Is a Wells Fargo ATM a sign of gentrification?

What are the tell-tale signs of gentrification in Denver? Higher home prices? Brightly painted condos? Whole Foods? How about fancy baby strollers and yoga studios? Or, most tell-tale of all, people pushing fancy baby strollers from the yoga studio to Whole Foods in order to purchase coarse sea salt, almond...

By Melanie Asmar

October 26, 2010

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What are the tell-tale signs of gentrification in Denver? Higher home prices? Brightly painted condos? Whole Foods?

How about fancy baby strollers and yoga studios? Or, most tell-tale of all, people pushing fancy baby strollers from the yoga studio to Whole Foods in order to purchase coarse sea salt, almond milk and locally made organic hummus?

Perhaps. But ATMs?

Apparently so, according to whomever pasted a sign reading "This Is Gentrification" onto the door of the Wells Fargo ATM at 733 Santa Fe Drive. The sign prompted someone else to answer with a Sharpie: "No, it's not. This area needs to get money, too."

Sure enough.

See full-sized photos below.

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Melanie Asmar is a staff writer for Westword. She joined the paper in 2009 and has won awards for her stories about education, immigration and epic legal battles. Got a tip? She'd love to hear it.

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