Jefferson Park is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

and public

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

that overlooks

Downtown Denver Downtown Denver is the main financial, commercial, business, and entertainment district in Denver, Colorado. There is over of office space in downtown Denver, with 132,000 workers. The downtown area consists mostly of the neighborhoods of Union ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

from its perch across

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mexic ...

(I-25). It is located in the area that is called North Denver. Views east from Jefferson Park take in

Elitch Gardens Theme Park Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park is an amusement park in Denver, Colorado. It is owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and operated by Premier Parks, LLC. Distinctive for being located in a downtown area, it is open April through October. H ...

, The

Children's Museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feat ...

, Denver's Downtown Aquarium,

Pepsi Center Ball Arena (formerly known as Pepsi Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits off Interstate 25. A light r ...

, the

REI Rei or REI may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Rei, a story arc of the anime ''Higurashi When They Cry'' *Rei, a shapeshifting godlike dragon in the Australian webcomic series ''Vainglorious'' *Rei I, II and III, episodes of ''Neon Genesis Eva ...

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 Empower Field at Mile High (previously known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Invesco Field at Mile High and Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, New Mile High or Mile High Stadium) is an American football stadium ...

in the southern part of the neighborhood.

Geography

Jefferson Park sits on a bluff just to the northwest of Denver's downtown core, providing it views of Denver's Central Platte Valley. The boundaries of the neighborhood are: *South - Colfax *North - Speer Boulevard *East -

Platte River The Platte River () is a major river in the State of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itself ...

*West - Federal Boulevard

History

Old Highland

Although previous claims were made to an area called Highland on the northwest side of the South Platte River,Private laws of the territory of Kansas,S.W. Driggs, 1860.Provisional laws and joint resolutions passed at the first and called session of the general assembly of Jefferson Territory:held at Denver City, J. T., November and December, 1859, and January, 1860, N. T. Robertson & Clark, printers, 1860. the first recognized by the U.S. Government was included in ''An Act for the Relief of the Citizens of Denver'', on May 28, 1864. A portion of the Jefferson Park neighborhood, today bound Speer Boulevard on the north, Interstate 25 on the West, the South Platte River on the East, and a line extending eastward from West 23rd Avenue, was included in the land grant, part of Range 68W, Section 33, in South Township 3.The statutes at large, treaties, and proclamations of the United States of America from ..., Volume 13, Dennis, 1866.

The Town of Highland

The ''Town of Highland'' (no "s") was originally platted by Horatio B. Bearce in 1873 which includes the portion of the Jefferson Park neighborhood bound by W. 26th Avenue, Federal Boulevard. W 23rd Avenue, and old Zuni Street, now replaced by Interstate 2

In 1875, the Town of Highlands was incorporated, and included the original Town of Highland together with surrounding subdivisions.The town of Highlands; the past, the present, the future. Denver, Press of C.J. Kelly, 1890. Jefferson Park (the park) is located in Crane's Addition to the Town of Highlands. The Town of Highlands was considered Denver's first suburb. In 1890, when the population grew large enough for the area to be considered the City of Highlands, a city hall was constructed at the Southwest corner of West 26th Avenue and Federal Boulevard, now the site of Denver Fire Station 12. Federal was simply referred to as “The Boulevard”, becoming Federal after annexation by Denver. During the late-19th century the political rivalry between

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

and Highlands became very heated. The City of Highlands was intended to be an elite suburb, a residential community with the men earning their living in Denver and retiring in the evening to Highlands. Highlanders were a very proud people, proud of their pure air, pure water (

artesian aquifer An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water contained within th ...

), fine homes, good schools and high morals. Highlands was a

blue law Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons ...

town at a time when Denver was known coast to coast for its gambling, prostitution, and racy life. The problem for Highlands was access to Denver, where the jobs were. Highlands, with its gracious and crime free lifestyle kept thumbing its nose at Denver with its railroad yards, tanneries, mills, and a famous

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

, inciting the ire of Denver Mayor Wolfe Londoner. Londoner simply told the poorly connected citizens of Highland that the price of a viaduct across the rail yards and the Platte River was annexation.

