scrape-offs, remodels and new construction are changing an area that keeps a proud heritage.

It’s mostly street parking, some driveways, alleys or small one-car garages for home owners and parking lots for those lucky few. RTD buses run along Federal and Speer boulevards, two of the area’s main roads. The 6, 38L and 44L are three of the main bus routes that also intersect parts of Highland’s neighborhood. Many of the interior streets were built more than 50 years ago and are fairly narrow with parked cars on either side. You have several ways to access I-25 and walking or biking into downtown can take less than 10 minutes from many homes.

This area is not for everyone. Be sure to check out the area first if you can. The newer condo units are in great locations, closer to restaurants and downtown. If you use a broker, be clear on Highland and West Highland. Both are similar, but West Highland is farther from downtown. There are more and more scrape-offs, where home owners have torn down the older homes and replaced them. So, there is a mix of old homes that are well cared for and others that look ready for the wrecking ball. A very eclectic neighborhood that could be the next hot area to live in Denver.

Highland has plenty of quiet streets to stroll with your dog. For a longer walk, you can cross the 15^th Street viaduct and head to Little Raven in the Union Station neighborhood where Commons Park is. There are also several trails along the South Platte River, not to mention small parks scattered in and around Highland. Two bigger parks – Sloans Lake and Rocky Mountain  Park – are within a 2-mile radius of Highland to the west and northwest.

Very pet friendly neighborhood as is most of Denver.  Everywhere you go, you will see people walking dogs and see them tied up outside coffee shops and outdoor dining areas.  Riverfront Park is a great place to jog with your pooch as is the Platte River trail. Also people are very diligent about cleaning up after their dogs in this hood, so bring your poop scoop bags!

Downtown is less than 2 miles away, but there’s a small, eclectic artistic sector growing on Navajo Street. There are a couple of art galleries on the same side of the street as Patsy’s restaurant. Across the street is the Bug Theatre, a small nonprofit organization that supports stage and film artists. One of the plays the Bug has performed is David Sedaris’ “Santaland Diaries,” an uproariously funny tale about Sedaris’ days as a Christmas elf at Macy’s. If you’re a sports fan, Coors Field (home of the Colorado Rockies), Pepsi Center (home of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, NBA’s Denver Nuggets, other professional sports teams, concerts and the 2008 Democratic National Convention) and Invesco Field at Mile High (home of the Denver Broncos) are all a mile or less away.

If you don't mind walking a little over a mile, Invesco Field, Coors Field and The Pepsi center are all within a 10-30 min walk from anywhere in Highland.  Also, there are a number of bike paths that link cyclists and commuters to almost anywhere in metro denver.

As we’ve mentioned, Speer, Federal and 38^th are the main arteries of the Highland neighborhood. They are the easiest streets for navigating around the area into downtown. 15^th Street crosses I-25 into the eastern side of Highland into the newer part of the neighborhood. 32^nd Avenue is an up-and-coming at Zuni where there is a Pasquini’s Pizza and other shops. One of the coolest shops along 38^th Avenue is 2Wheelers Motorcycle Shop. If you’re a biker or you want to unearth you motorcyclist within, this funky shop is the place to go. Owner Arlin Fatland has custom built motorcycles and his shop has everything to maintain your Harley.

Highland has plenty of spots to hang out and the most popular area is probably Highland Square, known by locals as the 32nd & Lowell area. Nobody who lives here calls it "Highland Square".  Bars, sandwich shops, wine and cheese shops with a bohemian, not uppity feel.  The relatively new Highland Bridge cut's over I25 and allows you to access Platte St, where there are a number of shops, a small grocery store and yet another foot bridge that takes you toward dowtown, or LoDo.  There's also 15th ST which intersects Platte that has number of funky smaller merchants.

The closest grocery stores are Vitamin Cottage at 15^th and Platte, the Safeway at 26^th and Federal and a SavaLot at 38^th and Bryant. Various Laundromats, liquor stores, fast-food joints, 7-11s and auto supply stores are all over the neighborhood, especially along 38th Avenue and within a mile radius. A Target is about 2 miles west at 44^th and Sheridan in Lakeside.

The closest school is North High at Speer and Federal. There are several other schools in the neighborhood. One of the more unique schools is the Academia Ana Marie Sandoval on Zuni between 36^th and 37^th . Sandoval, a part of Denver Public Schools, offers a dual-language Montessori program. The Auraria campus of three colleges -- the University of Colorado-Denver, Metro State and the Community College of Denver – is about a mile east of I-25 at Speer and the Auraria Parkway. A plus for parents and their kids: Elitch Gardens amusement park is to the east next to the Pepsi Center. There also is a branch of the Denver Public Library (Woodbury) at 3265 Federal Blvd.