Xavier St, Berkeley

My dad has lived on Xavier Street between 44th Avenue and 45th Avenue for over 25 years. The majority of the homes on this street are well over 100 years old. They are very small, but have a certain charm to them. There are only a few I can think of that have garages and the rest of the residents have to park on the street. Some of those with garages have to enter from the alleyway and many of these garages are unattached, leaving little room for a backyard. This area has become very popular in the past 10 years with many new buildings replacing the old and the prices of homes being what I would consider outrageous for their size and lack of garages. Most of the homes have a decent sized back yard (if there isn't a garage) which backs up to an alley where trash and recycling are put out.

The street connects to 46th Avenue which is where Berkeley Park is, along with Smiley library and a dog park on the northwest corner of the park. The park and lake are rather large and very busy during the warmer months. You can often see people fishing at the lake and many family outings in the park. There is a nice path for walking around the lake, although it has a slant to it and doesn't seem conducive to running without irritating your ankles. At least that is what I've experienced.

This area is also close to numerous restaurants and shopping, although the street itself is strictly residential.

While there are definitely some residents who have lived here for many years, there are also rental homes available and a bit of a turnaround on occupants. My dad has lived next door to the same gentleman his entire time here and there are certainly friendships along the street. People looking out for their neighbors is always a good thing, especially when this area has been hit with crime in the recent past. The Denver PD has been looking for suspects that have been breaking into homes while people are away and a few years ago there was an entire street of cars that had their tires slashed.

Overall I feel this neighborhood has been improving and there are a lot of benefits to living here. This area seems to be popular with young professionals as well as new families and retirees.