When people think about moving to the Denver area, the first places that usually come to mind are Denver itself or larger suburbs like Lakewood, Arvada, Littleton, Aurora and Westminster.

But tucked between those larger cities are some surprisingly small municipalities that many people drive through without even realizing they’ve crossed into another town.

Mountain View, Bow Mar, Edgewater, Glendale, Morrison, Sheridan and Columbine Valley are all distinctly different, but they share something important: they offer their own identity and community while keeping residents closely connected to everything the larger Denver metro has to offer.

Some are only a handful of blocks. Others are centered around a lake or golf course. One sits at the mouth of a canyon with Red Rocks for a neighbor. One is completely surrounded by Denver. And another feels much more like an established residential neighborhood than an independent city.

I’ll admit some personal bias here: my husband Jason and I live in one of these seven towns. After years of showing homes across the metro, we chose Edgewater on purpose, and the reasons we did are more or less the reasons this whole list exists.

For buyers who like the idea of a smaller community without giving up restaurants, entertainment, employment centers, trails and parks, these are seven places worth knowing. And then there’s Lakeside, perhaps Denver’s strangest little municipality of all.

The seven at a glance

Town	Character	Housing	Best for
Mountain View	About 12 square blocks, home-rule town	Modest single-family; very few listings at a time	A quiet pocket minutes from northwest Denver
Edgewater	Roughly one square mile, walkable Main Street	Cottages, renovations, infill and townhomes	Walkability, Sloan’s Lake, community events
Bow Mar	A few hundred homes around a lake	Large lots, higher end of the market	Space, privacy and lake recreation
Columbine Valley	Residential town built around a country club	Spacious homes, mature landscaping	Golf-course living near Littleton
Sheridan	Compact, varied urban-suburban city	Older single-family, apartments, redevelopment	Close-in south metro at a wider range of prices
Glendale	Tiny city completely surrounded by Denver	Heavy concentration of condos and apartments	Cherry Creek convenience, low-maintenance living
Morrison	Fewer than 500 residents at the mouth of Bear Creek Canyon	Stone cottages, hillside ranches and custom homes on irregular lots	Foothills access without a mountain commute

Mountain View: a 12-block town hiding in plain sight

Drive along 44th Avenue just west of Denver and you could easily pass through Mountain View without realizing you’ve entered another town.

That’s because Mountain View covers only about 12 square blocks, tucked between Denver, Wheat Ridge and Lakewood near Sheridan Boulevard. Despite its tiny footprint, it’s its own home-rule municipality with its own local government and an identity dating back more than a century.

Why live in Mountain View?

Location is a big part of the appeal. Mountain View sits just west of some of northwest Denver’s most popular neighborhoods, with Berkeley, West Highland, Tennyson Street, Edgewater and Sloan’s Lake all nearby. Downtown Denver is only a few miles away, and getting west toward Golden and the foothills is equally convenient.

Rather than feeling like a distant suburb, Mountain View feels like a small residential pocket woven directly into the urban fabric of Denver’s west side.

And because the entire town is just a few blocks, there simply aren’t very many homes available at any given time.

Best for: Buyers who want a quiet residential setting and an unusual small-town identity while remaining extremely close to northwest Denver.

Edgewater: small-town Main Street meets Sloan’s Lake

Edgewater may be one of the best examples in the metro of small-town personality paired with a genuinely urban lifestyle.

Covering roughly one square mile, Edgewater sits immediately west of Denver, directly across Sheridan Boulevard from Sloan’s Lake. Its name comes quite literally from its location along the water’s edge.

Today it combines compact residential streets with an increasingly lively collection of locally owned restaurants, breweries, coffee shops and neighborhood businesses.

Why live in Edgewater?

Walkability and community are a big part of the appeal. 25th Avenue serves as Edgewater’s version of a small-town Main Street, while Sloan’s Lake is just across Sheridan. Depending on where you live, grabbing coffee, meeting friends for dinner, visiting the Edgewater Public Market or walking the lake loop can all become part of everyday life.

At the same time, downtown Denver is only a few miles away, and access west toward Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Golden and the mountains makes the location particularly convenient for people whose lives pull them in both directions.

Because Edgewater is its own city rather than simply another Denver neighborhood, there’s a strong local identity here: community events, city government and longtime neighborhood traditions. Having lived here for years, I’d say that’s the part buyers consistently underestimate until they’ve spent a weekend in town.

The housing stock is equally eclectic. You’ll find modest early- and mid-century cottages next to renovated homes, contemporary infill and townhomes, sometimes all on the same street.

Best for: Buyers who prioritize walkability, Sloan’s Lake, neighborhood restaurants, community events and easy access to both Denver and the western suburbs.

Bow Mar: lake life without leaving the metro

Head southwest and you’ll find an entirely different version of small-town living.

Bow Mar is a tiny residential town situated between Denver and Littleton, with only a few hundred homes and a community built around Bow Mar Lake. Large lots, mature landscaping and quiet streets give it an atmosphere that can feel surprisingly removed from the city around it.

