Hipster Denver street in the making

A busy street connecting downtown Denver to the interstate, roaring with trucks and running alongside railroad tracks, might not sound like a trendy neighborhood in the making.

But now it's the time to visit Brighton Boulevard before it begins to look too much like any hipster street in any other city. It offers a close connection to Denver's gritty roots, as well a glimpse of what's coming, along with eateries, entertainment and more.

A mural depicting farm animals and dancing cowboys just off Brighton Boulevard is easy for drivers to miss.

Its delicate greens and oranges, on jewel-like tiles on a concrete wall, are almost invisible in the shadow of Interstate 70. Like the rest of the neighborhood, the installation is best appreciated by visitors on foot, so get out of your car－but watch out for traffic.

From the mural, it's a short walk to the National Western Complex, which hosts rodeos, martial arts tournaments, alpaca exhibits, classic car auctions and concerts throughout the year.

For two weeks each January, the National Western Stock Show takes over the complex, a festival of cattle auctions, horse shows, Western art exhibits and more.

Jobs at smelters, slaughterhouses and factories also meant opportunity for people like Joseph Fisher, a former slave who arrived with his family from the South by wagon train after the Civil War and is listed among early neighborhood homeowners as a smelter worker and "prize fighter".

Back toward downtown from the National Western Complex is the Forney Museum of Transportation, a nostalgic stop for its classic inventory.

The cavernous hall sitting along railroad tracks also displays a nail-polish red 1936 Morgan racer and other vintage cars, motorcycles, bicycles, planes and boats, including a Martin AirCar designed for land, sea and air travel.

The collection ranges from toy-sized models to Big Boy, a steam locomotive that traveled more than a million miles before it was retired in 1962.

Other indicators of change include recreational marijuana shops and artists moving into warehouses along Brighton. Galleries and ateliers for dressmakers and artisans working in wood and metal have also popped up.