University Park / Wellshire

I can remember as a child going to the Wellshire Inn for brunch on Sundays. It always seemed so magical, like I had been transported to another time or place. To this day, I love going to this lovely neighborhood with beautiful homes and a fabulous golf course (to look at since I don't play). There are grand, stately homes as well as smaller, quaint homes going for a much lower price tag (although still high comparatively speaking). This neighborhood would most certainly be on my list of places to live if I were to move and could afford it.

One of the great things about this neighborhood is how conveniently it's located to so many things. There is plenty to do in the area: dining, movies, restaurants, pubs, golfing, wonderful churches, etc. There is even a great hospital just up Hampden Blvd. a couple of miles (Swedish Hospital). And if you jump on Hampden Blvd. and go west for about 30 minutes you can find yourself in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Just a couple minutes from I-25 and then a short drive to downtown can lead you to all the cultural venues Denver has to offer. Theater, ballet, symphonies, and five star restaurants are all in abundance within this short drive.

One drawback to the area is traffic. Hampden Blvd. can be backed up for what seems like miles during rush hour, and sometimes just getting a short distance can take forever. Getting out of this area during peak times is not easy regardless of which way you're going. If you can deal with the traffic, this is a good place to be located.

Overall, this is a great neighborhood sporting beautiful architecture and an almost old world feel to it. For anyone looking to move in the Denver area, I would highly recommend looking in this neighborhood for convenience and class.

This neighborhood consists of quiet, elegant residential blocks crisscrossed by streets that carry a lot of traffic. All of the streets that form the borders of this neighborhood are major arteries. In addition, due to the fact that many streets don't cross University, those that do are also heavily trafficked. These streets are in the northern half of the area, namely Evans and Iliff. Because these streets are older and surrounded by homes, they cannot be widened and traffic there is extremely congested during rush hour.

Nonetheless, this is a popular residential area. There are many of the old brick homes with large porches that are typical of the neighborhoods around Washington Park and DU. Colorado Blvd provides the main retail-chain shopping area. University Blvd has some smaller stores and neighborhood restaurants. There are a few small businesses in the neighborhood itself.

This spot has close access to schools for all ages (not just university students) and nice park spaces, too. The parks right in the neighborhood are small by city standards, but are very nice spots. For wider spaces, Washington Park is a short drive away. This neighborhood has plenty of history, none of the packaged feel of suburban residential neighborhood, and fairly quick access to Downtown and other hot spots.

Although statistically Wellshire and University Park are two different neighborhoods, they are often grouped together, and with good reason. One gets the sense that a well-paid DU professor might settle in either neighborhood, and that the choice of Wellshire vs. University Park might depend simply on whether that professor prefers mid-century modern architecture or an older, stately brick colonial. The more southern, newer Wellshire neighborhood boasts the former: sprawling, brick homes that now have a retro yet classy feel, fronted by large emerald lawns and shaded by willow trees. The Wellshire golf course occupies the southern part of the neighborhood. University Park, to the north, mixes its large older homes with some more modern single-family homes and lofts. Both neighborhoods have resisted the housing crash well, and homes are some of the priciest in the city. Schools are good, crime rates are very low, and if you want a break from the quiet, leafy, elegant neighborhoods, it’s a quick walk or bike to all the busy-ness on University Boulevard. Locals are drawn to Observatory Park, as, periodically, are most Denver-area astronomy aficionados. DU’s Chamberlin Observatory hosts monthly open houses where, for $1, you can check out the stars and planets through the century-old but still keen-sighted telescope.