Sun Valley is a neighborhood in central Denver, Colorado, bordered by I-25 on the east, Federal Blvd. on the west, 6th Avenue on the south and 20th Ave. on the north. It is located in the area known as West Denver.
Much of Sun Valley’s population (94% according to the 2000 census) resides in 10 blocks dominated by publicly subsidized housing. Only about 5% of the neighborhood's population live in owner occupied units. Much of the rest of the neighborhood consists of industrial areas, parks, city service buildings and Empower Field at Mile High and its surrounding parking lots. According to the 2000 Census, Sun Valley’s population was 1,496, representing a 2.6% increase over the 1990 population. Children make up 54% of the population, making Sun Valley the only Denver neighborhood where minors outnumber adults. [1]
Lakewood Gulch traverses the neighborhood, ending at the South Platte River just south of Colfax Avenue. The gulch travels through Rude Park at the west side of the neighborhood. The park contains a recreation center, bike paths, and a baseball field. The bike path meets the gulch between Decatur Street and the South Platte, but has been closed since 2007 because of a flash flood there that took the life of a toddler. [2] Sun Valley contains a single stop (the Decatur-Federal station) of the FasTracks West Corridor Light Rail line at Decatur Street.
The 2000 Census found that Sun Valley is overwhelmingly made up of families with children as 70% of all Sun Valley households were families with children less than 18. Median age was 15.7. In large part the high number of children with families is due to the publicly subsidized housing dominant in the neighborhood which gives preference to low-income families. [3] Indeed, the poverty rate in Sun Valley is five times higher than the city of Denver as a whole with 71.5% of its residents living in poverty compared with 14.3% of all Denverites. [4]
The Sun Valley neighborhood consists of Census tract 8 (See: http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/map). The demographics of the tract were 8% White, 26% Black, 54% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 1% Native American, and 3% Multiracial. The population was 1,448, and the population density was 2,261 people per square mile, with most of the population being concentrated in the public housing centered on 10th Avenue. There were 501 housing units, of which none were vacant.
The City of Englewood is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 33,659 at the 2020 United States Census. Englewood is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. Englewood is located immediately south of Denver in the South Platte River Valley.
Lakewood Gulch drains a section of Lakewood and west Denver, Colorado into the South Platte River. It is the historic location of the old Interurban Shortline Railway and, in 2008, is a greenbelt that includes Rude Park, Sanchez Park and Lakewood Gulch Park. The gulch passes through Lakewood from west to east before entering the Denver neighborhoods of Sun Valley and Villa Park. It contains a part of the route of the (current) heritage streetcar Platte Valley Trolley and the Denver sections of the creek have an adjacent bike path. According to the Jefferson County Colorado Place Names Directory, "Lakewood Gulch originates on the north east foot of Green Mountain in Lakewood, flows east through Sixth Avenue West Park and Red Rocks Community College and continues east through Lakewood into Denver, where it joins the South Platte River southwest of the intersection of I-25 and Colfax Avenue."
Jefferson Park is a neighborhood and public park that overlooks Downtown Denver, Colorado from its perch across Interstate 25 (I-25). It is located in the area that is called North Denver. Views east from Jefferson Park take in Elitch Gardens Theme Park, The Children's Museum, Denver's Downtown Aquarium, Pepsi Center, the REI flagship store and other attractions in Downtown's Central Platte Valley. Downtown Denver and the Central Platte Valley are quickly accessed from Jefferson Park, using the 23rd Avenue overpass on I-25 and Water Street. In addition, the Light Rail C-Line is located by Empower Field at Mile High in the southern part of the neighborhood.
