Central Park, Denver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Central Park, Denver, Colorado
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Neighborhoods in Denver
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Location in the state of Colorado
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Location within the County/City of Denver, Colorado
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| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Denver |
| Founded by | Mayor Wellington Webb |
| Time zone | UTC–7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC–6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
80238, 80010
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| Area code(s) | 303, 720 |
Central Park, once called Stapleton, is a large neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. It is located east of downtown Denver. This area used to be the Stapleton International Airport, which closed in 1995.
Central Park is the biggest neighborhood in Denver. It has twelve smaller areas, 11 schools, 50 parks, and 7 swimming pools. You can also find many shops, businesses, a city recreation center, and a library here. In 2021, about 27,000 people lived in Central Park.
Since 2016, the neighborhood has been connected to the rest of Denver by the RTD A Line. This train service runs from downtown Denver to Denver International Airport.
The homes in Central Park have many different styles, from modern to traditional. You can find single-family houses, condos, townhomes, and apartments. The 80238 zip code, which covers most of Central Park, is known for having high average incomes in the Denver area.
In 2020, the people living here voted to change the neighborhood's name from Stapleton to Central Park.
Contents
A Look at Central Park's History
When the new Denver International Airport was being built, people started thinking about what to do with the old Stapleton International Airport. In 1990, a group of Denver leaders created a plan for the old airport site. Their plan, finished in 1995, focused on making a neighborhood where people could walk easily, instead of needing cars for everything.
Nearly one-third of the old airport land was planned to become public parks. The idea was for about 30,000 people to live there in 12,000 homes. The plan included more than 10 schools and a large 80-acre park called "Central Park." This park later inspired the neighborhood's new name.
The community was also planned to have a train station, lots of office space, and shopping areas. Over 1,100 acres were set aside for parks and open spaces. Central Park's open areas are also next to the Sand Creek Regional Greenway and the Bluff Lake Nature Center. This nature center is one of the biggest urban wildlife refuges in the country.
The old airport site was about 4,700 acres. It was only a 10-minute drive from Downtown Denver. A company called Forest City Enterprises (now Brookfield) started rebuilding it as a new urban community.
Building the New Community
Construction began in 2001, when Wellington Webb was the Mayor of Denver. The new area was designed for both homes and businesses. This included office buildings, mixed-use buildings (with shops and homes), and large shopping centers.
Central Park is by far the largest neighborhood in Denver. A small part of the area even extends into the nearby city of Aurora. This part includes the Bluff Lake area.
In 2004, the first residents moved into apartments in the new neighborhood. By then, the population had grown to 2,500 people.
By 2006, the community had over 5,000 residents. The Denver School of Science and Technology opened, along with a shopping center called The Shops at Northfield.
In 2007, the 80-acre "Central Park" opened. This park later gave the neighborhood its new name. Also, three new office buildings were added, and the population grew to over 7,500 people.
By 2008, about 3,200 homes had been built. These included single-family houses, row houses, and condos.
In 2011, more than 14,000 people lived in the neighborhood. The network of trails for walking and biking reached 38 miles. Central Park also gained national attention when it was chosen as the site for the 2011 HGTV Green Home. New highway exits also opened, making it easier to get to Central Park Boulevard from I-70 and I-270.
In 2016, the RTD A-Line train started running. It directly connects Denver Union Station in downtown Denver, through the Central Park neighborhood, to Denver International Airport. The Central Park station is the only train stop in the community.
By 2019, the area around the Central Park RTD Station had grown. It now includes fancy apartments, offices, a new hotel, and shops.
As of 2022, the Central Park neighborhood has an estimated population of 30,000. It is still growing, with the last new homes expected to be finished by 2025. Because Central Park is so large, it can be hard to compare its statistics, like crime rates, to smaller neighborhoods. Its big size and popular places like the Northfield mall mean it has more people and activity than many other areas.
Smaller Areas Within Central Park
Central Park has twelve smaller, named areas inside it. These include:
- North End Neighborhood
- Central Park North
- Beeler Park
- Buff Lake
- Conservatory Green
- Central Park West
- East 29th Avenue
- Eastbridge
- South End
- Westerly Creek
- Wicker Park
- Willow Park East
Getting Around Central Park
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Central Park has its own train and bus station, called Central Park station. From here, you can take the A Line train directly to Denver Union Station downtown or to Denver International Airport.
The neighborhood also has direct access to the I-70 highway and the 270 interchange. Denver's RTD bus lines also run through Central Park, going both east-west and north-south. There are also many special lanes and paths just for bikes.
Why the Name Changed
The original airport was named after Benjamin F. Stapleton. He was the Mayor of Denver for several terms between 1923 and 1947. In the 1920s, he was briefly connected to the Ku Klux Klan. However, he later worked to reduce their influence in the city.
In 2015 and 2019, there were attempts to change the name of the neighborhood, but they did not succeed.
On August 1, 2020, after many discussions and votes, the residents chose "Central Park" as the new name. This decision came after the Black Lives Matter movement, and people wanted to move away from the legacy of Benjamin F. Stapleton. 63% of voters chose "Central Park" over "Skyview." The new name comes from the large 80-acre "Central Park" within the neighborhood. The main road, the train station, and the recreation center were already named "Central Park" before the neighborhood's name change.
