Just west of downtown Denver is the diverse and charming Highland neighborhood. Initially founded in 1858 by Scottish, English and Welsh immigrants, the neighborhood is distinguished from others in Denver by the unusual square platting of blocks. These square blocks allowed each home to face all adjacent streets and provided for a carriage turnaround in the center of the block. While some of these center blocks have been distributed among adjoining properties, other center lots remain and provide a communal feel to the residents. Some mansions were built to attract buyers early on, but most homes in the neighborhood — constructed between 1893 and 1939 — are a more modest mix of Victorian, Queen Anne, bungalows, and later ranch-style homes. The redevelopment of the Central Platte Valley in the late 1990s and early 2000s saw Highland’s fortunes rise. Highland became much more accessible to downtown with the construction of the Denver Millennium Bridge and Platte River Bridge in the Central Platte valley, along with the construction of the Highland Bridge over Interstate 25 in 2006. Proximity to downtown led to rapid growth of the area in recent years, while the area today is one of the more sought-after city-center neighborhoods.