Queen City General Store is one of several new Capitol Hill retailers. Kara Pearson Gwinn

The most densely populated area in Colorado, Capitol Hill has been dubbed "Denver's Greenwich Village" for its eclectic mix of people and businesses. What's afoot, these days, up on The Hill?

Without a doubt, the Capitol Hill neighborhood sits east of the Colorado State Capitol -- with which its name is associated.

But quiz residents and shopkeepers about where Capitol Hill ends, and multiple answers arise:

"I think it goes all the way to Colorado [Boulevard]."

"For me, it doesn't go much further than, say, York [Street]."

"To Race [Street] -- that's my opinion."

"Until it turns into Congress Park."

"It goes as far as

There are as many opinions on the subject as there are wacky pastries at the aforementioned doughnut shop.

However, the City and County of Denver has established

Still, the

Compounding the confusion, there's the civic-minded group

"I always look at the hill as being right in [Cheesman Park], the highest part of the whole area," says John Donahoe, the owner of

And the Capitol Hill neighborhood has one area, which, in some people's minds, is its own enclave: the "Governor's Park neighborhood." Although you won't find a neighborhood called "Governor's Park" on the city's official map (although you will find the park), apparently

Chef Frank Bonanno's restaurants Mizuna, Vesper Lounge and Bones are located on the north side of 7th Avenue, and Luca is just around the corner on Grant Street -- clearly within the boundaries of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. But Ellie Logue, PR and marketing coordinator for

However, there's one area where it remains, unquestionably, Capitol Hill.

You are Wax Trax

The

The district's placemaking banners, affixed to poles, bear the numeral "13" at the very bottom. One displays two cheerful men, pressed cheek to cheek. Beneath them, the phrase: "You are legendary."

Denver drew young gay men like Nash and Flesher, who had grown up in the Midwest and the South, to more embracing environs.

Current

In 1971, Videotique's Donahoe, then in the Air Force and living on Pearl Street, recalls Capitol Hill being filled with "flower children" who were "trying to make the world a better place." That vibe didn't last too long, however; by the mid-'70s, the apartments and bars around East 13th and Pearl came to be known as havens for speed freaks, says Davis. Historian

Referring to tail end of the '70s into the '80s, Davis says, "Capitol Hill was just a much darker and riskier place to be, at that time." Violence -- whether perpetrated by neo-Nazi skinheads or gangbangers -- heightened tensions in the area into the '90s.

In its early days, Davis recalls the police not always showing up when the store called concerning shoplifters. "Being Wax Trax, we were considered to be dangerous and punks, encouraging drug use and deviant sexual behaviors of all kinds," he wryly recollects.

Davis says the area began changing in the '90s, as "money moved in." He calls that early, Denver gentrification "The Great Condo-ization of Capitol Hill" -- a time when many apartment buildings were converted into condominiums.

Over the years, Davis' store has held on by the skin of its teeth as big box stores began selling music cheaper, and continues on presently as MP3 downloads and streaming music have become the norm. However, vinyl began experiencing a revival in the early 2000s, and Wax Trax sells records to an ever-changing, yet demographically consistent customer base: 20- to 30-year-olds. "Those are our folks," says Davis, 71. "Dave and I get older every year, but that base stays the same."

Bob Dylan has also shopped at Wax Trax. So has guitarist Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. "The Ramones used to spend a lot of time, did signings," says Davis. Ric Ocasek of The Cars (who also produced Bad Brains, Guided by Voices and Suicide) once said that Wax Trax had the best punk rock selection between Chicago and the West Coast.

Today, Davis has earned a bit of recognition, as well: Another one of the banners hanging on poles along the East 13th Avenue Pedestrian Mall bears an image of Davis.

It says, "You are Wax Trax."

All walks of life

The area around Wax Trax has been undergoing an economic revitalization, especially over the last few years. Davis isn't averse to the changes -- even if there's now less of an edge in the area. Davis says, "We're all for good, stable businesses that can last for a while."

Davis adds, "Every kind of hip area, that's one of its problems: People's dreams are much bigger than their abilities to stay in business, and we've seen a lot of people come and go over the years. That's just the nature of the game."

Presently, a few doors down from Wax Trax is the sleek, breakfast-and-lunch nook

The first week Jelly was in business, Epps recalls two Episcopal priests from the nearby church at one table and, simultaneously, two drag show performers, still going from the night before, at another. "It's kind of Denver's bohemian neighborhood," he says, "and I think that's still true to this day, more so than in any other place, even if it is less so than it used to be."

Davis calls Jelly "a wonderful addition to our block: good food, nice people." Not only that, but on weekends it often attracts a line of waiting patrons, who sometimes shop at Wax Trax before a table becomes available.

Across the street is

And Hudson Hill's clientele? "We get all walks of life," says Solano. "We get young people to lobbyists on Capitol Hill to Republican senators. So I feel like it's a middle ground for everybody."

Between Pearl and Washington, there's also a

Nearby, the sports bar

Not everybody is thrilled with the changes on Capitol Hill.

