The Cheesman Park neighborhood is one of the oldest in Denver, with city plats dating to as far back as 1868 and was annexed by the City of Denver in 1883, though development was slow at first. By 1915, with the completion of the park, the neighborhood was mostly developed with large mansions for some of the city's wealthiest people. Since the 1930s however, the neighborhood has become denser with a plethora of apartment buildings.[7]
The Denver Botanic Garden's Japanese Garden located in Cheesman Park
The neighborhood of Cheesman Park is bordered north-south by Colfax and 8th Avenues, and east-west by Downing and Josephine Streets.[8] The Cheesman Park neighborhood is often considered part of Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood (to the west), as the northern residential area of Cheesman Park was part of the "Capitol Hill" subdivision of the city on February 14, 1882, and the southern residential area was part of the "South Division of Capitol Hill" subdivision of August 26, 1882.[9] At the time, this "fashionable residential district" was occupied by the city's "business and professional class."[10]
The neighborhood has a population density of more than 12,000 people per square mile, far exceeding Denver's average density of 3,600 people per square mile, due the many high-rise and mid-rise apartments and condominiums surrounding the park.[11] However, the neighborhood contains not only modern, dense residential units; it also contains three of Denver's residential historic districts: Wyman’s, Morgan’s Addition, and Humboldt Island. These historic districts now preserve homes of a wide variety of architectural styles, from the late 19th century through the early 20th century.
The neighborhood is predominantly white and middle class with a median household income of $42,477 in 2008, and a higher average level of educational attainment than the city as a whole.[11] The neighborhood has more single/unmarried people than Denver's average (only 13.2% married, compared to 34.7% for the entire city), with only 2.6% having children, compared to 15.0% for the city), and it consequently has a smaller average household size.[11]
There are more renters than homeowners in the neighborhood; the area's apartments are a mix of newer and older apartment buildings, and conversions of older mansions into apartments. Only about a quarter of the neighborhood's residents live in owner-occupied units, and the average detached single family home value was $791,976 in 2008, more than double the city's average of $341,104.[11]
Cheesman Park has a fairly urban character with its density and closeness to the central part of the city. The neighborhood's crime rates are close to the city's average.[7] It contains several areas of commercial activity particularly north of the park between 13th and Colfax avenues, and is also home to the 23-acre (93,000 m2) Denver Botanical Gardens.
Source: Wikipedia
