Sunnyside
The Highlands' quieter northern neighbor, with bungalows, a new rail station and a growing 44th Avenue.
Pricing trends
Sunnyside prices below the Highlands and roughly alongside Berkeley, with the blocks near 38th Avenue and the new duplexes at the top. It is often where buyers priced out of West Highland find a comparable bungalow.
| Denver, August 2026 | Median price | Homes sold | Days on market | Active listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Family | $635,000−5.6% vs August 2025 | 483 | 38average days | 1,874 |
| Townhome / condo | $360,000−10.0% vs August 2025 | 213 | 65average days | 2,002 |
Citywide figures for Denver. Source: Local Market Update, August 2026, REcolorado data compiled by the Colorado Association of REALTORS®. Neighborhood-level figures vary; ask me for comparables on any specific home. See all area tables.
About Sunnyside
Sunnyside is the grid of bungalow blocks north of the Highlands, between Federal Boulevard and the rail yards. For decades it was a working neighborhood with few restaurants; the opening of the 41st and Fox commuter rail station and the growth of the Highlands pushed renovation and new construction north, and 44th Avenue now has its own small dining and coffee strip. It remains calmer and a little more affordable than the Highlands.
Location
Sunnyside runs from Federal Boulevard east to Inca Street and the railroad, and from 38th Avenue north to Interstate 70, with the Highlands to the south, Berkeley to the west and Globeville across the tracks. The 41st and Fox station on the G and B lines reaches Union Station in a few minutes.
History and background
Where it sits. Sunnyside is in northwest Denver, west of Interstate 25, between Interstate 70 on the north and 38th Avenue on the south. Federal Boulevard marks its west side, and the Union Pacific rail lines its east side.
Sunnyside sits on high bluffs that William Larimer claimed in 1858, so it is one of Denver's original neighborhoods. The Planning Commission eventually chose the name Sunnyside for the whole area. Irish families arrived in the 1860's and 1870's to work at the rail yards and smelters.
From about 1880 to 1895, many Italians from southern Italy settled here, building small brick cottages and growing vegetables. Later, Hispanic families gradually became the majority as sugar beet companies recruited workers from Mexico and the Southwest.
Smedley school opened in 1902, and the Queen of Heaven Orphanage, designed by Mother Cabrini, ran from 1905 to 1967. Sunnyside United Neighbors formed in 1989 to carry out the neighborhood plan.
Why people like it. People like Sunnyside for its views of Denver, the Federal Boulevard restaurants and shops, and its close access to downtown and the interstates.
Fun fact. Denver was once nicknamed the Queen City of the Plains for its role as the agricultural hub of the High Plains and the Front Range foothills, and Sunnyside's vegetable gardens and sugar beet workers were part of that story.
Sources and caveats for this history
Housing and architecture
The streets are mostly 1900s to 1930s brick bungalows and cottages with a mix of 1940s and 1950s ranches, on 25- to 50-foot lots with alleys. New duplexes, townhomes and occasional scrape-and-rebuild homes have appeared on many blocks since 2012, and the 41st and Fox station area is zoned for larger buildings. Buyers can still find original homes that have never been renovated.
Parks and recreation
Chaffee Park and Ciancio Park serve the neighborhood, with Berkeley Lake and Rocky Mountain Lake a short ride west and Highland Park south. The Platte River Trail is reachable through Globeville, and Sunnyside is close enough to ride downtown.
Dining, shopping and daily life
West 44th Avenue carries restaurants, a bakery, coffee and a brewery, and 38th Avenue adds more along the Highlands edge. Tennyson Street and Highland Square are each about a mile away, and the Safeway on 38th and the King Soopers on Speer cover groceries.
Nearby
Other nearby communities
Northwest Denver Highlands LoHi's restaurants and skyline views, West Highland's bungalows, and the bluff above the river. 
Northwest Denver Berkeley and Tennyson Street Two lakes, a main street of shops and restaurants, and bungalows that families grow into. 
Northwest Denver Regis and Chaffee Park Mid-century ranches and bungalows around Regis University, the most attainable corner of northwest Denver. 
Northwest Denver Jefferson Park A small hilltop neighborhood of new townhomes and old cottages with the stadium and the skyline below. 
Northwest Denver Sloan's Lake and Villa Park Denver's second-largest park, the W Line to downtown, and the city's most active new-construction corridor. 
Northwest Denver West Colfax Sloan's Lake's southern neighbor, remade by the W Line and the St. Anthony hospital redevelopment. Let’s talk about Sunnyside
Tell me what you are looking for in Sunnyside
Share your timing and what matters most, and I will come back with homes, comparables and an honest read on the market.
Geoffry Kaatz
Real Estate Consultant and Licensed Realtor
303-517-9671
geoffry.kaatz@compass.com
200 Columbine St, Suite 500
Denver, CO 80206