Neighborhoods

Denver has 79 neighborhoods that the city and community groups use for planning and administration. Although the city’s delineation of the neighborhood boundaries is somewhat arbitrary, it corresponds roughly to the definitions used by residents. These “neighborhoods” should not be confused with cities or suburbs, which are seperate entities within the metro area. Denver, like any city, is made up of neighborhoods that are diverse and unique. Although prices vary drastically, the median home value is $291,900. Brief information and histories about some of the neighborhoods are presented here.

Berkeley Park

Located 15 minutes from downtown, Tennyson Street between 38th Avenue and 44th Avenue is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. Neighboring the former home of Elitch Gardens Amusement Park (now located downtown), it was thought that the neighborhood would fade away. Fortunately, with affordable bungalows and Denver Squares, young families moved in and new, eclectic businesses began to pop up. Located in a 10-block area are a dozen art galleries, a couple of bakeries, ten restaurants, a coffee shop and several boutique clothing stores.

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History

Denver’s history as a boom and bust town began with the desire for a simple precious metal: gold. In 1858, a group of prospectors were exploring the Kansas Territory, which then encompassed what is now Colorado, and discovered piles of the almighty metal at the confluence of the Platte River and Cherry Creek. One of the prospectors, William Larimer, established Denver City in an area then populated by the Arapaho tribe, who camped along the banks of Cherry Creek while hunting and gathering. Over the next two years, a new gold fever penetrated the pulse of the eastern states. One-hundred-thousand hopefuls pioneered across the harsh landscape to the territory, seeking instant prosperity. The influx uprooted the Native Americans and forced them to move on, while the settler population soared, causing the federal government to create the Colorado Territory. So began Denver’s first boom, inspiring its mythical image as a Wild West town ruled by material obsession.

In 1859, at the peak of the rush, Denver’s first notable figure strolled into town with a vision well beyond the price of gold. William N. Byers moved to Denver from Ohio, via Omaha, and founded the Rocky Mountain News. Through the newspaper, he tried to calm the hysteria and instability associated with the gold rush, by promoting settlement on the high desert frontier. Byers proceeded to create an illusion of Denver, proclaiming the city to be the “Queen City of the Plains” and the new steamboat capitol of the West, ready for a river full of industry. Unfortunately, the small, shallow Platte River could not live up to Byers’ grand words.

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Fast Facts

Zip Code: 80202 – 80262

County: Denver, Jefferson, Adams

Population: 622,130

Median Age: 35.8

Median Income: $37,633

Unemployment Rate: 5%

Sales Tax: 7.20%

Cost of Living: 120.3%

Home Appreciation: 7.89%

Homes Owned: 47.92%

Home Median Value: $211,163

Where To Stay

A historian once termed Denver the “turnstile city.” Travelers come in, travelers go out. Some come for the skiing, others show up to call the city home. Over the past few years the business crowd has been enticed by the region’s bustling economy, culture and recreational attractions. An addition to the convention center is in the works. New hotels preparing to open, or in the planning stages, will add to the 17,000 rooms already available. Many hotels occupy three prime areas: downtown, the Denver Tech Center (DTC) and the area around Denver International Airport (DIA). Comfortable lodging can easily be found in every nook and cranny of the city. Accommodations range from the glorious to the unassuming as do the prices, but most provide a good night’s sleep at a fair price. If you prefer the provincial charm of a bed-andbreakfast, Denver has some of the best in the western region. Usually located in elegant Victorian mansions, they provide many of the modern conveniences of a hotel with a dash of history.

Downtown/Auraria

The majority of business travelers heading to the city usually wind up staying in one of downtown’s array of notable and contemporary hotels. The convention center is propped in the heart of the district and many of the region’s corporate movers and shakers headquarter in the towers populating the skyline. In other areas, especially on the fringes of the metroplex, one might feel isolated without a vehicle, but downtown offers easy access to shopping, dining and the city’s popular attractions.

