Not Your Parents' Denver Region Any Longer

Following the path of only a few other attractive cities and regions, Denver is seeing an influx of whites while the suburbs are becoming increasingly racially & ethnically integrated.

1 minute read

April 6, 2009, 10:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


"Throughout the metro area, neighborhoods have turned topsy-turvy.

A Denver Post analysis of state birth records shows that the racial integration of the central city and suburbs that began in the 1990s intensified through this decade.

The analysis shows that Denver is getting considerably whiter, while its suburbs have gained in minority - primarily Latino - population.

If the 2010 census confirms those findings, there will be numerous implications, particularly in education and politics.

"It's not your parents' metropolitan area," said Mark Muro, director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C., think tank. "This is the new metropolitan reality.

Muro and Alan Berube, also of Brookings, believe the Denver area is one of a handful of regions nationally in the forefront of metro-area integration, and the city itself may be one of the first central cities to see the white population make inroads into the Latino population."

From Planetizen: Why Metro Denver is Desirable:

"In this article (in The Rocky Mountain News), researcher Richard Florida looks at why and how the Denver area became a "megaregion" and a highly-desirable place to live."

Thanks to Metropolitan Policy Program Update?

Sunday, March 29, 2009 in The Denver Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 28, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

May 28, 2025 - Mass Transit

Screenshot of shade map of Buffalo, New York with legend.

Interactive Map Reveals America's “Shade Deserts”

Launched by UCLA and American Forests to combat heat-related deaths, the tool maps the shade infrastructure for over 360 U.S. cities.

45 minutes ago - UCLA Newsroom

Close-up of person putting sticker on back of basket of electric tricycle with mock license plate reading "E-TRIKE."

Bicycles and Books — In Sacramento, Libraries Now Offer Both

Adult library card holders can check out e-bikes and e-trikes for up to one week.

1 hour ago - The Sacramento Bee

Large pile of unsorted garbage in landfill with birds flying above at sunrise or sunset.

Colorado Landfills Emit as Much Pollution as 1M Cars

Landfills are the third-largest source of methane pollution in Colorado, after agriculture and fossil fuel extraction.

2 hours ago - Colorado Newsline

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.