Jim Murphy has lived in Stapleton for ten years, but he doesn’t talk about it to most of his friends. “At first we would tell people we were moving to East Denver, close to Park Hill,” said Murphy. “That way, we wouldn’t have to say ‘Stapleton’ and worry about people giving us a hard time or judging us.” Murphy says the early iterations of Stapleton absolutely had the Pleasantville vibe which everyone made fun of. “Of course, everything was new. The houses, the trees, the streets, so everything looked perfect. And, of course, there were attractive young couples moving here, so that only compounded the stereotype. We didn’t want to have to get crap from our friends in other parts of Denver, so we kind of avoided saying the word ‘Stapleton’ as much as we could.” But, like a fine bottle of wine, Stapleton is aging well. The trees are growing in, the houses are looking more perfectly imperfect, and we even have our own train station. Stapleton is now more likely to be a place one is envious of than the butt of someone’s jokes.
“I am much more likely to tell people I live in Stapleton now,” said Murphy. “We have the Stanley, the Eastbridge Town Center and all the great restaurants like The Kitchen Next Door going in there, and possibly even Punch Bowl Social. Stapleton is actually becoming a destination for my friends in other areas of Denver. It’s like being able to tell people you live in Wash Park when you are in your twenties. But, instead of being in your twenties, you’re in your forties and instead of Wash Park being cool, Stapleton is cool. That made sense, right?” Other residents feel the same way. “I almost get status now by telling people I live in Stapleton,” said longtime resident Shannon Johnson. “I feel like how Cherry Creek residents must feel, but way poorer.” Stapleton will continue to be known for being a family friendly community, but now Stapleton is getting love in other areas. “Is it ever going to be ‘cool’ to live in Stapleton?” asks Johnson. “Probably not. But, when in the hell has being married with kids living anywhere ever been cool.” Next time someone asks you where you live, go ahead and tell them Stapleton. Because if they don’t live here, the joke’s probably on them.