Many wealthier families live in the Belcaro area. It is close to the fashionable Cherry Creek neighborhoods and the Denver Country Club, so you will find many socially established families live in Belcaro.

Because there are apartment buildings around Colorado Boulevard to the east, however, there are also many single people and couples who call Belcaro home. The Auraria campus is easily accessible by public transportation along Speer Boulevard, so Belcaro is also a desirable place for students. It is also a small haven for those who work downtown but would rather live in a safer area.

For the variety of housing available in Belcaro, you will find a large variety of people. There are also some newer families just starting out in Belcaro in the smaller homes in the eastern section of the neighborhood. Like the apartments, these homes have the flavor and quality of times gone by (but not too long ago), and sometimes they serve as rentals for visiting executives and other temporary residents of Denver.

The eastern section of Belcaro near Colorado Boulevard, also sometimes included in the Glendale area, is home to a large choice of nightclubs, restaurants, and other entertainment. Interstate 25 crosses Colorado Bouldevard just south of this area, so the nightlife can get fairly busy.

While Belcaro proper is mostly residential, there are a few high quality restaurants surrounding the neighborhood. Some residents like to go west and hit the old Pearl Street area around the University of Denver, where they can sit at a coffee or tea house, have lunch at the Pearl Street Grill (which also serves alcohol), and others prefer to head east out to South Colorado Boulevard for the nightlife.

Lounges/Clubs

• Stella’s Coffeehouse and Seven Cups Tea House on Old South Pearl Street are two favorite daytime hang outs.
• Also on Pearl Street, the Pearl Street Grill, Hanson’s, and the Lincoln Roadhouse are all very popular.
• Shotgun Willie’s and the Penthouse Clue (gentlemen’s clubs), near Alameda and Colorado Boulevard, are also popular.

Restaurants

• The Pearl Street Grill, India’s Pearl, and the Gaia Bistro are favorites along Old South Pearl.
• Colorado Boulevard offers some of the area’s favorite chain restaurants, such as Le Peep, Applebee’s, and Old Chicago.
• Some of Denver’s best independent ethnic restaurants find a home in Belcaro—Kiki’s Japanese Restaurant, Ya Hala Grill, Damascus, Red Coral (Asian), and many more.

If you are looking rent a single family home in Belcaro, you should be prepared for some sticker shock in the nicer neighborhoods. A Craigslist search reveals the lowest rents around $2,000, which one can expect with the cost of the homes in that area.

Apartments are another matter, and one can find single bedroom and even efficiency apartments for great prices. The average seems to be around $600, and penthouses are often around $1,500 to $2,000 per month.

The north end of Belcaro features the Polo Club locale, a small sub-neighborhood of condominiums that sometimes sell for almost $1M. There are other complexes in the Belcaro/Cherry Creek area that are comparable in price—expect the private owners of some of the higher priced units to charge high rents. If you do a good search, however, you can find affordable rents in some of this areas and get some great amenities.

Most of the parking in Belcaro is easy because of the single family homes, where residents generally have garage, carport, or driveway space. In the apartment complexes and buildings parking is usually provided, and is ample. Parking in the shopping centers and office buildings on Colorado Boulevard and Alameda Avenues is sufficient as well.

The Old South Pearl area is a little more difficult due to its proximity to the University of Denver. Many students live in this area and often share homes with two of three other students. Some houses have no garages, and a few have very little driveway space, forcing residents and guests to park in the street. This sometimes flows over into the South Pearl area, and is even worse when students east of the area drive to visit South Pearl.

Be prepared for some parking congestion south of Belcaro, and if you are parallel parking challenged you might want to think about public transportation or a nice long walk. Thanks to lower crime than in many areas of the city, it would be a safe walk in the daytime and not too bad at night, either. Still, the best policy is to walk with others after dark and always be aware of your surroundings.

Rental properties are widely varied and appeal to different kinds of people. For instance, if you are a student at Auraria, head to the areas that are well served by light rail and bus transportation. You will also find that rents in those areas are affordable, such as around the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Florida or Mexico. Even though the area is safer than around Auraria and there is a lot of commercial activity, you should still look first for a secured entrance building. Nothing is completely safe.

