Berkeley

The Berkeley neighborhood has gone through a lot of changes throughout the years. In the past 10 years or so it has greatly improved. There are two lakes in this neighborhood, Berkeley Lake and Rocky Mountain Lake, both with great walking paths around them and nice, big parks for going on a picnic, taking the dog for a walk, watching the birds, taking the kids to the playground or playing a pick up game of any sort. Both parks never seem too busy although there's always people enjoying them. Berkeley Lake also has tennis courts and the Smiley Library is located here also. The library has been here for years and adds to the charm of the park.

The houses themselves are older, many being over the 100 year mark. Many have been renovated and those that have needed to come down have been replaced with more modern homes and even small apartment buildings that house only 3 or 4 apartments. There are a few areas that still need some neighborly love and a good dose of weed control, but overall the big beautiful trees that line the streets make it very pleasing to the eye. There's a quaint charm to the neighborhood.

My father has lived in this area for over 25 years and can't imagine moving any place else. On his particular street he is good friends with many of his neighbors who have all resided alongside him for many years. Some of the homes are rentals and the people never seem to stay long, but that's not too many of the houses.

In recent years this has become a more trendy place to live for the up and coming professionals and those with new families just starting out. Unfortunately, crime has plagued the area for the last couple of years. There have been a string of burglaries with no suspects as of yet. There has also been some more bizarre crime such as a few years ago when all the tires on cars had been slashed for almost three blocks.

Traffic in this neighborhood is never bad with the exception of bordering streets such as Federal Blvd, 38th Avenue, and Sheridan Blvd. The highway gets a little busy during peak times but usually doesn't get congested until a little farther east on I-70.

There are some little shops located throughout the area, mostly along 44th Avenue. There are also a few restaurants dotting the neighborhood, but no fast food chains within the neighborhood, only along the border roads.

This is really a nice little neighborhood located close enough to downtown to be convenient, but far enough away to not feel like you're in the city. Hopefully as the neighborhood keeps improving, the crime will move out. If that were to be the case, this would be one of my top places to consider living if I were to move.

In 1910, hardly anyone wanted to move to Berkeley. Although the neighborhood had been open for development for almost a decade, it was still largely a patchwork of small truck farms – not that there was anything particularly bad about the land, but there was simply no interest.

The situation could not be more different today. The area started to grow in the 1960s, and this area is now becoming one of Denver’s most desirable, somewhat gentrified but not obnoxious, and with plenty of neighborhood pride. Concerts at the retro Oriental theater and the Tennyson Street Art Walk draw visitors from other neighborhoods in metro Denver to the thick sprinkling of galleries and shops. These visitors can quickly see the appeal of the friendly, quirky Berkeley. The Tennyson art walk isn’t as big yet as its older brother on Santa Fe Drive, but it’s growing, and there’s great local interest in having a neighborhood arts scene. Tennyson is also a fabulous district for strolling during the day: visitors and locals can grab a cup of coffee or ice cream cone as they window-shop the antique stores and boutiques, or pick one of the many local cafes for lunch. It’s easy to see why housing prices have remained steady or are increasing in Berkeley – if you visit, you might want to stay a while.

Berkely is one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city, and for good reason. Berkely is one of the best examples of a revitalization district. It arrived along with other neighborhoods in the Highlands district as one of the trendiest spots in Denver for artists, entrepreneurs, and residents. Astonishing changes have taken place here within the last decade. This are is full of wonderful old homes and commercial properties, some of which date back to the Victorian era.
This is really my kind of neighborhood. It's established, but it's vibrant, exciting, and eclectic. There's a little of everything. Many of the old homes have been restored, and the upgrades are continuing. The neighborhood is thriving even in this real estate market. There are still some run-down blocks, but a lot of it is great for living, dining, shopping, and getting a lot of local color.
Residential streets are crisscrossed with commercial retail streets, so it's a perfect area for walking from home to shopping, dining, or galleries. The businesses that thrive here are small local establishments. You can find any kind of food or quirky little store you want. The Tennessee arts district is kind of the hub of the eclectic, artist area. The Tennesee Arts Walk stretches for blocks on either side of 44th Ave, and has a lively First Friday each month that is starting to rival the older and larger Santa Fe one. I actually prefer the Berkely one.
You really can find everything here. It's a family neighborhood with brick homes, big trees and lawns, schools, restaurants, etc. But there's a major artsy-hipster vibe, too, which is where the neighborhood vibe comes from. There are tons of galleries, mixed together with little shops, marijuana dispensaries, etc. I said a bit of everything. I guess the only thing you won't find here are major big-chain department stores and restaurants.
Housing and rents have gotten high in Berkely, unfortunately. That's to be expected since the city housing market has remained pretty strong in the metro area even as suburban area values have dropped. The most expensive areas (not counting really wealthy neighborhoods) are these old, tree-lined brick home places that Denver proper is full of, so rental and purchase bargains are getting increasingly harder to find here. If I could find one, I'd probably be living there already. But that goes hand-in-hand with a revitalization district that is so trendy. It's one of Denver's best neighborhoods, though, whether for living or visiting.