Welcome to Parker
Parker, located 23 miles southeast of Denver, is renowned as a rural yet elegant community that takes pride in its peaceful residential streets. Parker is known for its distinctive Western-Victorian downtown and community feel, which it has worked hard to maintain despite its expanding prosperity. It has been named Tree City USA for its outstanding city forestry for the past 22 years. It is the second largest town in Douglas County, with 58,512 residents, and is now Colorado's 19th most populous municipality. It has 250 acres of meadows and over 900 acres of green spaces, ensuring a memorable experience for locals and tourists.
Parker was named the No. 12 Best Place to Live by Time Magazine in 2013, praising the town's exceptional performing arts center, local water park, and housing affordability, which is a big incentive for many people to buy a house in Parker. The town is known for its excellent education system and diverse shopping, dining, and leisure opportunities. While it has its share of suburban homes, several equestrian properties are on acreage here too.
What to Love
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Western-Victorian downtown
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Proximity to Denver
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Acres of parks and trails to enjoy
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Many neighborhoods have gorgeous mountain views
Local Lifestyle
Parker is the perfect town for those who like nature and the great outdoors. It offers about 27 miles of well-kept multi-use trails and six miles of equestrian trails popular for horseback riding, jogging, and biking. Cherry Creek Trail runs north and south through Denver and continues from the city center. There is also a beautiful recreation facility and a field house with climbing walls, batting cages, turf fields, swimming pools, and an inline skate rink.
Dining, Entertainment, & Shopping
39 North CO (formerly Wrought' n Apples) is the go-to place to find gifts and holiday décor. This boutique and gift shop is chock full of one-of-a-kind artsy items by local artists. For women's clothing, shoes, and accessories, head to Cinderella Ranch Boutique. The shop is clean, the staff is terrific, and they have a fantastic selection of jewelry, clothes, shoes, and gifts. The Parker Farmers Market is open every Sunday from 8 am to 1 pm. This colorful market is rounded out by four local vegetable growers and three western slope fruit growers, as well as great food selections, stunning plants and flowers, and on-site cooking.
Downtown Parker is brimming with great restaurants that satisfy even the most discriminating palate. Black+Haus Tavern is a great location to hang out with friends and enjoy exciting, fresh, and savory cuisine and drinks made with locally, sustainably, and ethically produced products. If you are craving frozen yogurt, head to Swirls Frozen Yogurt. They have 12 excellent self-serve yogurt varieties to choose from, two of which are always dairy-free. After swirling your preferred flavor (or combinations of flavors), top it with any of their 70+ toppings.
Things to Do
Downtown Parker has a combination of Western businesses and Victorian-style structures. There are boutiques, a confectionery store, eateries (including a farm-to-table restaurant), bars, and cafes, among other things. Wander the streets and take in the small-town atmosphere, then stop for lunch and people-watching.
The Reuter-Hess Reservoir, a vital water supply for Douglas County residents, features several recreational activities, including paddleboarding, special events, photography excursions, National Trails Day guided tours, fishing, an Open Swim race, birdwatching watching, and wildlife viewing.
Discover Park, located near the town library, features activities and concerts throughout the year. It has a performance stage for shows open to the public every summer. Various public artworks installations can also be found across the area.
If you are in the mood for a bike ride or hike, the Sulphur Gulch Trail winds through Parker for four and a half miles. It links to the Cherry Creek Trail, allowing you to extend your trek or bike ride. The PACE Center (Parker Arts, Culture & Event Center) and Vehicle Vault are well worth a visit for their extensive art, culture, and historical collections.
Denver is approximately a 30-minute drive north of Parker, and you can spend a day — or several – exploring the city. The Denver Art Museum, the Denver Zoo, the Denver Botanic Gardens, and numerous other attractions await you in Colorado's largest city.
Schools
Parker falls under the Douglas County School District RE-1. Top schools in this neighborhood include:
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Chaparral High School, Grades 9-12
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Legend High School, Grades 9-12
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Lutheran High School, Grades 9-12
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Colorado Early Colleges Parker, Grades 9-12
