# 24

2022 rank: 16

Central Park—which was once home to the city’s international airport and underwent a name change in 2020—has benefited from an influx of homeowners who were priced out of the urban core and are now seeking a suburban neighborhood that’s still got some perks to settle in. (Once again, it recorded the most closed properties for the year.)

Central Park experienced a solid, but not unmanageable, 16 percent jump in prices for its energy-efficient new construction and more traditional homes. Plus, its 13 schools score mostly A’s. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park—home of the Colorado Rapids—lies just beyond the ’hood’s northern border. Even more enticing: the mixed-use community’s myriad green spaces and trails and proximity to plentiful shops and eateries.

Population 27,137
2023 Median Sale Price $738,865

Neighborhood Rankings

Real Estate Rank 23
Schools Score 3.7
Crime Rank 60
X Factor Score 8

How we got these numbers: We utilized the city’s official list of 78 neighborhoods (only 73 had enough data to be included), and ranked them using four variables: home prices, crime dataschool rankings, and an X factor score that accounts for things like access to open space, proximity to public transportation, and restaurant and shopping options. For more on our methodology, return to the main page.

Your Itinerary

Eat and Drink

Well-known Denver chefs are making the trek east, too. Case in point: the second location of Lon Symensma’s ChoLon, Elise Wiggins’ Cattivella, and Troy Guard’s Hashtag. Central Park is also home to Cuba Cuba Sandwicheria, breakfast and lunch spot Four Friends Kitchen, Bonchon (Korean fried chicken), and Ike’s Love and Sandwiches. For an after-dinner treat, head to Little Man Central Park.

Head just beyond the neighborhood’s boundaries to taste whatever Caroline Glover, a James Beard semi-finalist, is cooking at Annette.

FlyteCo Tower is a cool brewery/restaurant/entertainment venue built into the building at the base of the former air traffic control tower. Dirty Laundry is a neighborhood bar with a, er, laundry list of cocktails.

Change up your typical coffee shop order by swinging by Kung Fu Tea for bubble tea, a Taiwanese specialty. Or, have your single-origin java delivered straight to your door courtesy of Ground Crew Coffee.

Shop

Central Park is anchored by two open-air shopping centers: the Shops at Northfield and Eastbridge Town Center. (You’ll find some reliable boutique fitness studios within them, too.) The latter is more restaurant-centric, but you will find Datura Home and its fantastic selection of house plants, succulents, and gifts.

Near the edge of the neighborhood’s southern border lies Stanley Marketplace, a “community-focused marketplace” filled with F&B options and a smart mix of boutiques. Among our go-tos: Billy Goat and the Gosling for kids’ clothes; Friend Assembly for cute planters; June Ruby for women’s fashions; Zero Market for clean home supplies; and decor at Industrial Luxury Home.

Play Date

Kids live the good life in Central Park (around 30 percent of the neighborhood’s residents are younger than 18). They can expend plenty of energy at the ’hood’s seven outdoor pools, TOCA Soccer and Fitness Center, or Bounce Gymnastics at the Stanley. Expand their brains at nearby Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Bluff Lake Nature Center, and Tattered Cover’s just-for-kids bookstore (inside the Stanley). Plus, the neighborhood hosts an outdoor movie series between June and August that’s ideal for family outings.

Spots to Eat

Superfruit Republic

ND StreetBar (Central Park)

Los Chingones (Central Park)

Cattivella

View All Restaurants in Central Park

About This Neighborhood