Lakewood, Colorado

A Brief History of Lakewood

Lakewood’s name began with an 1889 subdivision laid out by Charles Welch and William and Miranda Loveland near West Colfax Avenue. Their plans envisioned a railroad suburb between Denver and Golden. Over the following decades, farms, older communities and new residential subdivisions developed across eastern Jefferson County. In June 1969, residents voted by more than two to one to incorporate a city, bringing neighborhoods including Lakewood, Mountair and Bancroft into one municipal government. Concerns about police protection, road maintenance and possible annexation by Denver helped drive the decision. The new city adopted the name of the earlier subdivision, connecting its suburban growth to its railroad-era origins.