Cheese Weasels Get Rocky Mountain High

[LongRanger_imp]

Lodo (“Lower Downtown”) is a model of gentrification and urban renewal. Thirty years ago, you wouldn’t want to be caught walking through there during the day, let alone at night. The 16th Street pedestrian mall was developed in the 80’s to bring folks downtown. Nearby Coors Field (home of the Colorado Rockies) was built on blighted, neglected, industrial property a few years later and became the impetus for rapid development in the area (mostly residential). About six years ago, renovated Union Station reopened, the “A Line” light rail to the airport began service, and Colorado voters approved the possession and recreational use of cannabis. With these events, the area (and rents) exploded. Today, it’s a hipster paradise. Residential and retail development (mostly bars and restaurants) has been nonstop and young people are moving in, with their urban dogs and rented scooters and well-paying jobs. The ones who marry find themselves looking at suburbia as a more desirable locale to call home.