Englewood

Is Englewood the right fit for you?

When you're thinking Englewood, think urban grit meets neighborhood charm. Head south out of Denver on Broadway and you run right through the heart of Englewood, with South Broadway turning into its downtown. You've got '40s bungalows next to mid-century apartments next to brand-new builds, some of them finished yesterday.

Before anything else, we need to settle which Englewood you mean, because this is a common source of confusion in the south metro. The City of Englewood is a home-rule city incorporated in 1903, about 6.6 square miles, with about 33,700 people at the 2020 census and about 35,000 (2024 Census estimate). The U.S. Postal Service, however, hands out "Englewood" mailing addresses to parts of Sheridan, Greenwood Village, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village and unincorporated Arapahoe and Douglas counties. That includes much of the Denver Tech Center and the office parks along I-25, several miles east of the actual city. The city says it plainly: addresses in ZIP codes 80111 and 80112 are not within its limits. Different schools, different police, different taxes, different water bill.

The real Englewood is one of Denver's original suburbs. Gold was found on Little Dry Creek in 1858, Thomas Skerritt homesteaded here in 1860 and plowed the first road south from Denver, which became Broadway, and the town called Orchard Place incorporated as Englewood in 1903. In the 1920s residents narrowly voted to stay independent of Denver.

It suits people who want to be right in the thick of things. It suits people less well if they need a quiet, uniform neighborhood, or are counting on a particular school district without checking the address.

Why people choose Englewood

• Location. You can get into Denver in 5 to 10 minutes, you have quick access to the mountains through 285, and the Tech Center is about 15 minutes away, traffic permitting.
• A real downtown strip. South Broadway has restaurants, bars, nightclubs and a small-shop artist scene that has always been part of Englewood's character and has grown over the last several years.
• The medical hub. Swedish Medical Center and Craig Hospital are the city's two largest employers (city's 2023 ranking).
• Light rail at CityCenter, with a direct train to Union Station.
• Housing variety, from century-old brick to scrape-and-build new.

What gives people pause

• Inconsistent streetscape. You'll have a cute block, then a sketchy block, then a cute block, rinse and repeat. The closer you get to Denver, the more you see it.
• It's an older suburb. Some of it is older and beat up, some of it is newer, a lot is in between. Expect aging infrastructure, narrow alleys, ancient sewer lines and limited parking.
• Tight yards, and property tax bills that can feel big for what you actually get in land.
• Crime stats edge higher than the suburbs farther south. Do your own due diligence.
• The mailing-address trap, which cuts both ways: people buy "Englewood" expecting the city and get Centennial, or avoid Englewood for reasons that belong to a different town.

Where is Englewood, and how do you get around?

Englewood sits directly south of Denver, with Sheridan to the west, Littleton to the south and Cherry Hills Village to the east. Hampden Avenue (US 285) and Broadway divide the central city into quadrants. Santa Fe Drive (US 85), the South Platte River and the light rail line run along the west side.

• Into Denver: Broadway runs straight north. Taking 285 west to Santa Fe Drive gets you downtown faster than Broadway alone. Rush hour adds time either way.
• Into the Tech Center: Hampden (285) east to I-25.
• Light rail: As of fall 2026, RTD's C Line runs from Littleton-Mineral through Englewood to Union Station. Englewood station sits in CityCenter with about 910 park-and-ride spaces. Oxford·City of Sheridan station sits on the Englewood–Sheridan line on the west edge. The D Line was suspended in June 2026, and RTD plans to discontinue it once downtown rail reconstruction finishes in 2027. Check the current schedule.
• The airport: Far. The C Line to Union Station and the A Line, or I-25 north to I-70 or E-470 by car.
• The mountains: A south-metro advantage. 285 leaves Englewood and runs straight into the Rockies; you don't have to be on the west side of I-25 to get there quickly.

What are Englewood's neighborhoods like?

In 2022 the city adopted an official map of 40 named neighborhoods, drawn from old subdivision names and present-day landmarks; its interactive map will tell you which one an address is in. The areas buyers ask about most:

Downtown and Old Englewood

The northwest quadrant around South Broadway and Hampden is the oldest part of the city, with housing going back to the 1910s. This is where the bars, restaurants and the Gothic Theatre are. The city's South Broadway Revitalization ("Englewood South") covers Broadway from Hampden south to Belleview. Narrow lots, alleys, detached garages, and a mix of restored originals, rentals and new infill.

CityCenter

The former Cinderella City mall site along Hampden, rebuilt starting in 2000 as Colorado's first transit-oriented development: the Civic Center (city hall and library) in the one surviving mall building, the light rail station, apartments and retail. A redevelopment is underway. Concepts with housing, local retail, a hotel and more park space went out for public comment in August 2026. As of the city's September 2026 update, no master plan had been chosen; one is expected late in 2026, with first-phase design in early 2027. Don't buy on a rendering.

