Globeville (Denver, Colorado)

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The Globeville neighborhood was originally settled in the late 1880s around the Globe Smelting and Refining Company. Many of the early workers were Eastern European immigrants, including Austrians, Croatians, Germans, Poles, Russians, Scandinavians, Slovenians, and other Slavic peoples. In addition to the smelters, the railroad and packing plant industries offered employment opportunities within the neighborhood.

For some years the community developed inwardly. A number of events dispersed the old ethnic settlements in Globeville. The first was World War II, which strongly accelerated the process of integration. The construction of Interstate Highway 25 started in 1948 and dedicated in 1958 as well as the construction of Interstate Highway 70 completed in 1964 resulted in the destruction of seven blocks and 31 family homes and had a divisive effect on the area. Today, portions of Globeville continue to be physically isolated from the rest of Denver by the freeways, railroad lines, and South Platte River. All edges of Globeville are zoned for and have heavy industrial uses.

Over the past few decades, an increasing Latino or Hispanic population has moved into the Globeville neighborhood. The current mix of multi-generational residents and new immigrants continues the rich diversity that the Globeville neighborhood experienced in the past.