Highland is a distinct city-center neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, United States, bounded by West 38th Avenue to the north, a Union Pacific Railroad line on the east, the South Platte River to the southeast, Speer Boulevard on the south, and Federal Boulevard on the west. The Highlands is sometimes used to refer to two separate city-center neighborhoods in Denver; Highland and West Highland, although the two neighborhoods are distinct. Highland and West Highland are both in the area that is referred to as the Northside. Highland is located immediately northwest of downtown. Note that the Highland neighborhood association has a slightly different definition with the easternmost boundary stopping at I-25. And the West Highland neighborhood to the immediate west of Highland, with the borders of 38th and 29th Avenues on the north and south and Federal and Sheridan Boulevards on the east and west. To distinguish between its immediately adjacent neighbor, West Highland, Highland is sometimes referred to as East Highland, Lower Highland or LoHi. The two together are casually called "the Highlands," a term which often falsely encompasses other Northwest Denver neighborhoods such as Jefferson Park, Sunnyside and Berkeley. Realtors have particularly pushed the inclusion of the recently gentrified Berkeley, located directly north of West Highland, as part of the Highlands, sometimes going so far as to refer to Berkeley and parts of Sunnyside as the "Upper Highlands". To add further confusion, within the Highlands neighborhoods there are several historic designations of various degrees, including Potter Highlands, Scottish Highlands and Highlands Park.
Baker is a neighborhood in Denver, Colorado, United States.
Littleton is a home rule municipality city located in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city population was 45,652 at the 2020 United States Census, ranking as the 20th most populous municipality in Colorado.
Athmar Park is a residential neighborhood in southwest Denver, Colorado. It consists mostly of all-brick ranches and bungalow-style homes built in the 1940s and 1950s.
Lincoln Park is a neighborhood and public park close to downtown Denver, Colorado and the location of the Art District on Santa Fe. The neighborhood is one of Denver's oldest and is just to the south of the area where Denver was first settled in the 1850s. Many houses date from about 1900. The neighborhood is sometimes called "La Alma/Lincoln Park" or the West Side.
Villa Park is a neighborhood in the city of Denver, Colorado. Its hilly topography provides panoramic views of downtown Denver and of the Rocky Mountains, particularly from Lakewood / Dry Gulch Park, which divides the neighborhood diagonally.
Globeville is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. Globeville is located in the area traditionally called North Denver.
Hilltop is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. According to the Piton Foundation's summary of United States Census data, the 2016 population of the neighborhood was 9,311, average household income was $215,780, and there were 3,973 housing units.
West Colfax is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The neighborhood is located in the West Denver area. In 2015 the population of the neighborhood was 9,120, and there were 4,055 housing units.
Valverde is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. It is in the area known as West Denver or the "West Side". According to the Piton Foundation, in 2007, the population of the neighborhood was 4,093, and there were 1,276 housing units. Valverde home values are expected to grow substantially, due to the recent population growth in the Denver metro area. The commute to downtown Denver from the Valverde neighborhood is less than 5 minutes since the completion of 6th avenue, which no longer merges with I-25.
Barnum is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The neighborhood is located in the area known as West Denver. According to the Piton Foundation, in 2007, the population of the neighborhood was 6,456, and there were 1,924 housing units.
Cole is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. It is in the area commonly known as North Denver. According to the Piton Foundation in 2007 the population of the neighborhood was 6,041, and there were 1,794 housing units. At the time of the 2010 census, the racial breakdown of the neighborhood was 19.59% non-Hispanic white, 16.7% African American, 61.21% Hispanic or Latino, 0.43% Native American, and 0.45% Asian.
Belcaro is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. According to the Piton Foundation, in 2007, the population of the neighborhood was 4,394, and there were 2,343 housing units. The neighborhood is a wealthy one, and Piton Foundation data from 2000 indicates the neighborhood's average household income was $163,553.
Lakewood is the home rule municipality that is the most populous municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 155,984 at the 2020 U.S. Census, making Lakewood the fifth most populous city in Colorado and the 167th most populous city in the United States. Lakewood is a suburb of Denver and is a principal city of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and a major city of the Front Range Urban Corridor.
Decatur–Federal is an at-grade light rail station on the W Line of the RTD Rail system. It is located alongside the banks of the Lakewood Gulch between its intersections with Decatur Street and Federal Boulevard, after which the station is named, in Denver, Colorado. The station is located in the Sun Valley neighborhood, near the point where Lakewood Gulch meets the South Platte River. It is one of two light rail stops that serve Empower Field at Mile High, the home stadium of the Denver Broncos. The stop is adjacent to Rude Park.
Ruby Hill is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The neighborhood takes its name from Ruby Hill, a 5,390 ft (1,640 m) elevation hill in the neighborhood that overlooks much of South Denver. The hill itself was named for red stones found in the area by early miners, stones that turned out to be garnets.