
The Russian-speaking community of the greater Denver area was almost
non-existent in the early 1970's, quickly grew to over a thousand families by
1980 and remained at that level until the early 1990's. It has since mushroomed
to almost fifty thousand people mostly due to new arrivals from the Former
Soviet Union, but also thanks to interstate migration of Russian-speakers to
this area especially from the coasts. Majority of the former "Russians" here are
Jewish, with disproportionately many of the earlier arrivals hailing from
Bobruisk, Belarus, while many of the latecomers are Bukharian Jews.
The densest distribution of Russian-speakers in the Denver area, is probably
still in Glendale and South East Denver, wedged between the Cherry Creek Mall,
the Jewish Community Center, the newer and remodeled Russian Library and Club
Valencia condominiums (popularly known as the Round House.) Squarely in the
middle of it all is Oneida Square off Leetsdale, now commonly known as "The
Russian Plaza", with most businesses owned and operated "by the Russians - for
the Russians." The early strongholds of the "Denver Russians" of the late 1970s
and early 1980s in small Glendale apartment buildings on Fairfax St. and in the
Jewish neighborhood on the West Side of town along Colfax Avenue, have since
lost most of their Russian flavor, as many of their former inhabitants bought
houses and moved to the newer, more luxurious and sometimes less expensive
neighborhoods outside Denver city limits. In the process nearby Aurora and
Littleton experienced large gains in the numbers of Jewish Russian Americans,
while Arvada gained a large Seventh Day Adventist and Baptist Russian-speaking
communities.
Most Russian-speakers that made this area their new home, did so for family
reasons. And Denver is the perfect place to raise a family, while enjoying a
more relaxed lifestyle than is possible in bigger cities along the US coasts.
Not surprisingly, most stay here because they truly enjoy the quality of life
Denver area affords. With readily accessible mountains, lakes, rivers and open
areas just minutes away, outdoors opportunities abound. For more information on
the Greater Denver - Boulder area outdoor opportunities, points of interest and
events, please take a look at
this Official Site for Colorado Travel and Tourism. To learn more about the
local Russian-speaking community, please visit our
forums, come back to visit us often, here in Russian Denver at
http://www.russiandenver.com
and then come visit us in person in the greater Denver / Boulder front range
area.
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