Stapleton, Denver Lake Nature Center, one of the nation's largest urban wildlife refuges. As of 2018, Stapleton has a population of around 75,000 residents living amongst 23,500 households. The Northfield section of the development (north of Interstate 70) still has significant residential and commercial development occurring today. The University of Colorado A-Line directly connecting Denver Union Station downtown to Denver International Airport started operating in 2016 and has one stop in Stapleton; the Central Park Station. Stapleton is served by the Central Park commuter rail and bus station, with direct connections to Union Station in downtown and the Denver International Airport via
Denver International Airport Stapleton International Airport, and there was also a significant Southwest Airlines operation. At times, Stapleton was a hub for three or four airlines. The main reasons that justified the construction of the new DIA included the fact that gate space was severely limited at Stapleton, and the Stapleton runways were unable to deal efficiently with Denver's weather and wind patterns, causing nationwide travel disruption. From 1980 to 1983, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) investigated six areas for a new metro area airport that were north and east of Denver. In September 1989, under the leadership of Denver Mayor