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Climate

By Car

Most of Denver has a straightforward street grid oriented to the four cardinal directions. Blocks are usually identified in hundreds from the median streets, identified as “0,” which are Broadway (the west-east median) and Ellsworth Avenue (the north-south median). Colfax Avenue, the major east-west artery through Denver, is 15 blocks (1500) north of the median. Avenues north of Ellsworth are numbered (with the exception of Colfax Avenue and a few others), while avenues south of Ellsworth are named. All roads in the downtown grid system are streets. (16th Street, Stout Street) Roads outside of that system that travel east/west are given the suffix “avenue” and those that head north and south are given the “street” suffix. (Example, Colfax Avenue, Lincoln Street). Boulevards are higher capacity streets and will travel any direction. Smaller roads are sometimes referred to as places, drives or courts. Most streets outside of the area between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard are organized alphabetically from the city’s center. Denver is primarily served by the interstate highways I-25 and I70. The intersection of the two interstates is referred to locally as “the mousetrap.” I-70 runs east-west from Utah to Kansas. I-25 runs north-south from the New Mexico border through Denver to the Wyoming border. I-225 traverses neighboring Aurora and connects with I-25 in the southeastern corner of Denver. Additionally, I-76 begins from I-70 just west of the city in Arvada. It intersects I-25 north of the city and runs northeast to Nebraska where it ends at I-80. U.S. Route 6 connects downtown Denver to the suburb of Golden.

Public Transportation

Mass Transportation

Regional Transportation District (RTD)

www.rtd-denver.com

Mass transportation throughout the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area is managed and coordinated by the Regional Transportation District (RTD). RTD currently operates more than 1,000 buses serving 10,000 bus stops in 38 municipal jurisdictions. Additionally, RTD operates two light rail lines (the C Line and the D Line) with a total of 15.8 miles of track and serving 24 stations. Current RTD local fare is $1.50. FasTracks, an expansion project approved by voters in 2004, will allow light rail to serve cities such as Lakewood, Golden, and Aurora. Commuter rail lines will serve the northern section of the metropolitan area, in addition to Boulder, Longmont, and Denver International Airport.

Air Transportation

Denver International Airport
8500 Peña Boulevard
Denver, Colorado  80249
(303) 342-2000
www.flydenver.com
Capacity, capacity, capacity. Whether it is airfield, passenger or cargo facilities, Denver International Airport has room to grow. Situated on 34,000 acres or 53 square miles, DIA is one of the largest airports in the world.

Ground Transportation Information
A variety of transportation services to and from Denver International Airport are available for all of your traveling needs. Options include public transit, scheduled door-to-door shuttle van service, charter buses, limousines, rental cars, taxicabs, and wheelchair services.  Contact the Ground Transportation Information Counter at (800) AIR-2DEN or locally at (303) 342-4059.

Taxis 

Denver Yellow Cab
(303) 777-7777
www.denveryellowcab.com

Freedom Cabs
(303) 444-4444
www.freedomcabs.com

Metro Taxi
(303) 336-9127

Car Rentals
Denver International Airport has contracted with 10 rental car companies to provide a wide selection of vehicle rental opportunities to our customers. All the companies provide courtesy shuttle service to their facilities and have service counters located in Jeppesen Terminal, Level 5.

Voter Registration

Denver Election Commission

(720) 913-8663

303 W. Colfax Ave. Dept. 101

Denver, CO 80204

Election.Commission@ci.denver.co.us

In order to register to vote in a given Denver election you must be:

– At least 18 years of age by the date of the election

– A citizen of the United States

– A resident of Colorado and your precinct at least 30 days prior to the election and consider this your sole legal place of residence .

Visit website to obtain form and mail to address listed above or take to any DMV location. For your convenience, the Voter Registration Application Form is provided in Adobe Acrobat format, which requires you to have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system for viewing. This form is NOT interactive so you will need to print it and fill in the necessary information. Please note that the form must contain an original signature for the registration to be valid.

Denver Democrats

(303) 830-8242

789 Sherman Street, Suite #145

Denver, Colorado 80203

http://www.denverdemocrats.net/

Denver Republicans

(303) 782-9555

2123 S. Birch St.

Denver, Colorado 80222

www.denvergop.org

Radio

Television

Newspapers

Denver Business Journal
1700 Broadway #515
Denver, CO  80290
(303) 837-3508
Weekly business newspaper. The most in-depth local business news coverage, industry trends, critical analysis and solid business tips.

Denver Post
(303) 832-3232
www.Denverpost.com
Daily paper with local and national news, classifieds, community information, opinions, and entertainment. Servicing the Rocky Mountain Empire

The Rocky Mountain News
100 Gene Amole Way
Denver CO 80204
(303) 892-5000

Daily paper with local and national news, classifieds, community information, opinions, and entertainment.

