Setting
Westminster is located in western Adams County and northeastern Jefferson County. The Westminster Municipal Center is 9 miles north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, and the city is part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metropolitan area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. In the 2020 United States census, Westminster had a population of 116,317.
Early History
Gold found in the South Platte River Valley in 1858 drew attention to the area that later became Westminster. Before permanent settlement, antelope and buffalo lived in the area, and there is evidence of Arapaho Indians near Crown Point, also known as Gregory Hill.
Pleasant DeSpain, a farmer from Kentucky, became the first permanent settler in 1870, building a home on 160 acres near present-day West 76th Avenue and Lowell Street. The community became known as DeSpain Junction and grew as a small farming settlement. Edward Bruce Bowles built a brick Italianate house in 1881; the Bowles House was later listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
From Harris to Westminster
C.J. Harris, a real estate developer from Connecticut, arrived in 1885, bought the DeSpain farm and other homesteads, divided the land into smaller tracts, and sold them to fruit farmers. The area was renamed Harris, Colorado. Henry T. Mayham later persuaded the Denver Presbytery to build a university on land he owned there.
Westminster University of Colorado opened for classes in 1908 in a red sandstone building made with stone from Colorado’s Red Rocks region. The Harris post office was renamed Westminster that same year, and the Town of Westminster was incorporated in 1911. The former university is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
Civic Landmark
Westminster City Hall has a 14-story bell tower capped by a pyramid-shaped steel mesh structure. Its 130-foot spire was conceived as a tribute to the clock tower of Westminster Palace in England, known as Big Ben. An English Oak on the City Hall property was a gift from Westminster, England.
Open Space and Downtown
Westminster has a trail network and open space system. Big Dry Creek Trail runs about 12 miles from the city’s eastern boundary to Standley Lake, and other trails follow the Farmers’ High Line Canal, Walnut Creek and Little Dry Creek. The city began preserving open space in 1985 and owns more than 3,000 acres throughout Westminster.
Downtown Westminster is a 105-acre site almost equidistant between downtown Denver and Boulder. The area features an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and the Origin Hotel.
What it is like
Westminster is a first-ring suburb in the metro Denver area with a population of about 117,000. It has unique places, neighborhoods and development projects, and is known for its use of open space and plenty of parks, including 126 miles of trails and more than 3,700 acres preserved. Historic Westminster is described as having historic charm, future-focused community growth, an authentic hometown feel, economic opportunities and an inclusive, welcoming nature.
Homes and housing
Westminster’s housing and development materials reference multi-family residential structures, senior housing, single-family attached and single-family detached housing, affordable housing properties, accessory dwelling units, and traditional mixed-use neighborhood districts. Historic Westminster covers two square miles in southern Westminster, with more than 150 years of history: Pleasant DeSpain built a house in 1870, the railroad arrived in 1881, and Westminster incorporated in 1911. City focus and transition area plans include the Downtown Specific Plan, Westminster Station Area Plan, and Harris Park Community Vision Plan.
Sources: Westminster, Colorado (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA); westminsterco.gov; westminsterco.gov