By Jessica Car · Updated July 2026
South Broadway's creative heart, artsy, historic, accessible
Baker sits about 2 miles south of downtown Denver along South Broadway, a compact neighborhood of roughly 6,700 people built around one of the city's most distinctive commercial strips. Antique Row, an independent dining scene, and a live-music legacy give it a personality most neighborhoods twice its size can't match.
For buyers, the pitch is genuine central-Denver character at one of the more accessible price points inside the city limits.
The median home runs $587K to $626K as of 2025 and 2026, at about $382 per square foot, well below the Highlands and a fraction of Cherry Creek or Washington Park. The market cooled sharply over the past year: days on market stretched to about 40 after sitting at just 6 a year earlier, and prices posted a notable year-over-year decline. With the neighborhood running roughly 55% renter, the math has shifted in buyers' favor.
Estimated monthly cost at the $605,000 median home price and a $500 car payment. Open the calculator to adjust for your situation.
Estimated monthly cost
$4,983 – $5,583/mo
Covers housing, transportation, utilities, and groceries.
See the full breakdown: mortgage at today's rate, property tax at Baker's mill levy, utilities at local provider rates, and a gas estimate tuned to the commute distance. Adjust sliders to model your own budget.
South Broadway is the draw. Antique Row packs more than 100 shops of mid-century furniture, rare books, and vintage goods into a few blocks, and the dining has earned real recognition: MAKfam holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, with La Forêt, the Colombian kitchen La Chiva, Colore, and the Rebel Bread bakery rounding out an independent scene backed by five-plus breweries, Novel Strand among them.
The corridor's music legacy lives on through the Underground Music Showcase each summer, and the calendar fills out with Denver Bake Fest, the Antique Row Block Party, and First Friday art walks. Green space comes by way of Dailey Park, the Platte River Trail, and the Baker Dog Park, with the South Pearl Street Farmers Market a mile away.
Denver Public Schools (B+) covers Baker on a district-wide choice enrollment model, so the school a student attends is an application decision rather than a strict address assignment. South High School earns an A and runs the largest career-and-technical-education program in DPS, Grant Beacon Middle School layers on enrichment programs, and the Denver Center for International Studies offers bilingual immersion.
District boundaries are complex in Denver. Verify school assignment by address.
Baker is one of the few Denver neighborhoods where the car is optional: Walk Score 78, Bike Score 89, and a protected Broadway bikeway running straight into downtown. The trip downtown takes 5 to 10 minutes off-peak by car or bike, the D and E light rail lines from Alameda Station reach downtown and the south suburbs (the DTC in 15 to 20 minutes), and frequent buses work Broadway and Alameda.
Baker suits buyers who want walkable, bikeable central-Denver living with character that wasn't manufactured: antique shops, independent restaurants, and a live-music corridor, at a relatively accessible city price.
The trade-offs are classic city dynamics. The housing stock runs older and renter-heavy, and the recent price decline signals a softer, more volatile micro-market. Buyers who prioritize urban character, walkability, and a creative corridor over suburban newness will find Baker one of central Denver's most distinctive and accessible neighborhoods; buyers who want new construction and predictability will look elsewhere.
Denver's effective property tax rate is low at about 0.50%, against a combined sales tax of 9.15%. Denver Water supplies the taps, Xcel handles power and gas, and internet options run deep: Xfinity, CenturyLink Quantum Fiber, and Google Fiber. Cost of living tracks the Denver city-wide figure, about 28% above the national average.
Updated June 2026
Communities in the same region, same county, or a similar price tier as Baker.
Baker is served by Denver Public Schools, rated B+ by Niche. South High School holds an A rating and runs the largest Career and Technical Education program in DPS. Grant Beacon Middle School is rated B−, and Lincoln Elementary serves as the neighborhood school. District-wide enrollment applies, verify enrollment eligibility by address.
Baker sits roughly 2 miles south of downtown via Broadway. Off-peak drives take 5–10 minutes, while rush hour extends to 10–20 minutes. The Alameda Station (D & E lines) connects to downtown and the south suburbs, and a protected Broadway bikeway offers a direct bike lane into the city center.
The median home price in Baker ranges from $587K to $626K, with Redfin reporting ~$587K and Zillow ~$626K as of 2025–2026. Price per square foot averages ~$382. Year-over-year prices declined 22.9% (May 2025, Redfin), steeper than the Denver metro average, and the renter-to-owner ratio is 55% renter / 45% owner.
Dailey Park, over 100 years old, features original 1920s SR DeBoer shelters. The Platte River Trail provides a biking and walking corridor, and Baker Dog Park offers a fenced, community-maintained off-leash area. Denver’s citywide park system includes 250+ parks and 80+ miles of trails.
Denver’s cost of living index is 128, or 28% above the national average per BestPlaces. Property taxes run ~0.50% effective (~79.2 mills), combined sales tax is 9.15%, and Colorado levies a flat 4.4% state income tax. Median household income in Baker ranges from $67K to $97K.
Baker’s South Broadway corridor offers a concentrated dining scene: • MAKfam, Michelin Bib Gourmand Chinese with natural wines and craft cocktails • La Forêt, French fare in the former Beatrice & Woodsley space • Rebel Bread, artisanal bakery using Colorado wheat, hosts the annual Denver Bake Fest • Novel Strand Brewing, craft beer by day, Queen City Collective Coffee by morning • La Chiva, Colombian cuisine on Broadway
Denver Health Medical Center at 777 Bannock Street is approximately 1.5 miles away. Urgent care options include Denver Health Adult Urgent Care at 660 Bannock and Peña Southwest Family Health Center at 1339 S Federal.
