New working-class Denver homeowners end up with longer commutes
Parallel-parked cars in City Park West. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
“In hot job markets, the supply of affordable homes close to work is so limited that FHA homebuyers chase affordability into neighborhoods that are far from their jobs,” Redfin said in a recent blog post.
That’s notable because Federal Housing Authority loans are frequently working-class first-time homebuyers, the agency says. And those borrowers might be saddled with something like a life-shortening commute.
Let’s test how true that is in Denver.
Here’s where FHA borrowers bought homes in 2015, according to Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data.
And here’s what the average commute time was in each of those census tracts, according to the 2010-2015 American Community Survey five-year estimates.
In several pockets of the city — west Denver and Green Valley Ranch, it’s easy to see that this holds true.
But a citywide level, it’s not an exact match — FHA borrowers were only moderately more likely to buy a home in an area where most people have a longer commute.
Denver City Council will vote Monday on delaying sidewalk fee collection for six months
Voters approved the sidewalk fee in November 2022.
Denver sweater weather watch: It’s gonna get windy before cooler temps roll in for the week
Strong winds are expected Monday afternoon.
One night at historic El Chapultepec, Denver’s once bustling but now shuttered jazz club
The show was meant to call attention to the cultural touchpoints that the city will lose if it doesn't prioritize the preservation of arts, culture and nightlife.
An Asian community center in Aurora was vandalized. In less than a week, the community tripled its repairs fundraising campaign goal
Happy Living’s GoFundMe campaign raised over $10,000 within a week.
Denver officials just closed an East Colfax motel that had been a chaotic home to people without one
The Regis Motel’s owner hoped to turn it into a shelter before its license was suspended over drugs, prostitution, theft and a homicide.
Things to do in Denver this weekend, Sept. 29-Oct.1
The Lumberjack Festival, Suave Fest, the far East Center's Mid-Autumn Festival and much, much more!
See the future of Denargo Market, a 17-acre development bringing thousands of new residents near downtown Denver
The first phase of the project just off Brighton Boulevard will include four acres of open space.
Live jazz returns to the old Chapultepec venue Friday night. Organizers say the special performance is about more than just the music
“How far down the line do we have to get before we realize that one of the very things that is sustaining us is also disappearing?”
A new mural representing the Asian diaspora’s reach in the West will be unveiled at the Auraria Campus this weekend
The mural, sponsored by Colorado Asian Pacific United, seeks to continue publicizing Denver’s rich but often forgotten Asian history.
Finding a restroom or water fountain isn’t easy in Denver — especially if you don’t have a home. A new report shows how the unhoused get by
Seeing feces on the streets? There's a reason for that: It's hard to get to a toilet.
Denver’s considering reallocating nearly $15 million toward mayor’s goal of housing 1,000 people
City Council will vote on the proposals pulling from COVID and American Rescue Plan funds in the coming weeks.
Denverites will soon be able to fly directly to Monterrey, Mexico
Viva Aerobus is the latest airline to add operations at Denver International Airport.
Spike in eviction assistance calls leaves housing nonprofit Brothers Redevelopment ‘floored’
The nonprofit's hotline has seen an almost 60% spike in calls regarding rental and eviction prevention assistance, especially in Barnum, Westwood and Villa Park.
RTD’s A Line will still be called the ‘A Line’ because no one wanted to pay to rename it
A 2022 review valued the naming rights of the train to DIA at $1 million per year.
Four painters will battle it out at the Black Love Mural Festival at RiNo’s Art Park this Saturday
The event, born after the 2020 murder of George Floyd, will highlight Black women artists.
We’re telling scary stories in October. You should join us (if you dare)
Denverite presents "Denverfright: Tales of the Strange and Unusual" on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the Bug Theatre.
Man charged in August shooting at Logan Street homeless encampment that was later swept by city
The shooting served as a justification for the sweep, though one witness interviewed by police said they'd never seen the alleged shooter.
At Denver’s sanctioned campsites, a model similar to Mike Johnston’s micro communities, roughly half of residents return to homelessness
Officials say their burgeoning "micro-community" program will strengthen the services needed for success.
Anna Sie remembered as trailblazing philanthropist across the state
“My mom’s story was a love story between an immigrant from Italy and an immigrant from China."
Denver pedestrians give a collective shrug to CDOT’s ‘neon navigators’ safety campaign
CDOT this week recognized dangerous intersections in the Denver metro, including 14th Avenue and Federal Boulevard.