If you are a student at the University of Denver, you may want to assemble some roommates and check out a Belcaro home for rent. Go to the southernmost part of Belcaro and make sure you have good access to public transportation or an easy drive to school.

Although pets are very common in Belcaro, many of the apartments don’t allow them. However, there are also some buildings slightly east of Belcaro that are not of the old wood floor construction that is so coveted these days. Some of them will welcome pets. Always be sure you are aware of the rules surrounding pets and rental properties, and that you know what your pet deposit will be.

Homeowners who rent their properties are mixed with regard to pets. Some allow them but have stringent rules, some don’t. If you are looking for a single family home in Belcaro that allows pets, make sure it is fenced and the gates secure. Also remember Denver’s spay and neuter law. The only folks allowed to have animals not spayed or neutered are breeders. This law is enforced.

Aside from the nightclub scene around Glendale and the Old South Pearl area’s amazing choice of great pubs and dining, Belcaro residents are in close proximity to one of Denver’s finest music halls. The Bluebird, located just outside Belcaro in Bonnie Brae, features musical acts of all kinds, from jazz and blues to rock.

Pearl Street also features farmer’s markets, art galleries, book stores, gift stores, and choice hair salons. Old South Gaylord Street, just northeast of Pearl, offers the same sort of selections but on a smaller scale. The area in and around Belcaro is also known for tis great choices of day spas—Hollywood Body Laser Center, Melange Medical Day Spa, and Serenity on St. Paul.

Belcaro is also within close proximity to the Denver Performing Arts Center complex, where you can your favorite art music performances. The Auraria Campus also offers some great performances as well at the King Center.

If you are looking for a single family home to rent, stay in the residential areas around Fillmore and a few streets south. If you want an apartment, start at Colorado Boulevard and Interstate 25 and work your way north.

Just because an apartment might be close to a gentleman’s club or bars doesn’t mean you should eliminate it from your choices. While it will be a noisier place overall, this section of town is relatively safe and parking is not as difficult in some areas north of Belcaro (into Auraria and downtown). However, still be aware that security is an issue everywhere nowdays, and be conscious of it.

Belcaro contains the usual collection of King Soopers and Safeway stores along Colorado Boulevard, and there are three Whole Foods stores within a short drive in Glendale, Washington Park, and Cherry Creek.

There are also numerous banks in the area, due to the number of businesses located in the Cherry Creek and east Belcaro areas. They are all easily accessible due to the good parking in east Belcaro and Glendale.

In addition to the usual pharmacies in grocery stores, there are also Walgreen’s and Rite Aid stores locally. Belcaro is also home to a few independent pharmacies as well, such as Clearspring on South University, Pencol Compounding Pharmacy (specializing in veterinary presc/riptions as well as homeopathic medicine).

A nice addition to the high number of day spas in the area is the proximity of high quality gyms. There is Powerhouse Gym and Focus Gyms on Alameda and Bally Total Fitness on Colorado Boulevard, and close to three gymnastics training centers as well.

Belcaro residents are in the Denver Public School district. Diploma graduation rate of the DPS is close to 40%, not a good recommendation for the district. Although DPS is making plans and efforts to improve the system, families with children may want to consider other options. Exception are the Denver School of the Arts (grades 6 through 12), an audition-based specialty performing arts magnet school, and the Denver School of Science and Technology.

Area private and parochial schools are plentiful, with St. Mary’s High School just down University Boulevard south of DU and Kent Denver Country Day School on Belleview Avenue. Although these schools are south of Belcaro, most students and parents consider them worth the drive.

One of the gems of the private schools near Belcaro is the University of Denver High School. Graland School on Birch Street is also highly sought after, as is the Logan School for Creative Learning.  

Safety

Although one should always be careful—criminals often travel to places besides the inner city—Belcaro is considered safe and secure overall. Apartments that have secured entry are a plus, but must depend on residents’ willingness to disallow entry to people who do not live there but “look like they need to get in.”

The areas along South Colorado and Alameda Avenue are a little less secure, but again it is not the inner city. Women who like to walk after dark are advised to have company, but not necessarily posse-style. If you use parking lots during shopping, make sure you lock your car and keep track of your keys as you would anywhere else.