Westword
969 Broadway
Denver CO 80203
(303) 296-7744
Free alternative weekly newspaper

Theater

The Denver Performing Arts Complex is the second largest theatrical venue in the nation behind the Kennedy Center in New York, and stages the latest Broadway musicals and plays. Resting beneath an inventive arched glass ceiling, the complex holds eight distinctive spaces, including the 2,800-seat Temple Buell Theater. Recent crowd favorites such as Rent, Chicago and Phantom of the Opera have drawn huge crowds. The Auditorium Theater, adorned in neo-classical design, presents the latest contemporary off-Broadway dramas and comedies and just finished a remarkable run of performances that featured the critically hailed Last Night At Ballyhoo. The Denver Center Theater Group, housed at the complex, recently brought home a Tony Award for the best regional theater.

For local offerings, check out the Avenue Theater for the hottest comedies and the long-running audience participation favorite, Murder Most Fowl. The Theater on Broadway presents black box thinking theater that often focuses on gay themes, and performance art and the spoken word rule the Bug Theater. Opera Colorado, feeding the artistic spirit since 1983, performs three booming epics a year at Boettcher Concert Hall and the Buell Theater.

Dance

The Colorado Ballet has been gracing Denver stages since 1961 with quality international dance and classic ballet. The Colorado Academy of Ballet trains aspiring dancers in advanced Russian techniques. The David Taylor Theater brings a distinguished contemporary ballet to Denver and produces the ever-popular Nutcracker during the holiday season. If you prefer modern dance, check out the celebrated Cleo Parker Robinson Dance troupe for beautifully choreographed interpretive pieces. If you would rather do the dancing, head over to The Church, the city’s most popular nightclub, for a night of crazed techno madness. Bash is the “see and be seen” place to dance in Lodo. Vinyl packs in the ladies on Tuesday nights for the city’s hottest Ladies Night. Lucky Star keeps the bobbing 80s alive and Polly Esther’s boogies to the 70s disco thing. If big band sounds rattle your feet, saunter into the Mercury Café for rip roaring old style swing dancing.

Sports

When it comes right down to it, Denver is widely regarded as a sports and recreational haven. The Broncos, Rockies, Avalanche and Nuggets draw all sorts of admirers throughout the region, and tourists come from all over to see baseball at Coors Field. Skiers and snowboarders jam the slopes from November to early July, and people from all corners converge on Colorado during summer for its wealth of camping, fishing and backpacking options in the serene Rocky Mountains. Warm weather evenings are packed with mountain bikers and hikers when the after-work crowd escapes to the Front Range trails. Weekends lure thousands to the area’s greenbelts for relaxation and exercise.

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Film

The Denver International Film Festival comes to town each October with a fresh bunch of shorts, documentaries and feature length flicks. A variety of quaint art houses along with sprawling mega-movie complexes are scattered across the metro area. For the latest in obscure, avant-garde releases, stop by the Mayan Theater on Broadway, or the Esquire which spins the more popular independent features on a wide screen. If you are in the mood for the latest commercial movies, the United Artists Theaters at the Denver Pavilions are comfortable and include stadium seating.

Museums

Denver Museum of Nature and Science, located in City Park, is the city’s largest cultural attraction drawing almost 2-million visitors annually. Built in 1900, it is the home to the IMAX Theater and Prehistoric Journey, an interactive time warp into the dinosaur age. The museum has also played host to such famous exhibits as The Aztecs and The Imperial Tombs of China. The Denver Art Museum displays two floors of Native American artifacts, and also offers a smart mixture of Asian art and contemporary design. The building itself, a modern interpretation of a fortified castle, is a stunning piece of architecture. Recent renovations added a restaurant and viewing space for larger installations. History buffs will enjoy the Colorado History Museum, as it recounts the lost days when cowboys and indians ruled the plains and the gold rush inspired a nation to dream of riches.

