If you've lived in Colorado for long enough, you probably know that Denver's East Colfax is one of the most notorious areas in the state.

Known for poverty, drugs, prostitution, gang violence, and more, East Colfax's reputation has preceded itself for decades.

However, there was a time when the future looked much less grim for the infamous area. Take a look back at what was going on in this historically nasty part of Denver back in 1985.

A Flashback to Denver Colorado's East Colfax Avenue in 1985

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Today, when you hear about East Colfax Avenue in Denver it's usually not for the best of reasons. As mentioned above, this particular area is known for its crime and poverty, and this seemed to be the case some 38 years ago as well.

However, a group called Colfax on the Hill was taking initiative back in the mid-1980s to give East Colfax a bit of a makeover in an effort to attract people who were looking for a place to spend money.

The group would meet once a month to discuss ideas and even cleaned up and repurposed some old buildings to make the area a little nicer.

While Colfax on the Hill certainly had the neighborhood's best interests at heart, the area continued to be known as a haven for criminal activity as it still is today.

Regardless, it's still cool to take a trip back in time to check out the old buildings, vehicles, and businesses from around that particular era.

Keep scrolling to check out what East Colfax looked like back in 1985:

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