Highland

What it's like in Highland

Highland is the trendy northwest neighborhood across the river from downtown, made up of a few distinct pockets. LoHi — Lower Highland, its southeast corner closest to the river and downtown — is the densest, most walkable, most restaurant-packed part, full of rooftop patios and skyline views from the bluff. West Highland sits west around Highland Square at 32nd and Lowell, and people loosely call the whole area "the Highlands," sometimes stretching it to the Tennyson Street strip in neighboring Berkeley.

It's one of Denver's liveliest dining neighborhoods, and the LoHi bluff looks straight back at the downtown skyline. The draw is walking to dinner; the trade is that it's pricey and runs loud on weekend nights.

Getting around

Highland overall scores 85 on Walk Score, and the densest LoHi blocks score in the 90s — most day-to-day errands except a big grocery run can be done on foot. The standout connection is the Highland pedestrian bridge, an extension of 16th Street over I-25 that drops you at Commons Park and into LoDo; Union Station's rail hub, including the A Line to the airport, is about a 20-minute walk. Buses 32 (32nd Avenue to downtown), 28, and 44 cover the crosstown trips.

The catch is that I-25 and the rail lines wall Highland off from downtown and east Denver. Crossing means the pedestrian bridge on foot or a handful of car routes — Speer, 23rd, 38th — that back up at peak. And parking is real friction: much of LoHi is metered or permit-only, not every building includes a space, and curb parking near the restaurant blocks vanishes on weekend nights.

Daily life and errands

There's no full supermarket in the LoHi core. The nearest large stores sit on the West Highland and Berkeley edges: a Safeway at 2660 North Federal Boulevard, around 32nd & Federal; a Natural Grocers at 3825 Tennyson Street, at 38th & Tennyson; and a King Soopers at 5301 West 38th Avenue out near the Wheat Ridge line. Most residents drive a few minutes or use delivery for a full shop, and cover everything else — coffee, restaurants, rooftops — on foot.

Green space

Highland is thin on large green space at its center; the big outdoor draws sit at the edges. Sloan's Lake, Denver's second-largest park, is a short distance west, and Commons Park sits across the pedestrian bridge along the river. The in-neighborhood parks — Highland Park and Jefferson Park — are small, so the green space is a walk or a short drive rather than at the door.

Living here for a month or more

Highland suits stays where walking to dinner and a lively scene are the point. For travel nurses, Saint Joseph and Presbyterian/St. Luke's on the 19th Avenue medical corridor and Denver Health just across the highway are all about a 10-to-12-minute drive. For corporate stays, the pedestrian bridge puts downtown and Union Station within reach on foot without being in the middle of it. And for anyone who wants views and a street scene, the LoHi bluff and two more dining strips a few minutes north and west deliver.

The trade is quiet and cost. The LoHi core runs loud on weekend evenings, it's one of Denver's pricier neighborhoods, and anything east of I-25 means crossing the highway. For a quieter base, Cheesman Park or Washington Park fit better.

The honest trade-offs

A few things are worth knowing before you commit to Highland for a season. There's no full grocery in the LoHi core, so a real shop usually means a short drive. Parking is hard — metered or permit-only across much of the area, and scarce near the restaurants on weekend nights. It's expensive, which shows up in furnished rents. The core gets busy and loud on weekend evenings around Tejon, 16th, and 32nd Avenue, so a unit a few blocks off the main run is noticeably quieter. And I-25 walls the neighborhood off from the eastern half of the city, so a daily commute east of the highway swings with the crossings.

None of that is a reason to skip Highland; it's the texture of one of Denver's most in-demand dining neighborhoods. But it's better known going in than discovered in week two.