Is Denver in Decline?

The discussion about the state of Denver’s direction has generated a host of commentary (see: Denver Post: Is Denver in Decline or a Boom Town? Only the 2023 Election Will Tell.). At the December 9 Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research panel discussion, Denver City Councilperson Kendra Black detailed Denver’s many strengths. The best recent description was a Facebook post by a former manager at Visit Denver, Rich Grant. His reaction to the “declinists” follows:

Rich Grant

Ha ha! Are you all crazy? There’s a thousand people moving to Denver a week! Meow Wolf, McGregor Square, $54 million of new theatres at DCPA, 39 new gates at the 3rd busiest airport in the world, new parks, streets like Larimer closed to make pedestrian areas for outdoor cafes, new food halls from Golden to Aurora, a reimagined 16th street Mall coming soon, 5280 bike path around the city, electric bike and scooter rentals on every corner, new glass ballroom on the roof of the convention center, new national Western Center (which when the old folks catch up and finally build an arena there will be a year-round Red Rocks for 10,000 seat concerts with two rail stops) and 67 breweries and 366 dispensaries, dozens of dance bars and live music and a city ringed by all you g Neighborhoods like LoHi and RiNo and Baker and Golden Triangle and Ballpark. And even Aurora is becoming cool with an array of amazing ethnic restaurants. And have you seen Golden? Or old town Arvada? Ha ha!! The only ones wondering about Denver’s future are a bunch of old people wondering how come no one cares what they think anymore. 

The Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, Colorado