Ryan Sharp, 25, sits drinking a beer with friends on the patio outside of the

Over on 14th Avenue near the Planned Parenthood clinic, a man known as Billy the Poet was set to perform at

Donahoe over at Videotique notes another change on Capitol Hill: "It used to be gayer than it is. Now it's more younger, upscale, heterosexual couples with pets and kids." Videotique stocks close to 1,000 gay and lesbian-related titles -- more if you include what's in the adult section.

Donahoe adds, "Some of my customers have moved to other parts of town, just because they can't afford to live here anymore."

Pulse of the city

City, O' City specializes in vegetarian and vegan fare.

"Whenever I would go to 13th Avenue growing up, I was awestruck," says Daniel Landes.

Landes, 45, owns

Landes is also a member of Denver's

However, some homeless advocates blame marijuana,

"Since the pot law, my rent has gone up $200 in three years," says Brian Augustine, 55, a formerly homeless man who supports himself selling the

Randle Loeb, who also used to be homeless, has lived on Capitol Hill for 30 years. He presently works as the groundskeeper for CHUN's Tears McFarlane mansion. Loeb says the homeless situation has gotten "remarkably worse" in the last five years. "I think, in part, it's the marijuana law," Loeb says.

Davis and Landes (who counts some homeless among his customers) haven't noticed an increase. "No, actually, it's way less than it was in the '80s," says Davis, citing the aggressive panhandlers who used to frequent the area.

However, Teri Rippeto, who runs one of Denver's earliest farm-to-table restaurants,

When asked what's changed in the neighborhood since opening, Rippeto laughs and says, "Probably less meth and crack." The neighborhood has never scared away customers, though: "[Potager] brings in all different types of people and always has."

East Colfax is one of the areas, along with Lincoln and Broadway, where crime is more prevalent in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Still, Capitol Hill experiences less incidences of violence and robberies than bordering neighborhoods like North Capitol Hill, better known as Uptown (which begins on the north side of East Colfax) and Civic Center, according to the Denver Police Department's

Donahoe says, "I think it's an extremely safe neighborhood. I've never had anybody attack me. I've had some people scream at me, once or twice, but nothing extreme or life-threatening."





Crime? As far as Capitol Hill problems go, people are more likely to cite finding a curbside space for their car. "There's nowhere to park," says one of Sharp's friends, drinking a beer at SubCulture.



"Parking can be tough around the capitol," echoes Jimmy Balafas of the



To serve even more customers, the Park Tavern is undergoing a transformation, adding a rooftop patio. Balafas says Capitol Hill has a "very eclectic housing stock. Very urban, as urban as you get in the whole Rocky Mountain region."



He adds, "If you were to take a one-mile demographic of the amount of people living [near the Park Tavern], you have, like, 40,000 people." Balafas, who also helms the Recalling the days when he trekked to Capitol Hill as a high school student in the late '80s to shop at Wax Trax, Landes says, "It's not as dangerous as it was."Crime? As far as Capitol Hill problems go, people are more likely to cite finding a curbside space for their car. "There's nowhere to park," says one of Sharp's friends, drinking a beer at SubCulture."Parking can be tough around the capitol," echoes Jimmy Balafas of the Kentro Group , which owns the building on East 11th Avenue housing the Park Tavern & Restaurant To serve even more customers, the Park Tavern is undergoing a transformation, adding a rooftop patio. Balafas says Capitol Hill has a "very eclectic housing stock. Very urban, as urban as you get in the whole Rocky Mountain region."He adds, "If you were to take a one-mile demographic of the amount of people living [near the Park Tavern], you have, like, 40,000 people." Balafas, who also helms the Upper Colfax Business Improvement District, adds, "I usually call Colfax the pulse of the city, but that neighborhood is probably the pulse of the city as well."

On East Colfax,

Home sweet Capitol Hill

"[Capitol Hill] was originally the toniest neighborhood in the city and it was the enclave of the rich," says Tom Noel, author of

reputedly

Although Capitol Hill isn't being transformed quite as noticeably as other neighborhoods in Denver, it's still seeing more high-dollar development projects.

Currently under construction is

A block away from Quality Hill Park at East 10th Avenue and Pennsylvania Street -- which, until recently, attracted a sizable number of homeless people -- is

In a

Hudson Hill's Solano, who lives in the neighborhood, observes, "I feel like there's a great sense of community, where [people want] to keep [the historical buildings] from being torn down and turned into boxy condos."

No matter what changes are in store on Capitol Hill, some people -- whether they're lowly basement-apartment dwellers or living sky-high in condos -- will always prefer the vibe there.

Donahoe says, "Capitol Hill's always been a really eclectic, liberal neighborhood. I don't really think it's changed all that much, as far as those aspects go."

Echoes Balafas: "I think it's a great place; I think it's a gem. The city of Denver is lucky to have a neighborhood like Capitol Hill."

Given the changes happening throughout much of Denver, Landes adds, "I don't recognize a lot of other parts of my city, but whenever I get back to Capitol Hill, oh yeah! It's where I live, it's my home."