Home buyers rank proximity to daily conveniences as one of the most important factors in selecting a neighborhood, more important than schools and property taxes.  I think the spike in gas prices in 2008 also made many people pause and think about how much and how far they were driving.

I just learned of a new website, WalkScore.com, which rates the Walk Score of addresses based upon the proximity of services, parks and schools.  You can search an address and get a score.  The lower the score (on a scale of 0 to 100), the more car-dependent, the higher, the greater the walkability factor.  The most walkable neighborhoods in metropolitan Denver were determined to be: (1) LoDo, (2) Capital Hill, (3) the Golden Triangle and (4) Cherry Creek. The website also will list and map businesses and amenities and indicate their distance from the selected address. Check it out!