Why live in Bow Mar?

For buyers looking for space and privacy without moving far out into the suburbs, Bow Mar occupies an unusual niche. Many homes sit on substantially larger lots than you’ll typically find in central Denver, and the lake has long been at the center of community recreation and social life.

That combination creates something increasingly difficult to find close to a major city: room to spread out, community traditions and outdoor recreation, all while remaining relatively close to downtown Denver.

The tradeoff is availability. With only a few hundred homes in the entire town, Bow Mar isn’t a place where buyers can expect dozens of options at once, and homes here tend to occupy the higher end of the Denver-area market.

Best for: Buyers prioritizing larger lots, privacy, community traditions and lake recreation without moving far from Denver.

Columbine Valley: a small golf-course town near Littleton

Just south of Bow Mar is another community many Denver residents have heard of but may not realize is actually its own incorporated town.

Columbine Valley is a small residential municipality surrounded by the larger Littleton area. Unlike Edgewater’s walkable commercial district or Glendale’s urban character, it’s predominantly residential, with its identity closely tied to established neighborhoods, spacious homes and Columbine Country Club.

Why live in Columbine Valley?

The attraction is largely about the residential environment: quiet streets, larger homes and lots, mature landscaping and a country-club-centered atmosphere, all without moving to the far reaches of the metro.

Downtown Littleton, South Platte River trails, shopping and other south-metro amenities are nearby, while central Denver remains accessible. It’s a good example of how living in a tiny municipality doesn’t necessarily mean living somewhere remote. Here, the smaller-town setting is essentially tucked inside one of Denver’s larger suburban areas.

Home inventory is naturally limited simply because the town itself is small.

Best for: Buyers looking for an established, upscale residential environment, golf-course living and proximity to Littleton while maintaining access to Denver.

Sheridan: a small city most people don’t realize is a city

Sheridan is another Denver-area municipality that’s surprisingly easy to overlook. Located southwest of Denver near Englewood and Littleton, it’s compact enough that many people pass through without realizing they’ve entered an independent city.

Unlike Bow Mar or Columbine Valley, Sheridan isn’t primarily an upscale residential enclave. It’s a more varied community with older single-family neighborhoods, apartments, commercial areas and ongoing redevelopment.

Why live in Sheridan?

Sheridan’s biggest advantage is its close-in south metro location. Residents can easily reach Englewood, Littleton, South Broadway and central Denver, while major roads and light rail make the rest of the metro accessible too.

Shopping and restaurants along the nearby commercial corridors are convenient, and access to the South Platte River trail system adds an outdoor component that’s easy to overlook.

Housing can also offer an alternative for buyers who want to stay relatively close to Denver but find pricing in some nearby neighborhoods increasingly difficult.

Sheridan doesn’t have the polished, resort-like feel of Bow Mar or Columbine Valley, and that’s part of what makes it an interesting addition to this list. It’s a tiny municipality with a much more everyday, urban-suburban personality.

Best for: Buyers looking for a close-in south metro location, easy access to Denver and Littleton, and a wider variety of housing types.

Glendale: a tiny city surrounded by Denver

Glendale might be the most unusual residential city on this list. Although it’s its own municipality in Arapahoe County, Glendale is completely surrounded by Denver. You can literally leave Denver, enter another city for a few blocks, and then find yourself back in Denver again.

Its location near Colorado Boulevard and Cherry Creek puts residents right in the middle of central Denver living, even though technically they aren’t living in Denver at all.

Why live in Glendale?

Convenience. Cherry Creek shopping and restaurants are nearby, while the Cherry Creek Trail runs directly through the area and provides a recreational and bike connection toward downtown Denver and beyond.

Glendale also has an outsized recreational identity for such a tiny city thanks to Infinity Park, which includes rugby facilities, recreation amenities, events and public green space.

Housing here is very different from Bow Mar, Edgewater or Columbine Valley. Glendale has a substantial concentration of condominiums and apartments, making it appealing to people who value a central location and lower-maintenance lifestyle over a traditional single-family home and yard.

Best for: Buyers who want central Denver convenience, proximity to Cherry Creek and the Cherry Creek Trail, and condo or lower-maintenance housing options.

Morrison: a stone Main Street at the mouth of the canyon

Morrison is the westernmost town on this list and the only one where the foothills start at the edge of the neighborhood. Fewer than 500 people live here, in a town a few blocks long, tucked between two hogbacks where Bear Creek comes out of the canyon.

Most Denver residents have been to Morrison without ever thinking of it as a town. It is the address on a Red Rocks ticket, or the place you pass through on the way to Evergreen. Main Street is lined with buildings cut from the local quarries in the late 1800s, and they are still in daily use as restaurants and shops.

Why live in Morrison?

Access to the outdoors is the whole argument. Red Rocks Park sits immediately north of town, Mount Falcon Park and Lair o’ the Bear are minutes away, and Dinosaur Ridge is just east along the hogback. For anyone who has looked at Evergreen or Conifer and balked at the drive, Morrison is about as far west as you can go and still keep a Denver commute reasonable.

