Littleton, CO

As the city of Denver expanded during the "Pikes Peak" gold rush of 1859, Denver representatives established the town of Littleton, Colorado, as an alternative region for mining. Today, the city that was incorporated in 1890 with a population of fewer than 250 residents is home to more than 40,000 people. The city's population expanded exponentially after World War II, when city officials shifted the area's economic focus from agriculture to munitions and aerospace manufacturing. Littleton straddles Arapahoe and Douglas counties.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

About 150 years ago, Littleton prospered through its successful agricultural industry. Home-grown companies, such as Rough and Ready Flour Mill (first established in 1867), provided enough economic stability to keep the community thriving for decades. When the city shifted to manufacturing after WWII, it became dependent on the success or failure of large national corporations, and in particular, the aerospace monolith Lockheed Martin. In the 1990s, Littleton launched a project to begin generating local companies once again; this "economic gardening" resulted in the creation of an estimated 12,000 jobs by the mid-2000s.

Today, Littleton boasts 18 telecommunications companies, making this industry the most dominant in the city. Two of the city's largest employers are Qwest, an internet and phone provider, and EchoStar Technologies, which provides satellite cable TV. Other growing industries specialize in scientific instruments and software.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Most of the population in Littleton is urban. Neighborhoods and districts of Littleton accommodate around 18,100 houses, out of which more than 17,400 are occupied. Of the occupied houses, more than 10,800 are owner-occupied while renters occupy around 6,600 houses. The median value of a house in Littleton is higher than the statewide median home value.

A car or some other mode of transport in needed to travel in and around Littleton. Many places, such as coffee shops, restaurants and drug stores are far from the center of the city.

Downtown Littleton is centered around its former town hall, which was transformed into the Town Hall Performing Arts Center in 1982. This historic area features more than 250 dining, shopping, entertainment and service-oriented businesses.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Many of Littleton's attractions are the product of its recent restoration projects, in which city planners have attempted to preserve historic buildings. Beginning in the late 1990s, Littleton began a restoration program to save its beautiful historic buildings from demolition. One project begun in 1998 restored the abandoned former county courthouse; the restored site was dedicated in May 2000 as the new Littleton Municipal Courthouse. Other restoration projects include the old town hall, which was reconverted into a fine arts center and gallery.

• Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, designed by architect Jacques Benedict in the 1920s and restored in the 1980s, produces hundreds of events a year through the support of the Littleton Center for Cultural Arts Foundation. Some theater productions have included The Full Monty, The Further Adventures of Maide Marian, and Beauty and Beast.
• Littleton Historical Museum, located on South Gallup Street, features a main exhibition and administration building, a collections center, a small lake, and two living history farms from the mid- and late-1800s. The main building was restored in 2004 and opened in 2005 and contains educational classrooms, four galleries, and a lecture hall and research center. The museum has been fully accredited by the American Association of Museums.
• Depot Art Center and Gallery, which is a restored Santa Fe Railroad train station from the late 1880s, was first adapted as an arts center in the late 1970s. North of the center is a renovated caboose from the 1890s. Additionally, the center features workshops and art classes as well as monthly art shows.
• Located on South Rapp Street, Main Street Art Gallery provides a number of services, including layout and design, printing, video documentation, portfolio construction, marketing, and gallery exhibitions. The gallery also features a resident artist program, which grants space and materials in the gallery to local artists. The gallery then promotes the selected artists and displays their work.
• Directed by Jurgen de Lemos, Littleton Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of Colorado's most esteemed and multitalented community orchestras. The LSO encourages the development of local musicians and boosts the quality of Littleton's south-suburban area culture by participating in school outreach programs and community events. The LSO performs at a variety of venues, including Littleton Town Hall, Roxborough Park, Hudson Gardens, and the Littleton Historical Museum.

EDUCATION

Area residents have access to all of the Denver-area universities and colleges, but Littleton also has its own institutions:

• Arapahoe Community College, which has campuses throughout Colorado, enrolls about 20,000 students in such programs as humanities and social sciences, math, health, arts, and science and engineering. The college is also home to a museum of anthropology.
• Located near the Southwest Plaza Mall, Artistic Beauty Colleges is part of a national network of schools that offer programs in cosmetology, nail technology, and esthetics.
• Denver Seminary specializes in religious studies and offers Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees.

EVENTS

• The Danny Dietz statue, dedicated to the memory of the fallen Navy Seal on July 4, 2007, is located in Berry Park. The bronze statue honors Dietz, who was a resident of Littleton.
• Located on South Santa Fe Drive, Hudson Gardens offers extensive gardens and places for relaxing picnics. The gardens feature a wetlands area, woodland, an English Cottage garden, and a number of model trains.
• Summerset Festival is an annual three-day event held in Clement Park in September. This festival features a car show, a hot-air balloon show, a pancake breakfast and picnic, concerts, educational and commercial exhibits, and cultural performances.

LOCAL MEDIA

Littleton is served by the weekly Littleton Independent newspaper.