A brief history of the Denver Metropolitan area and its suburbs

By 1870, Denver became one of the major stops along the Union Pacific route across the nation when the Denver Pacific Railway and Telegraph Company connected Denver to the north along the South Platte River to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Union Station was built in 1881 in the west side of downtown in a community now called LoDo (Lower Downtown) and was a major transportation gateway to the west. Coal from Wyoming continued to travel south by rail through Denver along the South Platte River.

With the rail lines and telegraph lines already in place, roads followed the tracks. US 6 became the main roadway into the mountains west of the city, and later, I-70 took its place to divide the North and South parts of the Denver Metro area. Along the South Platte River, several roads including Broadway and US 85 (Santa Fe Drive) divided the East and West parts of the city. Later, I-25 took its place following a slightly different valley-based route – it was affectionately known as the “Valley Highway”.

Along these highway corridors, I-70 and I-25, are located the neighborhoods that feed into Downtown Denver as its hub. Here you will find the suburban areas further divided into Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest neighborhoods, and remember, the Foothills & Mountains are positioned as the grand landmark to the west.

Just click on an area or neighborhood below to learn more!