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Stapleton A Denver, Colorado, USA story

Cities
  1. Denver, Colorado, USA
  2. Stapleton
Description

Stapleton Airport near downtown Denver served the city since 1929. By the 1980s, it was becoming overburdened and could no longer meet the needs of the growing city. Surrounded by urban development, it could not expand.

Once the new airport went into operation 1995, Stapleton Airport closed. Eventually, all the buildings were demolished—except for one. The control tower still stands. It is now a restaurant, and visitors can enjoy great views of the city at the top of the 12-story tower.

The rest of the land of the airport became part of one of the largest urban redevelopments in the country. Stapleton is now a growing master-planned community with a combination of residential, retail, commercial, and plenty of green space. The residential areas include apartments, townhomes, rowhouses, and larger single-family houses to make it a mixed-income region.

Consisting of 12 neighborhoods, each with its own character, Stapleton’s population grew from 5,000 in 2006 to 28,000 in 2018.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

June 22, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

June 22, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

July 4, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

July 4, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

June 24, 2002, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

June 24, 2002, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

Aug. 14, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

Aug. 14, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

June 19, 2006, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

June 19, 2006, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

July 19, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

July 19, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

June 12, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

June 12, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

June 22, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA
July 4, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA
June 24, 2002, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA
Aug. 14, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA
June 19, 2006, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA
July 19, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA
June 12, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 33/32) — Stapleton Airport, Denver, CO, USA

Denver, Colorado, USA Additional Imagery & Stories

Greeley
Greeley

Other urban centers near Denver are also growing quickly. While the population of the Denver metropolitan area increased by 83% between 1990 and 2019,...

Read More
New Airport
New Airport

A major development in this time series of images is Denver International Airport. A massive piece of infrastructure, the airport sits on 34,000 acres...

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Wildlife Refuge
Wildlife Refuge

There is a noticeable area of undeveloped land in all that urban growth. Just west of the new airport is open land that is now protected from developm...

Read More
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