Sunnyside: an old Denver neighborhood with a lot of life in it

I have lived in Sunnyside for 12 years and in Denver for nearly 40, so I am starting this series with the neighborhood I know best.

Sunnyside runs from 38th Avenue north to I-70, and from Federal Boulevard east to the Union Pacific rail lines. LoHi sits just to the south, and Chaffee Park just to the north. The neighborhood goes back to 1858, which makes it one of Denver's original settlements, and you can still see that when you walk it. Turn-of-the-century single-family homes line blocks shaded by mature trees, and small original houses from the old village of Argo, incorporated in 1879, are still standing.

Getting around was a priority from the start. Horse-drawn streetcars arrived in 1871 and cable cars in 1888, and by 1905 no point in the neighborhood was more than three blocks from a trolley route. Streetcar service ended in 1950, and the compact blocks are still here.

Community life centers on Chaffee Park, at 44th and Tejon. The Sunnyside Music Festival started in 2000 as a backyard bluegrass gathering and moved to the park in 2007. In 2009, about 200 volunteers built the playground there in a single day with KaBOOM!. That tells you a good deal about how neighbors here show up for one another.

Everyday life centers on our little retail stretch on 44th Avenue. Sunny's is a breakfast and brunch spot where everything is made from scratch, and on the same stretch you will find Bacon Social House, El Jefe, and So Damn Gouda. The food history runs deep here too. The original Ernie's Pizza Bar opened in 1943 at 44th and Elliot, and the Federal Theatre was built on Federal Boulevard in the 1920s. There is also a little retail stretch along Tejon and 42nd. Enjoy Nozomi, for some of the freshest sushi in town, Cherry Bean Coffee and the award winning Wolf's Tailor.

If you are thinking about a home in Sunnyside, my advice is to walk the neighborhood twice, once on a weekday evening and once on a Saturday morning. Notice the trees, the porches, and how close the park is. Older homes are a joy, and in my experience they reward a thorough inspection, so we build that into the plan from the start.

I believe a home is a sanctuary, the place where life and the people you love come together. Sunnyside has been that for families for well over a century. If you would like to talk about buying, selling, or simply what it is like to live here, call or reply, and I will gladly walk the blocks with you.