The housing does not follow a grid. Lots follow the terrain, so stone cottages from the quarry era, mid-century ranches on the hillsides and newer custom homes built into the canyon walls can all sit within a block of each other. In a town this small, only a handful of homes change hands in a year.

The tradeoff worth naming is show nights. Red Rocks brings traffic through town on concert evenings, and how much that affects daily life depends heavily on which street you are on. Winter driving on the canyon side is the other question worth asking before you write an offer.

Best for: Buyers who want trailheads and foothills character without a mountain commute, and who will trade some square footage for the setting.

Bonus: Lakeside, the tiny town everyone knows for the amusement park

One more municipality deserves a mention, although it isn’t really a residential option.

Most people know Lakeside because of Lakeside Amusement Park, whose brightly lit Ferris wheel and vintage rides have been part of the Denver landscape for generations. It’s still going, too. The park opened for its 118th season in 2026.

What many people don’t realize is that Lakeside isn’t simply the name of the amusement park. It’s actually an incorporated town.

The municipality itself has almost no residential population, so you aren’t likely to be searching for a home there. But geographically and historically, it’s one of the most interesting examples of just how unusual Denver’s municipal boundaries can be. It also sits immediately adjacent to several other communities on this list, including Mountain View, with Berkeley, Wheat Ridge and northwest Denver nearby.

So while Lakeside may not belong on your home search, it certainly belongs on a list of Denver’s tiniest towns.

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Why live in a small municipality inside a big metro?

The interesting thing about these communities is how little they actually have in common aesthetically. Bow Mar and Columbine Valley offer spacious, upscale residential settings. Mountain View consists of only a handful of blocks. Edgewater has a walkable Main Street and Sloan’s Lake next door. Sheridan has a more diverse urban-suburban mix. Glendale is essentially a miniature city embedded inside Denver. Morrison is a stone Main Street at the mouth of a canyon with Red Rocks for a neighbor.

Yet they all demonstrate one of the more interesting things about living in the Denver area: you don’t have to choose between a smaller community and big-city amenities.

A stronger sense of place

Small municipalities often develop identities that feel disproportionately strong compared with their physical size. Local events, city decisions, neighborhood businesses and community traditions feel much more personal when you’re living somewhere with only a few hundred or a few thousand neighbors.

The city is still right there

This isn’t small-town living where you’re an hour from restaurants, entertainment or employment. In many of these communities, downtown Denver, Cherry Creek, Littleton or Sloan’s Lake are only minutes away.

That’s particularly appealing for people relocating from larger cities who want a little more neighborhood character without giving up convenience.

A lifestyle that’s hard to duplicate elsewhere

Perhaps the biggest reason to know these communities is that each offers something fairly specific:

• Want a lake-oriented neighborhood with larger lots? Look at Bow Mar.
• Want a walkable Main Street beside one of Denver’s largest parks? Explore Edgewater.
• Want golf-course living near Littleton? Columbine Valley deserves a look.
• Want to be almost in the middle of Denver without technically living in Denver? Glendale fits the bill.
• Want a tiny residential community on Denver’s west side? Mountain View may surprise you.
• Want a close-in south metro location that flies under buyers’ radar? Sheridan is worth knowing.
• Want trailheads out the front door without a mountain commute? Morrison is the one to see.

That’s why searching for a home based only on the names of Denver’s biggest suburbs can mean missing some genuinely interesting possibilities.

Sometimes the best Denver suburb is the one you’ve never heard of

One of my favorite parts of helping people explore Denver is introducing them to places they probably wouldn’t have discovered from a typical online home search.

Someone moving to Colorado might begin by searching Denver, Lakewood, Littleton or Englewood and never realize that Edgewater, Mountain View, Bow Mar, Columbine Valley, Morrison or Sheridan sits right alongside them. That’s one of the reasons local knowledge matters so much when you’re relocating.

The “best” neighborhood isn’t necessarily the one that appears on every national ranking. It’s the place that fits the way you actually want to live, whether that means walking to restaurants, having a bigger yard, biking to the city, living near a golf course or simply finding a quiet pocket a few miles from downtown.

Sometimes the perfect place is one of the smallest spots on the map.

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Where to start your search

If you’re considering a move to the Denver area and aren’t sure where to begin, here’s what I’d point you to:

• Browse the Denver neighborhood guides: detailed breakdowns of dozens of neighborhoods and surrounding communities, including several on this list.
• Read the Denver Relocation Guide: neighborhoods, costs and insider tips for anyone moving here from out of state.
• Get the free printed neighborhood guide: mailed to you, so you can compare areas side by side before you start touring.

I also offer neighborhood consultations for buyers who want to narrow down the areas that best fit their lifestyle before they start looking at homes. Reach out and let’s talk through it.

Because when you’re searching a metro area this large, knowing about the places between the places everyone already knows can make all the difference.

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Marla Doughty is a Denver-area Realtor with Compass and a longtime Edgewater resident. Questions about a specific community? Reach out directly.