Neighborhood

TownView at Candelas: A New Arvada Neighborhood Rooted in Old Colorado Landscapes

TownView at Candelas: A New Arvada Neighborhood Rooted in Old Colorado Landscapes

A Neighborhood with a View

TownView at Candelas is one of the distinctive residential villages within northwest Arvada’s expansive Candelas community. Set near McIntyre Street, Candelas Parkway, and West 93rd Place, TownView lives up to its name with broad views toward the foothills, Rocky Mountain horizons, and the open spaces that give this part of Arvada its remarkable sense of room.

Although the homes and streets are relatively new, TownView’s story reaches back much further than the neighborhood’s construction dates. Its heritage is tied to Arvada’s agricultural past, the development of the western metro area, the nearby Rocky Flats landscape, and a modern vision of neighborhood planning that places parks, trails, and community gathering spaces close to home.

TownView is one of six named villages in Candelas. The others—Parkview, Mountainview, Canyonview, Valleyview, and Skyview—reflect the natural outlooks and landforms that shaped the community’s design. Together, these villages form one of Arvada’s largest master-planned neighborhoods, covering nearly 1,500 acres. ([candelascommunity.specialdistrict.org](https://candelascommunity.specialdistrict.org/about?utm_source=openai))

From Farmland to Master-Planned Community

For much of Arvada’s early history, the land west and northwest of the original town was open agricultural country. Arvada itself grew from the Clear Creek and Ralston Creek valleys, where early settlers raised wheat, corn, oats, fruit, berries, and vegetables. The community became especially famous for celery and was once known as the “Celery Capital of the World.” ([arvadaco.gov](https://www.arvadaco.gov/589/The-Founding-of-Our-Community?utm_source=openai))

The broad fields and rolling prairie around today’s Candelas were part of that larger rural landscape. Long before streets such as McIntyre Street, Salvia Street, and West 93rd Avenue appeared on maps, the area was defined by ranchland, drainage channels, dirt roads, and views toward the Front Range.

The transition from open land to planned development took place gradually during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Arvada’s growth pushed westward as families sought larger homes, mountain views, and access to both Denver and Boulder. The city approved the Candelas Outline Development Plan in spring 2008, establishing the framework for residential neighborhoods, parks, roads, open space, and future commercial areas. ([arvadapermits.org](https://www.arvadapermits.org/etrakit3/viewAttachment.aspx?ActivityNo=DA2017-0085&Group=PROJECT&key=CI%3A2006051139410001&utm_source=openai))

That planning process laid the foundation for TownView. Rather than treating the neighborhood as a collection of separate subdivisions, the plan connected homes to a larger network of trails, parks, shared amenities, and community facilities.

How Candelas and TownView Got Their Names

The name *Candelas* is now closely associated with this corner of Arvada, but it is important to understand how the name functions within the community. Candelas is the overall master-planned development, while TownView identifies one of its residential villages.

Candelas’ six village names were chosen to emphasize setting and scenery. TownView suggests a village designed around outlooks toward the broader community and surrounding landscape. The name fits especially well near the neighborhood’s central amenities, where streets and public spaces open toward the foothills and Candelas’ preserved open areas.

Unlike Arvada, whose name has a documented nineteenth-century origin, TownView is a product of modern community planning. Arvada founder Benjamin Franklin Wadsworth helped establish the town in 1870, and his wife, Mary Ann, selected the name Arvada in honor of Hiram Arvada Haskins. TownView, by contrast, belongs to a newer tradition of naming neighborhoods for views, landforms, and lifestyle. ([arvadaco.gov](https://www.arvadaco.gov/589/The-Founding-of-Our-Community?utm_source=openai))

Key Milestones in TownView’s Development

TownView emerged during the early building phases of Candelas, when developers began transforming the approved master plan into streets, homes, parks, and utility systems.

TownView became particularly recognizable because of its community center and recreational amenities. The Candelas Swim & Fitness Club at 9371 McIntyre Street serves as one of the neighborhood’s signature buildings. Designed as a modern gathering place, the facility includes fitness spaces, lounge areas, and pool-related amenities, while its windows and outdoor areas frame views of the surrounding foothills. The facility has also been promoted as a LEED-certified, solar- and geothermal-powered community building. ([candelascommunity.specialdistrict.org](https://candelascommunity.specialdistrict.org/at-townview?utm_source=openai))

Cimarron Park: TownView’s Outdoor Heart

Just as important as the homes is Cimarron Park, located at 15801 West 93rd Place beside the Swim & Fitness Club. The park offers a playground, climbing structure, swings, picnic tables, benches, a multipurpose turf field, and a small amphitheater or bandstand.

For longtime residents, Cimarron Park represents the everyday heritage of TownView. It is where neighbors gather for informal play, outdoor celebrations, movie nights, and community events. The park’s design also reinforces one of Candelas’ defining ideas: that residents should be able to walk or bike to meaningful open spaces instead of driving across town for every recreation opportunity. ([candelascommunity.specialdistrict.org](https://candelascommunity.specialdistrict.org/parks-trails?utm_source=openai))

Nearby trails connect TownView to the broader Candelas network, which includes miles of walking and biking routes. The paths pass through landscaped corridors and open areas, offering residents a way to experience the prairie setting that existed here before the neighborhood was built.

A Landscape Shaped by Larger History

TownView also sits within a landscape influenced by the history of Rocky Flats. The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge borders portions of Candelas to the north, creating an important open-space backdrop and a reminder that this region has served many different purposes over time.

The former Rocky Flats site was associated with the production of nuclear weapons components during the Cold War. After decades of environmental investigation and cleanup, the refuge became part of a protected landscape. Its presence adds complexity to the area’s history, but it also helps preserve broad views, wildlife habitat, and a sense of separation from denser urban development.

For TownView residents, the refuge and surrounding open spaces are part of the neighborhood’s visual identity. The landscape is not simply a backdrop for newer homes; it is a continuing link to the area’s prairie, ranching, industrial, and environmental history.

How TownView Has Evolved

Over the decades, the TownView area has changed from open rural land to a carefully planned residential village. Yet the neighborhood’s evolution has not erased its setting. Instead, Candelas’ planners incorporated views, trails, parks, and natural features into the community’s layout.

Today, TownView feels distinctly modern while still reflecting old Arvada values: neighborliness, access to the outdoors, and appreciation for the land. Children play at Cimarron Park, walkers follow the trails, and residents pause along neighborhood streets to watch the mountains change color at sunset.

That combination is what makes TownView special. Its history is not based on century-old storefronts or preserved farmhouses. It is a newer kind of local heritage—the story of how Arvada welcomed growth while retaining a strong connection to its open western landscape. TownView’s homes may be contemporary, but its best qualities are timeless: wide skies, shared public spaces, mountain views, and the feeling that a neighborhood can still grow into a community.

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