East Colfax, the stretch you are on now, has long been a landing zone for new arrivals to Denver: Latino families, Vietnamese immigrants, Ethiopian and Somali refugees, LGBTQ+ residents priced out of Capitol Hill, and a rotating population of people living on the economic margins. The businesses along this stretch reflect that diversity in real time — Vietnamese noodle shops beside Salvadoran pupuserias beside Ethiopian restaurants beside old Denver bars that have been on this block since the 1950s. The music venues clustered along East Colfax — the Fillmore Auditorium, Bluebird Theater, and Ogden Theatre within easy reach — make this one of the most concentrated live music corridors in the West, hosting everyone from local punk bands to major touring acts.
The neighborhood has also been a site of significant tension: the 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd centered partly on this corridor, and the ongoing displacement of low-income residents as rents rise is changing the character of the street faster than many longtime residents want.