If you get lost, look at the mountains. That’s the mantra when it comes to getting your bearings in Denver. The mountains to the west can orient even the most turned-around traveler, so take advantage of them as you’re navigating the region. The second vital fact about Denver is that its historic core parallels Cherry Creek, while the rest of its streets were laid out in north-south and east-west grids. At times that can make downtown’s diagonal streets feel like a confounding mistake in the midst of otherwise neatly planned neighborhoods.
Cherry Creek cuts through the town from northwest to southeast, and that’s where the city’s founders planted their roots. Later generations corrected the slapdash planning, orienting their streets to match more traditional compass points. It helps to look at a Denver map to understand the lay of the land. In general, from downtown Denver, Aurora is to the east; the Denver Tech Center, Englewood, and Greenwood Village are to the south; Littleton is southwest; Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, and Golden are to the west; Arvada, Broomfield, and Westminster are to the northwest; and Commerce City, Northglenn, and Thornton are to the north.
“Downtown” refers to the area that is roughly bounded by 13th Avenue on the south, Speer Boulevard (which follows Cherry Creek) on the west, the South Platte River on the north, and Grant Street on the southeast. Most downtown streets run one way. Seventeenth Street, where most of the banks and big office buildings are located, is in many ways the heart of downtown. The 16th Street Mall is a popular walking and shopping street.
Somewhere around Market Street, downtown becomes Lower Downtown, or “LoDo” (say “low-dough”). This is roughly the area from Larimer and Market Streets west to Union Station and the Platte River, and from 20th Street to Cherry Creek. Capitol Hill is the name given to the area just east of downtown. LoHi is the district just west of LoDo and the Platte River extending to the area around 32nd Avenue and Tejon Street. Immediately northwest of Denver and next to LoHi, Highland is the neighborhood bordered by W. 38th Avenue to the north, Speer Boulevard and W. 29th Avenue to the south, and Federal Boulevard to the west. Many residents consider LoHi part of Highland. RiNo, or River North, is the area north of downtown bounded by I-70 to the north, I-25 to the west, Park Avenue West to the south, and Lawrence to the east.
Our Area Overview chapter, which talks about the different counties that make up Metro Denver, should help you orient yourself. For descriptions of neighborhoods, see our Relocation chapter.