NORTH DENVER · SOUTH PLATTE RIVER TO COLORADO BOULEVARD
Elyria-Swansea
Two old stockyard towns with a new park over I-70, two train stations and the National Western Center next door. The typical home is worth about $345K.
Location: North Denver, from the South Platte River east to Colorado Boulevard, north of 40th Avenue | Vibe: Long-time Latino families, changing fast | Known for: The National Western Stock Show, Central 70 Park, two train stations
Elyria-Swansea runs from the South Platte River east to Colorado Boulevard, from about 40th Avenue north to the Adams County line. It started as two separate towns. Swansea grew up around a smelter in the 1870s and took its name from the Welsh mining town. Elyria was platted in 1881, named for Elyria, Ohio, and incorporated in 1890. Denver annexed both in 1902.
The stockyards and meatpacking plants made this a working neighborhood for most of the 1900s, with Swift, Cudahy and Armour all operating here. The last packing plant closed in 1996. Polish, Slovak, German and Italian families came first, and since the 1940s and 50s the neighborhood has been mostly Latino.
In 1964 the I-70 viaduct went up right through the middle of the neighborhood. In 2022 the state tore it down, lowered the highway and built a four-acre park on top of it, next to Swansea Elementary.
What the housing looks like
Most homes are small houses from the 1940s and earlier, plus modest ranches and cottages on compact lots with detached garages. You’ll also see newer builds, including income-restricted homes from Habitat for Humanity and a community land trust.
Like Globeville, this area was part of the EPA’s smelter cleanup. I check the soil records and talk with the seller about any past cleanup on every house here.
Elyria-Swansea at a glance
Residents
About 6,000 people in the 2020 Census. The neighborhood lost both residents and homes over the decade, partly because houses were cleared for the I-70 and National Western Center projects.
Getting around
48th and Brighton/National Western Center station is on the N Line, and 40th and Colorado station is on the A Line to the airport and Union Station. Route 48 runs on 48th Avenue and Route 40 on Colorado Boulevard, and I-70 runs through the middle of the neighborhood.
Public schools
Most of the neighborhood is zoned to Swansea Elementary, but some homes on the east side near Steele Street go to Harrington Elementary. Listings show Whittier ECE-8 and Manual High School for older grades. Check the DPS school finder for a specific address.
Rules to know
Most of the neighborhood was in the EPA’s Vasquez Boulevard/I-70 Superfund site, where about 800 properties had the top 12 inches of soil replaced. The state health department keeps the sampling records, so I check them for any house here.
“Elyria-Swansea is where I send buyers who want a house in Denver under $400K and a train to the airport down the street.”
North Denver
Discover Elyria-Swansea
Local spots worth knowing
🛝
Central 70 Park
Built over the lowered I-70 and opened in December 2022, with turf soccer fields, two playgrounds, a splash park and a bandstand. Part of it is shared with Swansea Elementary.
🏫
Swansea Elementary
The neighborhood elementary at 4650 Columbine St, for preschool through 5th grade, right next to the cover park.
🐂
National Western Stock Show
The Stock Show has run here since 1906, and 750,039 people came in January 2026, a record. The new Livestock Center with the 5,000-seat CoBank Arena opened that year. The 2027 show runs January 9 to 24.
🔬
CSU Spur
Three Colorado State University buildings about water, food and animal health, opened in 2022 and 2023. Admission is free on weekdays from 9 to 5.
🎪
Denver Coliseum
A 10,000-seat arena at 4600 Humboldt St that still hosts rodeos and the circus.
🚂
Forney Museum of Transportation
At 4303 Brighton Blvd, home to Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive No. 4005 and Amelia Earhart’s yellow Kissel car. Open Thursday through Monday.
🚲
South Platte River
The river runs along the west edge of the neighborhood, with a paved trail south to downtown and new riverside open space at the National Western Center.
🎨
Neighborhood art
A tile mosaic mural in one of the neighborhood parks.
New in Elyria-Swansea
The $22 million indoor pool at 2650 E 49th Ave opened in May 2026, with a 25-meter lap pool, a lazy river and a two-story slide.
The Livestock Center, the Legacy Building and the main campus plaza opened for the January 2026 Stock Show.
A three-building data center is under construction under existing industrial zoning, and neighbors are opposing it. I’ll tell you how close any house is.
Elyria-Swansea real estate
Elyria-Swansea values are down 1.9% over the past year, less than nearby Globeville. Prices swing a lot between a remodeled house near the park and an original one next to industrial lots. For a specific house I pull sales from the same few blocks.
Source: Zillow Home Value Index for Elyria Swansea, Denver, as of August 31, 2026. All home types, including condos and townhomes.
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Who buys in Elyria-Swansea
Most Elyria-Swansea buyers want to own a house inside Denver at a price that still works, near a train.
First-time buyers
People who want a house with a yard, not a condo, for under $400K.
Airport and downtown commuters
Buyers who want the A Line to the airport or the N Line to Union Station a short walk or bike ride away.
Long-term buyers
People buying for where the area is headed, with the new park, the rec center and the National Western Center all finished in the last few years.
Elyria-Swansea questions I get asked
What is the smell I sometimes notice?
Often it’s the Purina pet food plant at 4555 York St. Neighbors have complained about the odor for years, the city and state have fined the plant, and a class-action lawsuit filed in 2025 is still pending. How much you notice depends on the wind and the block, so I’d visit a house more than once before you buy.
Is the soil safe?
Elyria-Swansea was part of the EPA’s Vasquez Boulevard/I-70 smelter cleanup, which sampled more than 4,500 yards and replaced the soil in about 800. The residential area came off the Superfund list in 2019. I can’t promise any one yard is clean, so I check the records and ask the seller before your inspection deadline.
What happens during the Stock Show?
For 16 days every January, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the National Western Center. Expect more traffic and parking pressure on the west side of the neighborhood near Brighton Boulevard and the Coliseum. Blocks farther east toward Colorado Boulevard usually feel it less.
Nearby neighborhoods
Globeville is just west across the South Platte, with similar prices and the 41st and Fox station. Cole is south across 40th Avenue, closer to RiNo and higher priced.
Buying in Elyria-Swansea? My Denver home buyer’s guide walks through the whole process in 10 steps.
Thinking about Elyria-Swansea?
Let’s talk about which blocks are close to the park and the trains and which sit next to industrial sites, what to check on an older house here, and what homes like it have actually sold for.
Or call or text 720.454.5432