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Denver
Photo Gallery
Introduction
Denver, city in north
central Colorado, capital of the
state and its largest city.
Denver is the commercial,
financial, and cultural center
of the Rocky Mountain region and
the home of numerous federal
government agencies and offices.
The city’s dry, sunny climate is
favored by tourists. Denver is
known as the Mile High City, a
nickname it was given because a
spot on the state capitol steps
is at an elevation of 5,280 ft
(1,609 m), exactly one mile
above sea level.
Denver is on the western
edge of the Great Plains
near the Front Range of the
Rocky Mountains. The range’s
snowcapped peaks rise
abruptly from low foothills
and provide a spectacular
backdrop to the city. In the
city is the confluence of
the South Platte River and
Cherry Creek. Denver’s
location on the plains gives
it a climate quite different
from that found in the Rocky
Mountains a short distance
to the west. Denver
experiences more moderate
temperatures and receives
less precipitation. The
average high temperature in
January is 6°C (43°F) and
the average low is -9°C
(16°F). The average high in
July is 31°C (88°F) and the
average low is 15°C (59°F).
Annual precipitation
measures 391 mm (15.4 in) on
average; most arrives in
spring and summer months,
with much of the
accumulation in early spring
in the form of snow.
Denver was founded in
1858 at the beginning of
a regional gold rush and
named after James W.
Denver, territorial
governor of Kansas, of
which the region was
still a part.
Denver and its
Metropolitan
Area
Denver is a
spacious city of
parks,
tree-lined
streets, old,
rambling
mansions, broad
avenues, and
modern
skyscrapers. The
South Platte
River flows
north through
the city and
meets Cherry
Creek in
downtown Denver.
The city of
Denver and the
county of Denver
share the same
boundaries and
cover a land
area of 397.0 sq
km (153.3 sq
mi).
The Denver
metropolitan
region
comprises
the counties
of Denver,
Jefferson,
Arapahoe,
Adams, and
Douglas. Its
land area of
9,740.1 sq
km (3,760.9
sq mi)
includes
prairies to
the east and
the
mountains
and
foothills to
the west.
The
population
of the
metropolitan
area has
increased
steadily
throughout
the second
half of the
20th
century. By
2000 nearly
one-half of
the state’s
population
resided in
the Denver
metropolitan
region.
Steady
growth and
housing
development
are
eliminating
the
farmlands
that once
covered much
of the area.
New suburban
and
industrial
areas spread
out westward
toward the
Rockies,
northward
toward
Boulder, and
southward
toward
Colorado
Springs.
Principal
suburban
communities
in the
metropolitan
area are
Lakewood,
Aurora,
Arvada,
Westminster,
Thornton,
Littleton,
Englewood,
and Wheat
Ridge.
At the
heart of
Denver,
just
east of
Cherry
Creek,
is the
Civic
Center,
a
rectangular
expanse
of lawns
partially
surrounded
by
several
major
public
buildings.
At
opposite
ends of
the
center
are the
City and
County
Building
and the
State
Capitol,
which is
capped
by a
gold-plated
dome.
Near the
capitol
are the
Colorado
State
Museum,
the art
museum,
and the
library.
The
central
business
district
lies
northwest
of the
Civic
Center
along
the
eastern
bank of
Cherry
Creek.
Stretching
for 14
blocks
through
the
center
of
downtown,
the 16th
Street
Pedestrian
Mall is
lined
with
restaurants
and
shops.
Population
Denver’s population grew by 18.6 percent during the 1990s. By 2000 the population had reached 554,636. Denver’s population decreased in the 1970s and 1980s, reaching a low of 467,610 in 1990. The city’s period of population decline mirrored the white exodus found in many other large American cities. People, businesses, and jobs migrated to Denver’s suburbs, which correspondingly witnessed enormous growth. For example, between 1950 and 2000 Aurora’s population increased from 11,300 to 276,393 and Arvada’s population increased from 2,300 to 102,153.
According to the 2000 census, whites are 65.3 percent of Denver’s population, blacks 11.1 percent, Asians 2.8 percent, Native Americans 1.3 percent, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders 0.1 percent. People of mixed heritage or not reporting race make up 19.3 percent of the population. Hispanics, who may be of any race, are 31.7 percent of the people.
Education and Culture
Since the very beginning of Colorado’s settlement, Denver has been the region’s thriving cultural hub and a regional educational center. Among the leading educational institutions are the Metropolitan State College of Denver (1963); the Denver campus (established in 1912) of the University of Colorado; the University of Denver (1864); the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (1883); and Regis University (1877). Nearby is the first campus of the University of Colorado (1876) in Boulder, and the Colorado School of Mines (1874) in Golden.
Prominent cultural institutions include the Denver Art Museum, with a fine collection of Native American art and pre-Columbian artifacts. The natural world can be explored at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; the Denver Zoo, which emphasizes natural habitats and is considered one of the best in the country; and the Denver Botanic Gardens. The Colorado History Museum has displays showing how miners, settlers, and Native Americans lived during the early years of the state. Denver’s history can be seen in the Molly Brown House, Larimer Square, and the Byers-Evans House. Walking tours of historic areas also explore the city’s past. Most of the nearby towns have historical societies and museums, such as the Littleton Historical Museum and the Aurora History Museum. Specialized museums in the Denver area include those devoted to blacks in the West, railroads, firefighting, transportation, and miniatures and dolls. Tours of the United States Mint, the State Capitol, and the Governor’s Mansion are also available.
