By Jessica Car · Updated July 2026
Denver's most walkable neighborhood, dining, character, urban roots
The Highlands sits just west of downtown across I-25, roughly 30,000 residents spread over three sub-neighborhoods: Highland west of Federal, LoHi (Lower Highlands) running east of Federal to the interstate, and Sunnyside to the north. The bones are 1890s: bungalows and Victorians on blocks that now share addresses with a Michelin-starred restaurant and the thickest concentration of food and drink in the city.
For buyers, this is Denver's highest-density, most walkable neighborhood, and it prices accordingly.
The median runs $710K to $752K depending on the index as of late 2025, down 4.6% to 5.3% year over year, at about $441 per square foot. That lands above RiNo and Five Points but below Cherry Creek or Washington Park. LoHi townhomes reach $950K to $985K and the Victorians clear $1.5M. The slide from pandemic peaks has opened a relative window into one of Denver's most in-demand areas.
Estimated monthly cost at the $730,000 median home price and a $500 car payment. Open the calculator to adjust for your situation.
Estimated monthly cost
$5,704 – $6,304/mo
Covers housing, transportation, utilities, and groceries.
See the full breakdown: mortgage at today's rate, property tax at The Highlands's mill levy, utilities at local provider rates, and a gas estimate tuned to the commute distance. Adjust sliders to model your own budget.
No Denver neighborhood out-eats this one. LoHi alone holds 55-plus bars and restaurants, up from 22 six years ago, including the Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina, the Bib Gourmand AshKara, Root Down in a converted gas station, Gaetano's, and My Brother's Bar, Denver's oldest at 151 years, with the 2025 Michelin Young Chef award landing at newcomer Wildflower. Little Man Ice Cream is the whimsical landmark, and Denver Beer Co anchors six-plus breweries.
The Tennyson Street Cultural District hosts a First Friday Art Walk every month, the Highlands Street Fair is in its 41st year, and the Sunnyside Music Festival stays free. Groceries center on the employee-owned Leevers Locavore, with Whole Foods and King Soopers just across I-25, and Confluence Park covers riverfront recreation.
Denver Public Schools (B+) covers the neighborhood, with North High School (B) serving Sunnyside, the bilingual Denver Language School for K-8, Brown International Academy, and the well-regarded Sandoval Elementary. DPS runs on choice enrollment and performance varies campus to campus, so the school picture here is a per-school question rather than a district-wide one.
District boundaries are complex in Denver. Verify school assignment by address.
Walkability is the headline act: Walk Scores run 85 to 96, with LoHi above 90. Downtown is 5 to 10 minutes by car, or a 10 to 30 minute walk from LoHi across the Highland pedestrian bridge, and Union Station is genuinely walkable. The Cherry Creek and Platte River trails form a bike-commute corridor into downtown, RTD bus coverage is solid, and car-light living actually works here.
The Highlands fits buyers who put walkability first and dinner a close second: Denver's best dining density, genuine 1890s neighborhood roots, and downtown within a walk or a bike ride.
The trade-offs are price and density. Even after the recent softening this is a $710K-plus neighborhood with LoHi townhomes near $1M, popularity brings nightlife crowds and parking pressure in LoHi, and school performance varies by campus. Buyers who want walkable urban living with historic character will find few rivals anywhere in the city; buyers who want quiet or a lower price point tend to look at Sunnyside's edges or elsewhere.
Denver's effective property tax rate is a light 0.50%, against a combined sales tax of 9.15%. Denver Water supplies the taps, Xcel handles power and gas, and internet runs deep: Xfinity, CenturyLink Quantum Fiber at up to 8 Gbps, and Google Fiber. Cost of living tracks the citywide Denver figure, about 28% above the national average.
Updated June 2026
Communities in the same region, same county, or a similar price tier as The Highlands.
The Highlands is served by Denver Public Schools, rated B+ by Niche. North High School is rated B and serves the Sunnyside area. Denver Language School is a K–8 bilingual-focus school ranked #65 among Colorado middle schools. Brown International Academy is rated B for Pre-K through 5th grade. DPS uses district-wide enrollment, school performance varies, so verify eligibility by address.
The Highlands sits approximately 1 mile west of downtown, across I-25, and is walkable or bikeable via the Highland Bridge. Off-peak trips take 5–10 minutes by car, 10–20 minutes during rush hour. LoHi residents can walk to Union Station in 10–30 minutes depending on location. Cherry Creek and Platte River trails serve as bike commute corridors.
The median home price in The Highlands ranges from $710K to $752K, with Redfin at ~$710K (−5.3% YoY) and Zillow at ~$752K (−4.6% YoY) as of November 2025. LoHi townhomes run $950K–$985K, and Victorian homes can exceed $1.5M. Price per square foot averages ~$441, and homes average 39 days on market.
Confluence Park features a 2.5-mile loop at the Cherry Creek and South Platte convergence, with a dog park and playing fields. Commons Park offers native prairie restoration adjacent to the South Platte River. The Cherry Creek Trail is accessible within a 10–30 minute bike ride, and the Platte River Greenway provides a continuous riverside trail system.
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’s flat state income tax is 4.4%. Median household income in The Highlands ranges from $114K to $120K.
The Highlands and LoHi form Denver’s densest dining corridor with 55+ bars and restaurants: • Alma Fonda Fina, Michelin-starred Mexican in LoHi • AshKara, Mediterranean/North African, Michelin Bib Gourmand • Wildflower, Italian-Mexican, 2025 Michelin Young Chef Award • Root Down, farm-to-table in a converted gas station • My Brother’s Bar, Denver’s oldest bar, 151 years • Little Man Ice Cream, Salted Oreo and Lemonade Cookie flavors
Denver Health and HCA HealthONE network hospitals are 10–15 minutes away. AfterOurs Denver Highlands at 4500 W 38th Ave and AFC Urgent Care Denver Highlands provide walk-in urgent care. Children’s Hospital Colorado South Campus offers urgent and 24/7 ER services for pediatric needs.
