Arvada, Colorado

Cable-stayed bridge at Gold Strike Park

Arvada, Colorado

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The City of Arvada (

/ɑr ˈ v æ d ə /) is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson and Adams counties in the Denver metropolitan area of the U.S. State of Colorado. Olde Town Arvada is located 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The 2010 United States Census recorded 106,433 residents, making Arvada the ninth most populous city in Colorado.^[7]

History

Cable-stayed bridge at Gold Strike Park

The first documented discovery of gold in the Rocky Mountain region occurred on June 22, 1850, when Lewis Ralston, a Georgia prospector headed for the California gold fields, dipped his sluice pan into a small stream near its mouth atClear Creek.^[2] Ralston found about 1/4 ounce (6 g) of gold then worth about five dollars. Ralston's companions named the stream Ralston's Creek in his honor, but they all left the next morning, drawn by the lure of the California gold fields.

During the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1858, Ralston brought another group of prospectors back to the site of his first discovery. The placer gold in the area soon played out, but hard rock deposits of gold were found in the mountains to the west. Some of the miners abandoned their search for gold and returned to farm the rich bottom land along Ralston Creek and Clear Creek. They found an eager market for their crops among other gold seekers. The Territory of Colorado was formed on February 28, 1861, and the farms in the valley expanded to feed the growing population of the region.

In 1870, the Colorado Central Railroad laid tracks through the area on its route from Golden to link up with the Kansas Pacific Railroad and the Denver Pacific Railroad at Jersey Junction, 3 miles (5 km) north of Denver. On December 1, 1870, Benjamin F. Wadsworth and Louis A. Reno platted the Ralston Point townsite along the railroad. To avoid confusion with other communities along Ralston Creek, Ralston Point was soon renamed Arvada in honor of Hiram Arvada Haskin, brother-in-law of settler Mary Wadsworth.^[8] Benjamin Wadsworth became the first postmaster of Arvada. Colorado was granted statehood on August 1, 1876, and the Town of Arvada was formally incorporated on August 14, 1904. A vibrant agricultural community, Arvada claimed the title "Celery Capital of the World."

Arvada grew rapidly during the latter half of the 20th century as a suburb of nearby Denver, the state capital. Arvada became a Statutory City on October 31, 1951, and a Home Rule Municipality on July 23, 1963. By the end of the millennium, the population of Arvada exceeded 100,000.

Missionary shooting

Main article: 2007 Colorado YWAM and New Life shootings

On December 9, 2007, Matthew J. Murray walked into the Youth With a Mission Center in Arvada and, after he was refused his request to stay overnight, opened fire and killed two people, injuring two more.

A memorial was held the following Wednesday, December 12, in which Youth With a Mission leaders forgave Murray's family for what happened.^[9]

Plutonium contamination

Main article: Radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant

Radioactive contamination of both the immediate, surrounding area and the entire greater Denver metropolitan area has resulted from decades of radioactive isotope releases, largely plutonium (Pu-239), into the environment from the Rocky Flats Plant, a former nuclear weapons production facility located about 15 miles upwind of Denver that has since been shut down and disassembled.

In terms of major related events, on September 11, 1957, portions of the Denver metropolitan area—substantially including Arvada—became contaminated with radioactive Pu-239 from a then highly classified plutonium fire.^[25][26] Another major plutonium fire in 1969^[27] produced similar effects but was monitored and reported by civilian agencies, which led to the

U.S.

government's divulgence of the 1957 fire.

In 1989, a combined Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raid of the plant for investigation of environmental crimes effectively ended production and further potential for plutonium fires. Superfund decontamination results have been withheld by the U.S. Government, but significant Pu-239 contamination has been found outside Rocky Flats as recently as August 2010.^[28][29]

Transportation

Arvada is the western terminus of Interstate 76, which begins at the intersection of Interstate 70 and State Highway 121. Other state highways in Arvada include SH 72, SH 93 and SH 95. Major highways near Arvada include Interstate 25, Interstate 270, U.S. Highway 36 and U.S. Highway 287.

The Amtrak California Zephyr passes through the City of Arvada westbound each morning and eastbound each evening. This route through the scenic heart of the Rocky Mountains is one of the most popular rail routes in the United States. Full Amtrak passenger and parcel service is available at the nearby Denver Union Station.

The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) currently serves Arvada with seven local bus routes (31, 51, 52, 72, 76, 80, and 100), four express bus routes (55X, 58X, 72X, and80X), and one regional bus route (GS). RTD plans to provide Arvada with a commuter rail Gold Line along the old Colorado Central Railroad route (now operated by the BNSF Railway) by 2015.

Arvada is served by Denver International Airport and nearby Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.

In 2008 the League of American Bicyclists designated Arvada as a Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community.^[30]