The name “Valverde” means “green valley” in Spanish. The early developers saw the beautiful area buffering the South Platte River as a valley of flourishing green, natural vegetation, and trees.
The incorporated Town of Valverde was founded in 1899 while the area was in Arapahoe County. In 1902 the Town of Valverde was dissolved and annexed to the City of Denver under the Colorado Session Laws of 1893.
Historical development in the neighborhood took place first in the area along Alameda Avenue, and east of Tejon Street. This area formed the nucleus of the old Valverde community, along with the northeastern part of Athmar Park and the adjacent industrial areas of Athmar Park and Sun Valley neighborhoods. Early development also took place in the northwestern section of the area, which is closely related to the old Barnum community. In earlier times Federal Boulevard was narrow, did not carry much traffic, and did not create the physical and psychological barrier that it does today.
After the turn of the century development began in the area east of Tejon Street, but it was not until 1915 that substantial construction activity occurred.
Small truck farms flourished In the Valverde area. Farmers used their small trucks to take produce to the market place. The industrialization of the area surrounding the river basin started with the selling of truck farms for redevelopment. The construction of I-25 in the mid-1950s and the West 6th Avenue Freeway in the 1960s had a major impact on the industrialization of the Valverde neighborhood. The highway and freeway had many interchanges — on and off ramps at West 6th Avenue and Federal Boulevard, Bryant Street and West Alameda — that provided good access to the area. This central location provided an excellent area for the building of ware- houses, offices, and light industrial uses.
A major historical event for Valverde was the flood of the South Platte River that Denver experienced on June 16, 1965. Some 1,368 houses near the river sustained damage estimated at $3.4 million, and 1,164 commercial structures suffered damage totaling $9.8 million. One of the worst hit neighborhoods was Valverde, which suffered approximately $500,000 worth of property damage. Flooding affected the area from the South Platte River to Tejon Street, and further north and west. About 324 homes were condemned, of which 75 were lost. The 1965 flood caused many people to leave Valverde, especially those who lived east of Tejon Street.