Every young child and family in East Denver has the potential to thrive, but not every family has the same starting place. East5ide Unified aims to remove health disparities for young children before they start school. The focus is on five neighborhoods in East Denver: Cole, Clayton, Whittier, Five Points, Skyland. These neighborhoods are rooted in history and face unique challenges today as the city evolves. Below is a snapshot of one of the neighborhoods, Five Points, over the decades:

POPULATION PATTERNS

Tracking the demographics of the greater Five Points over the decades Additional research by Henry Gargan. Used with permission from the Five Points Business District.

A community driven effort to level the playing field for young children and families in East Denver neighborhoods.

86%

1940 In 1940, blacks accounted for just two percent of all Denver residents. The area around Welton Street held Five Points’ highest black concentration (26 percent). The city’s largest black concentration (47 percent) actually lived east of Five Points, in today’s Whittier and City Park west neighborhoods. FIVE POINTS TOTAL POPULATION: 24,647

1970 Five Points saw another big drop in total population between 1960 and 1970. Residents who reported Spanish as their first language made up 40 percent of greater Five Points. FIVE POINTS TOTAL POPULATION: 13,067

1980 Between 1940 and 1970, residents of Hispanic or Latino descent were typically classified as “white.” In 1980 and 1990, the census classified Hispanic and Latino residents as “other” for the first time, which was likely part of why the category saw such a large increase over 1970. That same year, the census reported that 41 percent of Five Points residents were of “Spanish origin.” FIVE POINTS TOTAL POPULATION: 10,100

1990 The population of Five Points hit one of its lowest points; however the neighborhood was also at what could arguably be called its most diverse. Again, the census reported that 41 percent of area residents were of “Hispanic origin.” FIVE POINTS TOTAL POPULATION: 8,065

2000 By 2000, the growth in Five Points’ white population closely matched a decline in the black population. The census expanded its racial breakdown with the categories “two or more races” and “some other race,” which often included Hispanic and Latinos. Forty-three percent of residents reported being Hispanic or Latino FIVE POINTS TOTAL POPULATION: 8,775

Note: The U.S. Census Bureau didn’t begin surveying down the to the tract level in Denver until 1940. Before then, the census provided data at the city level, making it difficult to track neighborhoods.

In the charts, “other” is a composite of the following census categories for race in 1980 and 1990: American Indian, Eskimo and Aleut, Asian and Pacific Islander, and other. In 2000 and 2010, it includes the following: American Indian and Alaska native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, some other race, and two or more races.

1%

12%

72%

1950 While Five Points’ population grew only slightly from 1940, the black community grew substantially particularly in the Welton area, where by 1950, 43 percent of residents were black. The rise in the “other” category might be due to an influx of Japanese-Americans seeking sanctuary from WWII interment camps. FIVE POINTS TOTAL POPULATION: 25,147

6%

22%

58%

1960 The census began tracking “white” residents with Spanish surnames in 1950. That year, 31 percent of residents in the entire Five Points area has Spanish last names; big 1960 the figure had grown to 38 percent. FIVE POINTS TOTAL POPULATION: 19,089

4%

37%

56%

5%

39%

32%

27%

40%

33%

28%

39%

43%

31%

26%

16%

68%

68%

2010 Five Points saw significant growth throughout the decade, and most of the new residents were white. The Hispanic and latino population fell to 23 percent. FIVE POINTS TOTAL POPULATION: 12,710

White Black Other

East5ide Unified is a planning initiative funded through the BUILD Health Challenge,

bringing together community and public health partners.

INSIDE EAST5IDE UNIFIED NEIGHBORHOODS

Denver’s Eastside neighborhoods continue their important cultural and economic role in our city. The data below shows the important ways that inequity manifests as health, education and social disparities. The goal of East5ide Unified’s BUILD Health Challenge is to level the playing field and dissolve these disparities before children start school.

25.8% persons below poverty level

41.4% of 3 and 4 year olds in preschool

36.6% children in single-mother families

11.3% unemployment

16.2/1,000 rate of violent crime

11.2% male unemployment

13.2/1,000 rate of infant mortality

Data for Cole, Clayton, Five Points, Skyland, and Whittier

For more information:

www.facebook.com/east5ideunified

www.civiccanopy.org/home/early-childhood-initiatives/east5ide-unified/ earlychildhood@civiccanopy.org

To view the report of the “Status of Denver Children 2015” visit: www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/office-of-childrens-affairs/resources/briefs-reports-and-presentations.html

Denver County overall statistics: 18.3% persons below poverty level, 5.9/1,000 rate of violent crime, 27.3% children in single-mother families, 55% of 3 and 4 year olds in preschool, 7.8% unemployment, 7.5% male unemployment, 5.8/1,000 rate of infant mortality