Trendiest neighborhood

With critically acclaimed restaurants and an eclectic mix of brick bungalows and modern townhouses, the Highlands are so 2011. The cool kids know that Baker is the borough to be.

With narrow, sleepy streets lined with trees and dainty Victorian cottages, Baker doesn’t feel like the urban enclave it truly is.

Bound by the South Platte River, Sixth Avenue, and Lincoln Street, Baker is just a short walk or bike ride away from Denver’s most interesting cultural centers: the night spots of Broadway, the galleries of the Santa Fe Art District, and the showrooms of the Denver Design District. The best arts and entertainment that the city has to offer are in Baker’s backyard.

Plus, the neighborhood has easy access to I-25, Speer Boulevard, and several transit lines that lead in and out of downtown, shortening the drive to both work and play.

The neighborhood itself is quiet and quaint, by all appearances isolated from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding metropolis. A large majority of the houses in the neighborhood were built before 1900, so Baker has a distinctive historical spirit evocative of the early settlers of Denver.

The houses are modestly sized and placed close together, creating a tight-knit community. Small but well-maintained gardens, with brick or iron fences, lie in front of many houses, even more of which boast bright and colorful façades.

Students, artists, and even doctors and nurses who work at nearby Denver Health are all happy to come home to this secret slice of neighborhood in the city.