West Highland (Denver, Colorado)

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Along with the adjacent neighborhood of Highland, West Highland was laid out in December 1858 by William Larimer, Jr., who the previous month had founded Denver City. After the May 1864 flood wiped out parts of Denver, new people moved up the hill to the west. Residents were mostly Protestant and they tended to vote Republican. The residents voted to allow Denver to annex the town in 1896.

Separated from the city by the South Platte River and neighboring railyards, West Highland remained suburban in character for some time while attracting a variety of immigrants. Large numbers of Italians migrated to the area. The arrival of a streetcar line better connected the area to downtown and led to growth. As a streetcar suburb, the neighborhood developed commercial centers near streetcar stops, including 32nd Ave at Lowell. The streetcar system was dismantled in the 1950s.

The redevelopment of the Central Platte Valley in the late 1990s and early 2000s saw Highland's fortunes rise. The neighborhood became more accessible to downtown with the construction of the Millennium and Platte River Bridges, along with the Highland Bridge over Interstate 25.

The racial breakdown for the West Highland neighborhood is 75.78% white, 19.17% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American, 1.7% Asian, and 0.64% Native American.