Valverde

This neighborhood west of the Platte was one of Denver’s first to be settled. The name, Valverde, means “green valley” and reflects what early residents must have seen in the area. Valverde doesn’t leave much of a green impression these days – half the neighborhood is industrial, and one of its most notable “residents” is the King Soopers supermarket distribution center. The neighborhood is bounded by Federal on the west, which looks down-at-heel in this area. Neighborhood and ethnic restaurants can be found on Alameda, amongst the dirty tinsel of used car lots.

Off the main roads, Valverde exhibits a paradigm common among many West Denver neighborhoods: cute-as-a-button homes and senior citizens chatting with the friendly mail carrier, juxtaposed with forlorn-looking houses and rumors of gang activity. Being a “mixed-use” neighborhood poses challenges as well, since unpopulated industrial areas so close to residential ones sometimes act like an invitation for criminal activity. Housing prices here are among some of the city’s lowest, and homes themselves often date back to the 1930s and ‘40s. The oddly named West-Bar-Val-Wood Park serves as an extended front yard for the surrounding homes. Farther east, Valverde Park offers a sports complex for kids and access to the Platte River bike trail.