These are Denver's best neighborhoods for getting around without a car

DENVER – The car is king in the Denver area, but as traffic gets worse, you might be thinking about ditching your car and finding other ways to get around.

RTD has been working on expanding its light rail system in recent years, making it easier to commute without a car if you live in the suburbs, but centrally-located neighborhoods continue to be the best options if you plan to walk or bike everywhere.

To compile our list of the best car-free neighborhoods, we used data from Walk Score, which rates areas on a scale of 1 to 100 for three different values: Walk Score, Transit Score and Bike Score.

Denver as a whole has a Walk Score of 60, a Transit Score of 47 and a Bike Score of 71, making cycling the overall best way to get around if you don’t have a car.

That being said, there are plenty of areas that are easily walkable and transit is a great option in many neighborhoods, as well.

Here are some of the best neighborhoods to live in if you’re car-less:

Best for walkers

Capitol Hill

Walk Score: 92
Transit Score: 65
Bike Score: 90

One of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods, Capitol Hill is also one of the easiest for getting around without a car. It’s close to downtown, the South Broadway area and East Colfax, making it possible to accomplish most errands on foot.

Best for transit

Downtown

Walk Score: 89
Transit Score: 83
Bike Score: 93

This is one is pretty obvious. Living downtown, you’re right in the center of it all. Union Station, the region’s transportation hub, is just a stone’s throw away, making it easy to hop on a train or bus and get wherever you need to go.

Best for cyclists

City Park West

Walk Score: 73
Transit Score: 55
Bike Score: 97

City Park West has a combination of factors that make it great for cyclists: It’s flat, there are decent bike lanes, you can hop on a Denver B-cycle and quickly get downtown, to City Park or East Colfax.

Other contenders

Cherry Creek

Walk Score: 86
Transit Score: 49
Bike Score: 77

With the Cherry Creek Shopping Center nearby, tons of restaurants and shopping are within walking distance if you live in the Cherry Creek neighborhood. It’s also great for cyclists, with the Cherry Creek trail running through the area.

Speer

Walk Score: 85
Transit Score: 55
Bike Score: 92

Similar to Cherry Creek, Speer is a great neighborhood for cyclists due to the nearby Cherry Creek Trail. It’s also highly walkable due to its vicinity to the South Broadway area.

Baker

Walk Score: 84
Transit Score: 60
Bike Score: 88

Sandwiched between I-25 and South Broadway, the Baker neighborhood is another great option for pedestrians and cyclists alike. Several bus lines also run through the area, making it a decent choice if you rely on public transit as well.

Five Points

Walk Score: 82
Transit Score: 70
Bike Score: 94

Just north of downtown, Five Points is a great choice for anyone who doesn’t have a car. It’s close to everything, including Union Station, Coors Field and everything downtown Denver has to offer.

To see how other neighborhoods and Denver metro cities compare, head over to walkscore.com.

Redfin also has a list of walkable neighborhoods in Denver here.