Sun Valley

Sun Valley on the north end is taken up by our football stadium and the surrounding parking. This is the stadium that replaced our old Mile High Stadium, one of the most fun sports venues ever. The spot lost some character with the construction of brand-new Invesco Field. Locals were so p.o.'d about losing thier "Mile High" designation in favor of a company that most of us hadn't heard of that they compromised with "Invesco Field at Mile High". It's just not the same, of course. Now, it's become Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Hard to know what to call it these days. In any case, it's still a fun place to watch football. Those of us who like to avoid the high parking fees park at Auraria and walk to the stadium. This walk led through the concrete pillars of overpasses, down train tracks, and over an old bridge spanning the Platte. It has become something of a tradition, although it's a long hike. There are burrito vendors and people trying to score tickets en route.

As far as the rest of the neighborhood goes, concrete and old streets pretty much sums it up. This is a bad neighborhood. West Colfax and Federal are both rough areas, and driving by on 6th Ave freeway will reveal the uninviting nature of this neighborhood. While areas north and west of here have been revitalized, Sun Valley has remained an ugly area of crime, with little to recommend it.

Sun Valley’s name seems to fit it poorly. It conjures up images of green grass, blue sky, perhaps a cute little cottage. The reality, however, is that residents mostly live in public housing projects, and share the valley with a large amount of industrial and warehouse development. The sun shines on parking lots. As, unfortunately, might be expected, the area has a high poverty rate and a very high crime rate. The neighborhood’s location and its small size mean that it’s often overlooked – although the planned FasTracks rail expansion will include a stop in the neighborhood, which may help to bring more investment in. The Denver Human Services main office is located a few blocks west of the housing projects, near Federal Boulevard.

Despite this rather bleak description of the neighborhood, however, tens of thousands of people from Colorado and all over the world visit Sun Valley annually. The reason? Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos, is located here. The stadium and the gargantuan parking lots and freeway interchanges that surround it take up a third or more of the neighborhood’s area. In the context of its neighborhood, the stadium feels like a no-man’s land, and the vast majority of people go to and from the game without realizing that Sun Valley is there.