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Music

Denver’s homegrown music has produced a creative blend of commercial acts ranging from the roots rockers Big Head Todd and the Monsters, to the fevered 16 Horsepower and the Apples in Stereo. A multitude of intimate venues attract the hippest national and independent bands. Established acts fill the exquisitely renovated Fillmore Auditorium and blast away on the best sound system in Denver. Or drop into the Ogden Theatre on Colfax. In summer, fans congregate at Red Rocks Amphitheater for live music in an awesome mountain setting. The Bluebird Theatre, a restored movie hall and former porn house, hosts the hottest emerging acts. Local bands take the stage at Herman’s Hideaway and Brendan’s Pub. The Soiled Dove in LoDo is the perfect place to hear Hazel Miller sing the blues or Sally Taylor conjure the ghosts of folk legends. The Mile High City also steams with salsa; after a few free lessons hit the dance floor at La Rumba. If a more refined musical structure appeals to you, attend a performance by the Colorado Symphony. Under the direction of Maestra Marin Alsop, the classical virtuosos have attained national acclaim and consistently perform with such notable figures as Yo Yo Ma and the Anonymous 4.

Shopping

16th Street Mall

16th & California

Denver, CO  80202

(303) 534-6161

Built in 1982, the mall is a tree-lined, pedestrian promenade of red-and-gray granite that runs through the center of downtown. Lined with outdoor cafes, renovated historic office buildings, sparkling glass-walled skyscrapers, shops, restaurants and department stores. Numerous fountains and plazas offer a variety of daily special events and entertainers. Free shuttle buses cruise the mile-long Mall every 90 seconds. Denver Convention & Visitors Bureau Visitor Information Center is located at 16th & California on the 16th Street Mall.

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Other Cultural Attractions

Colorado’s Ocean Journey is the city’s newest arrival on the cultural scene. It opened in June 1999 to rave reviews and offers visitors a chance to explore exotic tropical environments and discover what lies beneath the rivers running through Colorado. The Denver Zoo is the city’s most beloved attraction, drawing well over a million visitors each year with such popular exhibits as the Primate Panorama and Tropical Discovery. In beautiful Cheesman Park, the Denver Botanic Gardens display a scenic expanse of varying foliage from around the world and a special new exhibit on water plants. Finally, if you want to see the workings of a brewery first hand, Coors Brewing Company gives daily tours and best of all, free samples.

Education

Denver Public Schools
900 Grant Street
Denver, CO 80203
(720) 423-3200
www.dpsk12.org
Denver Public Schools (DPS) is the public school system in Denver. It currently educates about 73,000 students in 73 elementary schools, 15 K-8 schools, 17 middle schools, 14 high schools, and 19 charter schools. The first school of what is now DPS was a log cabin that opened in 1859 on the corner of 12th Street between Market and Larimer Streets.

Arapahoe Community College
2500 West College Avenue
P.O. Box 9002
Littleton, CO 80160-9002
(303) 794-1550
www.arapahoe.edu

Colorado Christian University
Lakewood Campus
180 South Garrison Street
Lakewood, CO 80226
(303) 963-3200
http://www.ccu.edu/

Colorado State University
Spruce Hall
Fort Collins, CO 80523
(970) 491-1101
www.colostate.edu

Community College of Aurora
16000 East Centretech Parkway Aurora, CO 80011-9036
(303) 360-4700
www.ccaurora.edu

Community College of Denver
1111 West Colfax Avenue
Denver, CO 80217-3363
(303) 556-2600

Denver Center Professional Studies
9725 East Hampden Avenue
Suite G-125
Denver, CO 80231
(303) 963-3400
http://www.ccu.edu/

Johnson & Wales University

7150 Montview Blvd.

Denver, CO  80220

(303)256-9300

Offering associate and bachelor degrees in Culinary Arts, Business, Hospitality, Education. University enrollment of 13,000 students.

Metropolitan State College of Denver (METRO)

Campus Box 16,

PO Box 173362

Denver, CO 80217-3362

(303) 556-3058

Red Rocks Community College

13300 West 6th Avenue

Lakewood, CO 80228-1255

(303)988-6160

www.rrcc.edu

University of Colorado at Denver

PO Box 173364,

Campus Box 167

Denver, CO 80217-3364

(303) 556-2400

www.ucdenver.edu

University of Colorado at Boulder

Boulder, CO 80309

(303) 492-1411

www.colorado.edu

University of Denver

2199 South University Blvd.

Denver, Colorado 80208

(303) 871-2000

http://www.du.edu/