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Old Posted Mar 6, 2017, 5:23 PM
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CherryCreek CherryCreek is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Denver
Posts: 897
Quote:
Originally Posted by CastleScott View Post
Getting back to Ryan's first post with Denver history and pics-the one second from the bottom looks to be from about August 1983 back when I was just starting at Metro State (as an older 50s something dude I remember several of those old photos).

Denver circa 1983 was such a depressing place. There had been that great building boom in late 70s and early 80s, then came the 1982 recession and the collapse of the oil markets. At one point, Denver had the highest office vacancy rate downtown in the developed world, reaching 30 percent at one point.

Meanwhile, as shown by the picture, there was that large "rust belt" to southwest, west, and northwest, where Elitches, Pepsi Center, Union Station, Riverfront, Coors Field, RiNO and Ballpark are now. Midtown was also in decline, with a perception of high crime and urban decay. Beautiful historical houses were available on the cheap, if you were willing to live with that.

It was damn depressing. Denver population was in accelerating decline, ultimately losing 30,000 people in the 1980s with a general sense of malaise and decline.

Then and now is such an amazing contrast.
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