If ever there was a new frontier in Denver, it's the Central Platte Valley (CPV) neighborhood. This expansive neighborhood to the west of Downtown is evolving almost before your eyes. This is the area Jack Kerouac wrote about when he wandered the rail yards of Denver and wrote "On the Road" in the 1940's. Now, after spending most of the 20th century marked by warehouses, viaducts and rail yards, the Central Platte Valley has been transformed into an exciting, mixed-use urban neighborhood with a variety of homes, and more than 3 million square feet of offices, shops, restaurants and hotels. From the busy blocks of LoDo, you simply need to travel a few minutes west to find yourself in the 120 acres of The Central Platte Valley neighborhood. Here, you'll not only find 2,227 residential units (with another 800 under construction or planned) but also something unheard of in an urban setting - 90 beautiful acres of parks. Along the South Platte River lie Gates-Crescent, Centennial, Fishback, Confluence, and Cuernavaca Parks, plus the neighborhood's 30-acre centerpiece, Commons Park. The parks anchor the main residential community--"The Commons" which will be completed over the next 20 to 30 years. Mixed in with bohemian coffee shops, neighborhood wine shops and cafes, is something for the art lovers in town. The new building for Denver's Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by London Architect David Adjaye, is currently under construction at 15th and Delgany Street, in the heart of the neighborhood. The new museum will open in the spring of 2007 and will bring world-class art to this trendy neighborhood. For the young and the young at heart, this neighborhood also has the exciting new Denver Skate Park, the largest outdoor public skate park in the United States. And the new bridge that crosses I-25 and links the Highland and Central Platte Valley neighborhoods makes the entire area pedestrian friendly to bike or walk between the two. This unique combination of luxury lofts, apartments, quaint shops, and plenty of green space is sure to attract those who want to be close to the urban hub but also have room to spread their wings, walk their dogs and roller blade or kayak all in the same neighborhood. A children's playground is in the works, as well as a dog park, so families and man's best friend will all feel at home.

The Central Platte Valley offers a variety of housing options for renters or buyers. On the west side of the neighborhood, between the river and I-25, you'll find red-bricked buildings with ground floor retail and restaurants and residential lofts above. East-West Partners' Riverfront Park is the largest planned community in the neighborhood comprised of a variety of housing types including condos, lofts, penthouses, townhomes and Brownstones. If you are looking for an apartment, there are Commons Park West, a newly constructed 340-unit apartment complex, and The Manhattan. There are also several historic warehouses in the Prospect area (northeast of 20th Street), including WaterTower Lofts, and Jack Kerouac Lofts in Prospect Place Village.