The Central City Opera, Opera Colorado, Colorado Ballet, and Colorado Symphony Orchestra provide a variety of programs. The Denver Center Theatre Company stages events in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the city’s principal theater complex. Other organizations, from dinner theaters to community groups, are scattered throughout the metropolitan area. The Red Rocks Amphitheater is an outstanding setting for outdoor concerts. The many universities and colleges offer an array of cultural opportunities.
Recreation
Denver provides ample opportunities for recreation. The city has more than 250 urban parks and about 210 km (about 130 mi) of trails for cycling, running, and walking. Denver also has a unique collection of 51 parks in the mountains to the west, including the Winter Park ski resort and a park featuring a city-managed herd of buffalo. Cheesman Park, City Park, Platte River Greenway, Confluence Park, and Washington Park are among Denver’s best-known and largest parks. Other nearby parks and recreation areas include Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Red Rocks Park, and Chatfield State Recreational Area. The city of Denver constructed a road to the top of Mount Evans (4,348 m/14,264 ft), a paved road at the greatest elevation in the United States. National forests and Rocky Mountain National Park are also nearby.
Denver is the center of professional sports in the Rocky Mountain region. Major league teams are the Denver Broncos (football), Colorado Rockies (baseball), Denver Nuggets (basketball), and Colorado Avalanche (ice hockey). Coors Field (opened in 1995) is the home of the Colorado Rockies. The Broncos began play at the newly constructed Invesco Field at Mile High in 2001, and the Nuggets and Avalanche play at the Pepsi Center. The National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, one of the largest such shows in the country, is held every January.
Economy
Light industry, tourism, mining, and agriculture are the principal economic activities of the Denver region. Also fueling the economy are financial institutions, federal and state governments, and the corporate headquarters of numerous companies. Technology industries are important, and the region has numerous medical technology and aerospace companies. Denver is home to AT&T Broadband, one of the world’s largest providers of television, telephone, and Internet services. The city is the center of the region’s gas, oil, and coal extraction industries. Denver serves the vast Rocky Mountain region as a communications, industrial, transportation, and marketing center.
Denver has one of the largest concentrations of federal workers outside of Washington, D.C., with nearly 250 federal offices in the metropolitan area, including 30 at the Federal Center in Lakewood. The United States Mint produces much of the nation’s coins and is the best-known federal facility. Denver also has branches of the Federal Reserve Bank, United States Customs, and the federal court system. The closure of Lowry Air Base and Fitzsimmons Hospital beginning in 1995 ended a long era of military bases in the Denver area.
Denver is the transportation center of the Rocky Mountain region. The vast Denver International Airport, opened in 1995, is one of the most modern in the United States, and several other smaller airports serve the metropolitan area. Three interstate highways (I-25, I-70, and I-76) pass through Denver. Several railroads provide freight services, and the city is a major stop for Amtrak passenger trains. In 1994 a light-rail transportation system was opened for passenger travel. Numerous trucking lines link Denver with other cities.
Government
The City of Denver and Denver County were merged in 1902 and operate under a single government composed of a mayor and council. The nonpartisan mayor and council members are elected to four-year terms. The mayor exercises strong executive powers and the council acts as the legislative body. Eleven council members are elected by district and two are chosen citywide. There are several metropolitan government agencies, including the Metropolitan Sewage District, Denver Fire Academy, Regional Service Authority, and Regional Transportation District.
History
Cheyenne and Arapaho visited the Denver area for decades before the first white trappers and explorers passed by the site. Word of the discovery of gold in 1850 by a California-bound group eventually resulted in the arrival of a party of prospectors led by William Green Russell in 1858. They too found gold and the news spread, beginning the “Pikes Peak or Bust” gold rush. Two little settlements, Denver and Auraria, grew near the gold discoveries. They merged and incorporated as the city of Denver in 1860. Denver grew as a destination point and shipment gateway for the mountain mining communities to the west. Denver was designated the territorial capital in 1867. However, because of rivalries between towns, Denver did not become the official state capital until a special election in 1881, five years after Colorado achieved statehood in 1876.
The arrival of two railroads in 1870 assured Denver’s prosperity. The discovery of silver near Leadville in the late 1870s provided the money to turn the town into the region’s major city. Horace Tabor built the Tabor Grand Opera House and five-story Tabor Block in Denver with part of his silver fortune. Denver’s population jumped from 4,759 in 1870 to more than 106,000 in 1890. The crash of the silver markets in 1893 severely hurt the community. Silver mines closed and banks folded, bringing to an end a boom that started a decade before. Denver would go through several boom and bust periods in the century that followed.
World War II (1939-1945) was an important period in the history of Denver. Many federal offices moved to the city during the war, relocating away from the coasts to the perceived safety of the country’s interior. During the war Denver was referred to as the nation’s “second capital” because of its concentration of federal facilities. Manufacturers geared up to produce war materials, and important military installations were built near the city. After the war, Denver and its suburbs entered a vigorous period of growth and development.
Today Denver faces the challenges similar to all large urban areas, including pollution, overburdened transportation systems, crime, rising poverty, and a changing economy. Denver has had some success in facing these problems. In the mid-1980s the city recorded 49 days in which air quality failed to meet acceptable quality standards; by the mid-1990s the days with poor air quality had been reduced to two. The vast Rocky Mountain Arsenal, adjacent to the city and once home to the manufacture of chemical weapons, is being cleaned up and rehabilitated as a wildlife refuge. In the first five years of the 1990s, Denver’s leadership showed great faith in the future by building a new airport, baseball stadium, light-rail system, convention center, and revitalizing the downtown district. Denver Photo Gallery
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