The Medical District

The northeast quadrant is dominated by Swedish Medical Center, Craig Hospital and the medical offices along Old Hampden. Convenient if you work at the hospitals; busier than the residential grid elsewhere.

Arapahoe Acres

A small mid-century district on the north side, bounded by Bates, Dartmouth, Marion and Franklin: homes built from 1949 to 1957, mostly designed by developer Edward Hawkins, with International Style houses by Eugene Sternberg. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Cherrelyn

A hilltop south of Hampden, once a separate community reached by the Cherrelyn horsecar: from the 1890s until about 1910 a horse pulled the car uphill, then rode it back down by gravity. The restored car now stands at the Civic Center. The name lives on in the neighborhood and in Cherrelyn Elementary.

Belleview Park and the southwest

The southwest quadrant has the city's newer housing alongside most of its industrial and production businesses. Belleview Park, one of the city's most popular, is here, with the Big Dry Creek Trail running through it, along with Pirates Cove on Belleview. A good corner of Englewood to look at for families.

The east edge and Cherry Hills Village

Cherry Hills Village is its own home-rule city of about 6,400 people (2020 census), mostly in Cherry Creek Schools. Englewood Schools reaches into part of it, and a slice of Englewood is in Cherry Creek Schools. Verify the address.

What does it cost to own a home in Englewood?

Same rule as everywhere: know the whole monthly payment, not just the price. Englewood-specific points:

• Property tax — The whole city is in Arapahoe County. Look up any address with the Arapahoe County Assessor, on Prince Street in Littleton, for the exact mill levy. Voters approved a $41.5 million parks and recreation bond in November 2024; its levy shows up on the tax bill.
• HOA and metro districts — Mostly none in the older single-family neighborhoods. Newer townhome and condo projects carry associations; ask for dues and reserves.
• Water and sewer — Englewood runs its own water utility, with wastewater going to the regional South Platte Renew plant. You'll get a city utility bill. Trash is not a city service; you hire a licensed hauler.
• Insurance — Hail, as everywhere on the Front Range. Check the flood zone on anything near the South Platte, Little Dry Creek or Big Dry Creek.
• Sales tax — Englewood is a home-rule city and sets and collects its own sales and use tax. Check the city's sales and use tax page for current rates. Addresses in 80110 and 80113 that are actually in Sheridan or Cherry Hills Village pay those cities' rates.
• Older-home costs — Much of the housing is decades old, some a century. Budget for sewer lines, electrical, roofs and plumbing.

What kinds of homes are in Englewood?

Detached homes ranging in age not just decades but over a century, a lot of them brick, many on narrow, long lots: the front yard has decent size, the backyard is narrow but long. A lot of homes have no driveway. There's an alley behind, and you pull through the alley into a detached garage and walk through the backyard into the house. It reminds me of neighborhoods from my childhood.

Then there's everything that has happened to those houses since: some gutted and completely restored, some scraped and replaced with new builds. Add mid-century apartments, newer apartments at CityCenter, townhomes and condos. Englewood allows detached accessory dwelling units, including above garages since 2019, and updated its ADU rules in May 2026. Rules vary by zone, so check the specific lot.

How do schools work in Englewood?

I've had folks ask whether Englewood is part of the Cherry Creek School District. It is not. Englewood Schools (Englewood School District No. 1) serves most of the city plus small pieces of Cherry Hills Village and Littleton. It is small, about 2,400 students in eight schools (district figure, 2026): an early childhood center at Maddox, four elementaries (Bishop, Charles Hay World School, Cherrelyn and Clayton), Englewood Middle School, Englewood High School and Colorado's Finest High School of Choice, an alternative high school. The Englewood Leadership Academy, a middle school of choice, is listed by the state as closed for 2025-26.

The boundary problem runs both ways. A small slice is in Cherry Creek Schools. And "Englewood" mailing addresses outside the city can be in Cherry Creek, Littleton or Sheridan schools, which is why people assume Englewood is a Cherry Creek town. Colorado has open enrollment and Englewood Schools takes choice applications, but seats in neighboring districts are not guaranteed. Do your due diligence: confirm the district and the specific school for the exact address before you write an offer.

What is there to do in Englewood?

Parks, trails and open space

The city maintains more than 244 acres of developed park land. Belleview Park is home to the Englewood Farm & Train, a petting farm and miniature train; it's one of the most popular parks, especially for kids. Pirates Cove, the city water park built in 2004, has a lazy river and a 35-foot slide tower the city calls the tallest point in Englewood; the city's page still showed it closed (2025 notice) as of October 2026, and it is slated for bond-funded renovation, so check before you plan a summer around it. The Mary Carter Greenway runs eight paved miles from Dartmouth Avenue to Chatfield State Park, meeting the Platte River Trail into Denver; the Big Dry Creek Trail heads east through Belleview Park to the High Line Canal. Broken Tee is the city's golf course.

