About Arvada Colorado
Arvada, Colorado is an attractive western suburb with an estimated population of 107,050 that maintains its cherished hometown feel while building a diverse business community. >From the rich historical culture to the shared community pride, Arvada combines the luxuries of today’s society with the best of the past. Quiet neighborhoods, a robust business mix, and the restoration of historic landmarks keep this metro enclave vibrant and healthy.
Arvada enjoys a strong civic leadership that understands, values, and supports a positive business climate while balancing quality of life and community growth. This culture fosters a pro-business environment that has resulted in state and national business retention program recognition for the City of Arvada. Arvada’s land encompasses 22,570.51 acres and offers approximately 1,634 acres of available land for commercial and industrial development. Its extraordinary parks and trails link downtown Denver to the foothills, with easy access to mountain recreation and other activities.
Arvada offers unique amenities for citizens and visitors. The Arvada Chamber of Commerce is the home of the Arvada Visitor’s Center. Stop in to visit with the Chamber Staff and pick up information on local businesses, restaurants, events, maps, trails and much more. Here on the Chamber website you will find a list of all the Chamber Businesses that we would recommend to you. Lick on Member Directory for a complete list. Historic Olde Town Arvada provides an eclectic shopping experience attracting new retailers every day. FasTracks, a proposed light rail system, has designated three convenient stops in the community. The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities provides diverse, year-round programming which includes theater, concerts, art exhibitions, and arts and humanities classes for all ages. The Arvada Center Banquet facility offers over 9,300 square feet of flexible space for corporate and social gatherings. There are shopping centers scattered throughout the City of Arvada. Check out ShopArvada.org for a complete listing.
Above all, Arvada provides a pro-business environment, diverse economic base, highly educated workforce, low crime rate, and close proximity to leading universities and research institutions. These attributes position the community firmly among the most competitive cities in Colorado.
The Arvada Chamber of Commerce was founded January 27, 1925
Arvada Police Department
- One of the lowest crime rates in the Denver Metropolitan area.
- Staffed by 245 people, including 165 sworn officers.
- Officers must possess a four-year degree from an accredited college or university.
- First police department in Colorado to be accredited for the seventh time.
- First city in Colorado and the 13th in the nation to have its police department accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
- Received CALEA’s Flagship Award. This designation is bestowed upon a law enforcement organization demonstrating compliance of CALEA’s standards in an exemplary fashion. (First Colorado police department to achieve this milestone.)
Arvada Fire Protection District
- Maintains eight active stations strategically placed throughout a 47 square mile area.
- Employs 140 Operations Division personnel, including 50 volunteer and volunteer reserve members.
- Provides services for fire suppression, emergency medical care at the EMT Basic and Advanced Life Support level, specialized rescue operations, hazardous materials mitigation, water rescue, and fire and life safety education.
- Upholds a Class 3 Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating, which has a positive effect on the insurance rates for both commercial and residential properties in the area covered
Parks and Recreation
Within city limits: 70 neighborhood parks, 5 community parks, 8 sports complexes, 3 special purpose parks (dog park, disc park & equestrian center), 55 playgrounds, 41 tennis courts, 25 baseball/softball fields (multipurpose ball fields), 11 recreation centers and city centers, 2 skate park facilities, 38 undeveloped open space areas and 600 developed/landscaped/improved areas.
Trails
Trails in Arvada are typically found along major creeks and roads. The creek trails are considered recreational and include: (from south to north) the Clear Creek Trail in the southeast corner of Arvada near 56th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, the Ralston Creek Trail that connects to the Clear Creek Trail and extends west to S.H. 93., the Van Bibber Creek Trail east and west of Ward Road at 56th Drive, the Leyden Creek Trail that starts at Quaker Street south of the Town of Leyden and extends west more than a mile, and the Little Dry Creek Trail that runs from Chase Drive west to Indiana Street. For more information on Arvada Trails go to http://arvada.org/arts-and-recreation/trails
History of Arvada
The roots of Arvada, Colorado go back to June 22, 1850, when Lewis Ralston made the first documented discovery of gold in Colorado. Ralston didn't stay to capitalize on his discovery, but continued on his planned journey to the gold fields of California, later returning to his native Georgia. But in 1858, he guided a group of gold seekers back to the ancestral lands of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe to see if they could find their fortune on the banks of the creek which now bore his name.
At the confluence of Ralston and Clear Creeks, the explorers indeed found gold, but not enough to make much of a profit, even with the addition of sluice boxes powered by canals. They began to move upstream, in the hope of finding richer deposits, perhaps even veins of gold. And so they did, at Gregory Gulch, with the famous find that started the Gold Rush of 1859.
For more on the history of Arvada visit www.arvadahistory.org
