Globeville

Globeville is a busy area of town that has been around for many years. You can see this in the very old churches in the neighborhood such as the St. Joseph Polish Catholic Church, which is visible from I-70 just east of I-25. For years this area has been heavily populated by immigrants. In the beginning it was Polish, Slavic, Russian, and German, although those demographics have certainly changed. This area gets very congested with traffic and although it may be convenient for residents to hop on one of these two major highways, I wouldn't recommend living here. This now predominantly Hispanic area (~75%) has traditionally low incomes and almost 23% live below the poverty line. Although some of the homes in the area are well kept, some of them are run down and a bit shabby looking, although you can certainly find a few gems here and there.

There is a lot of industrial business in this area and it detracts from the neighborhood. As you're driving down Washington Street, which is a major road in the area, it just feels a bit dingy with the buildings, several liquor stores, and just an unclean appearance. On the southwest side of I-25 and I-70 it's a bit of a different vibe. The schools of Auraria Campus have taken an old hotel and turned it into dorm rooms for students going to school there. They have a shuttle which takes students from there to the campus and they have a variety of things for the kids to do while there, such as a bowling alley. So depending on which part of Globeville you're in, you can have a very different opinion of it.

Fitting to its name, Globeville has long been a culturally interesting neighborhood. The earliest immigrants were from Eastern Europe in the late 1800s: Polish, Russian, and other Slavic nationalities. The area still has some strong roots in that culture, including a few beautiful and historic churches (St. Joseph’s still conducts a Polish Mass, attended by the descendants of Globeville’s original residents). In the 20th century, it became home to a large Latino population, which is still the majority today.

Despite its relative closeness to downtown, Globeville feels isolated. The South Platte and the railroads must have made the early residents feel the same way, and this was vastly increased by the construction of I-25 and I-70 in the middle of the last century. They meet smack in the middle of the neighborhood, and Globeville is dominated by the interchange at this intersection, called “the Mousetrap.” It’s not as quick as you might think to get downtown by bus or to navigate the streets in this neighborhood. Much like adjacent Elyria/Swansea, the neighborhood grapples with environmental issues and its fringes have heavy industrial development. Poverty levels are above average, as many of the residents are lower wage-earners and have been hit by the recession, and there are pockets of very high crime. Yet residents report that Globeville is neighborly and pleasant. Homes are often charming and affordable (and some fixers-and-flippers have been taking advantage of that, and of the foreclosures that occurred after the 2008 crash). Redevelopment is taking place in the southwestern portion of the neighborhood.