The 2024 bond is rebuilding a lot of this. As of May 2026, Cushing Park is done, with a new playground and two dog parks; Belleview Park, Pirates Cove, Miller Field and several neighborhood parks are on the list. The Englewood Recreation Center's pool and locker rooms are closed for renovation from September 2026 to summer 2027. The Malley Recreation Center serves ages 55 and better.

Events and culture

The Gothic Theatre on South Broadway opened in the 1920s as a movie house, was restored in 1998 and is now a concert venue holding about a thousand people; Nirvana played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" there in 1991 before the song was released. The South Broadway Revitalization project picked "Englewood South" as the corridor's name and held its first "Art in All Its Forms" event on October 10, 2026. The Museum of Outdoor Arts, which had its home in Englewood, moved to Greenwood Village in 2022.

Food and nightlife

If you want nightlife into the evening in most suburbs, you have to drive up toward Denver. Not in Englewood. South Broadway has restaurants, bars and nightclubs that not a lot of suburbs have. Business owners on the corridor, including Western Sky Bar & Taproom, have called for safer crossings and a more walkable street, which is what the revitalization work is aimed at.

Three places to start

• South Broadway — Downtown Englewood's main strip, and the nightlife most suburbs make you drive to Denver for.
• Belleview Park — The farm, the train and the Big Dry Creek Trail in one stop.
• CityCenter and the Englewood station — Where Cinderella City used to be, now the civic center, the train and the site of the next redevelopment.

Who are the big employers in and near Englewood?

Medicine anchors the local economy. Swedish Medical Center, founded in 1905 as a tuberculosis sanatorium and now a 504-bed HCA HealthONE hospital with a Level I trauma and burn center and more than 2,000 employees, is the largest employer (city's 2023 ranking). Craig Hospital next door, a private nonprofit that moved here in 1970 to share services with Swedish, is a rehabilitation hospital for spinal cord and traumatic brain injury and the second-largest employer. Groove Toyota and Metro Community Provider Network follow. Many big companies listed as "Englewood" are actually in the Tech Center, which has about 35,000 workers (2023).

How does Englewood compare with nearby areas?

• Englewood vs. Littleton — Next door to the south on the same rail line. Littleton is larger, with a historic downtown, the county seat and Littleton Public Schools. Englewood is closer to Denver, grittier, with a busier nightlife strip.
• Englewood vs. Sheridan — The small city on Englewood's west side, about 6,100 people (2020 census), with its own school district. Same 80110 ZIP code, different city.
• Englewood vs. Greenwood Village — Many "Englewood" addresses are really here: the Tech Center, Cherry Creek Schools, large lots, strict HOAs and a town that goes quiet around 9 p.m. Englewood is the older, denser, livelier version.
• Englewood vs. Centennial — Centennial is family-centered, with lots of parks and rec centers, but no downtown and quiet by 9 or 10 at night. Englewood trades some of that polish for South Broadway and a shorter trip into Denver.

A lender's take on Englewood

Englewood has had an up-and-down history, no doubt. My brother-in-law, who is only a few years older than me, grew up here and went to Englewood High School, and back then he always talked about how Englewood didn't have the best reputation. Growing up in Lakewood, I knew the same about certain neighborhoods there. But Englewood, in my humble opinion, has been on the rise. It's become more and more popular, and one of the biggest factors is its location: it borders Denver itself.

The honest trade is the streetscape and the age: hit-or-miss blocks, aging infrastructure, tight yards. What you get for it is the quintessential suburb of Denver, with just about any type of home, a nightlife strip on South Broadway and an epicenter for medical jobs. It's one of the more popular suburbs because of the housing opportunities and that location. It is tough to beat.

There's really only one way to know if Englewood is for you, and that's to go explore it.

Buying in Englewood: what to do first

1. Confirm the address is actually in the City of Englewood. Use the city's street guide or the Colorado sales tax address lookup. 80111 and 80112 are never in the city; 80110 and 80113 usually are, but parts are Sheridan or Cherry Hills Village.
2. Get pre-approved before you tour, so you can move when the right block comes up.
3. Price the whole payment with Arapahoe County property tax, the city utility bill and any HOA on a townhome or condo.
4. Get a sewer scope and a full inspection on any older home. Budget for what they find.
5. Confirm the school district and the specific school for the exact address, and check the current RTD schedule if the train is part of your plan.
6. Veterans: a VA loan works on an older brick bungalow, a new infill build or a condo near the station. If the property has an ADU or is a recent scrape-and-rebuild, ask early so the appraisal is set up correctly.