Becoming Jefferson Park

In 1896, the City of Highlands was annexed, and thereafter was known as "North Denver." As the city grew larger and the name "North Denver" started to encompass a larger area the new neighborhood was renamed Jefferson Park, from the park located on West 23rd Avenue and Clay Street in the heart of the neighborhood. The park was part of an undeveloped portion of Crane's Addition to the Town of Highlands before annexation, and became part of the Highland Division of the City of Denver Parks, landscaped in the early 20th century and then named after the father of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

. Highlands was made up of 35 subdivisions with the street names, directions and lot sizes not conforming to the Denver norm. As a general rule, building was permitted on lots, and some builders would put up a row of small gothic cottages, built very close together, and surrounded by acres of vacant lots. Any block, in Jefferson Park today, may have houses representing the architecture of the 1890s, 1910s, 1920s 1940s, and 1950s. After the building boom that occurred following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, there was very little vacant property left in North Denver. By the 1960s, Denver was experiencing its own

white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...

, as many American cities were, and the neighborhoods in the inner core of the city started feeling the effects. Properties in Jefferson Park were abandoned for the

suburbs A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

, and as the

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...

of the late 1970s and early 1980s hit Denver violence and crime increased throughout the neighborhood. The once celebrated neighborhood fell into disrepair and was eventually ignored by the city.

Jefferson Park's renaissance

By the 1990s Jefferson Park's location, affordable housing, and neighborhood feel brought it back to the attention of the city and home-buyers that were tired of long commutes and wanted an urban lifestyle. Jefferson Park was made a focus neighborhood by the city of

and investment in infrastructure and beautification began. Eventually, Jefferson Park United Neighbors (or JPUN) was formed in 2000, after a controversial large-scale development by Sullivan-Hayes threatened to destroy the character of the neighborhood and condemn a number of homes. The residents of Jefferson Park banded together and formed JPUN after the now defunct Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association (JPNA) failed to act. The neighbors formed JPUN, created by-laws, and fought Sullivan-Hayes by talking to their council people and Mayor

Wellington Webb Wellington E. Webb (born February 17, 1941) is an American politician. He served in the Colorado House of Representatives and was the first African American mayor of Denver, Colorado, serving from 1991 to 2003. Early life and career The Webb fam ...

. The proposed development which would have condemned many 19th Century homes and turned the park into an

amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

was defeated. It was at this point that the residents turned their attention to improving the neighborhood. Since 2000, controlled investment and development has brought positive change to the neighborhood, although much of the neighborhood is still mired in poverty. Relative to neighboring areas o
North Denver
relatively few homes in Jefferson Park are owner occupied. Through relationships with

The Broncos Stadium at Mile High ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, the City of

and other entities Jefferson Park has been able to pave alleys, beautify blocks, plant trees, upgrade curbs and encouraged development and improvement throughout the neighborhood. Jefferson Park is considered one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city due to its proximity to downtown and neighborhood feel - the future looks bright for the neighborhood.

Today

Today, Jefferson Park is marked by a variety of housing styles and architecture from various eras. Single family homes from the late 19th century stand next to apartment complexes built in the 1950s and a current boon of development at the turn of the millennium. Jefferson Park is currently experiencing a renaissance in investment and development due to its proximity to downtown Denver, major attractions in the Central Platte Valley, and its availability of reasonably priced housing as compared to the neighborhoods surrounding it that have already completed

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

. In 2010, the neighborhood had 2,522 residents. The racial breakdown of the neighborhood is 68.7%

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 2.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 1.9% Native American.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

of any race is 44.3% of the population. Jefferson Park has one of the higher poverty rates in the city with 30.03% of the population in poverty. The crime rate in Jefferson Park is at 76 incidents per 1,000 people.http://www.piton.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=CommunityFacts.Summary&Neighborhood_ID=899#Crime And Safety The average crime rate for Denver neighborhoods is 68 incidents per 1000 people. In 2007, Jefferson Park was one of the top five neighborhoods that saw the greatest decrease in crime, down 29.3%. Between 2009 and 2010, Jefferson Park crimes rates dropped by 2.6%. The average price per square foot of a residential home in Jefferson Park in May 2017 was $369.49.

External links

Jefferson Park United NeighborsJefferson Park Neighborhood Real Estate

References

{{Neighborhoods of Denver Neighborhoods in Denver