Bear Valley

Tell someone you live in southwest Denver and they’ll probably think of the Vietnamese food and Mexican supermarkets on South Federal. They probably won’t think of Bear Valley. The neighborhood shares more of the feeling of Lakewood to the west. It’s suburban through and through. Not that that is a bad thing. The neighborhood is quiet, made up mostly of split-level brick and wood ranchers from the 1970s, with some large apartment complexes on the periphery. Hills, which are rare in Denver, can make walking in this neighborhood a rare workout for the legs. As for destinations for your walk, depending on how close to the neighborhood’s borders you live, you might be out of luck. Those near Sheridan may find a shopping plaza to suit them.

You won’t have to worry about bears in Bear Valley, either – they’ve been displaced and replaced by squirrels that scamper across front lawns and root through trash cans. On the whole, this is an affordable and relatively safe southwestern suburb. It’s a long and traffic-ridden drive to downtown or the tech center, but may be a good bet for people who work in Littleton or Englewood. Those who like to be close to the city action or live in a very walkable neighborhood may find themselves going stir-crazy. If this happens, and you have a car, try heading west on Hampden. Better known as state route 285 as it heads further west, the road heads towards the large Bear Creek Lake and Red Rocks amphitheater before winding up into the foothills, past some small mountain towns, and becoming one of the state’s most scenic drives.