The 'City and County of Denver' is the
capital and the
most populous city of the
U.S. state of
Colorado. Denver is located in the
South Platte River Valley on the
High Plains just east of the
Front Range of the
Southern Rocky Mountains. The Denver downtown district is located immediately east of the confluence of
Cherry Creek with the
South Platte River, approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of the
foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Denver is
nicknamed ''The Mile-High City'' because its official
elevation is exactly one mile (5,280 feet or approximately 1,609 meters) above sea level.
[1]
The
United States Census Bureau estimates that, in 2006, the population of the City and County of Denver was 566,974, making it the
27th most populous U.S. city.
[ County total population, population change and estimated components of population change: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CO-EST2006-alldata) ] The
Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated 2006 population of 2,408,750 and ranked as the
21st most populous U.S. metropolitan statistical area,
[ Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CBSA-EST2006-01) ] and the larger
Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area had an estimated 2006 population of 2,927,911 and ranked as the
17th most populous U.S. metropolitan area.
[ Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CBSA-EST2006-02) ] The city claims to have the 10th largest
central business district in the United States.
[2]
History
Former Kansas Territorial Governor
James W. Denver visited his namesake city in 1875 and in 1882.
Denver was founded during the
Pikes Peak Gold Rush in the
Kansas Territory in 1858.
[3] That summer, a group of gold prospectors from
Lawrence,
Kansas arrived and established
Montana City on the banks of the
South Platte River. This was the first settlement in what was later to become the city of Denver. The site faded quickly, however, and was abandoned in favor of
Auraria (named after the gold-mining town of
Auraria,
Georgia) and St. Charles City by the summer of 1859. The Montana City site is now
Grant-Frontier Park and includes mining equipment and a
log cabin replica.
On
November 22 1858,
General William Larimer, a land speculator from eastern
Kansas, placed
cottonwood logs to stake a claim on the hill overlooking the confluence of the South Platte River and
Cherry Creek, across the creek from the existing mining settlement of Auraria. Larimer named the town site Denver City to curry favor with Kansas Territorial Governor
James W. Denver. Larimer hoped that the town's name would help make it the
county seat of Arapaho County, but ironically Governor Denver had already resigned from office. The location was accessible to existing trails and was across the South Platte River from the site of seasonal encampments of the
Cheyenne and
Arapaho. The site of these first towns is now the site of
Confluence Park in downtown Denver. Larimer, along with associates in the St. Charles City Land Company, sold parcels in the town to merchants and miners, with the intention of creating a major city that would cater to new emigrants. Denver City was a frontier town, with an economy based on servicing local miners with gambling, saloons, livestock and goods trading. In the early years, land parcels were often traded for grubstakes or gambled away by miners in Auraria.
The
Colorado Territory was created on
February 28 1861,
[ State Government History ] Arapahoe County was formed on
November 1 1861,
and Denver City was incorporated on
November 7 1861.
[ Colorado Municipal Incorporations ] Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until
consolidation in 1902.
[About Denver. The City and County of Denver. Retrieved on July 20 2006.] In 1865, Denver City became the
Territorial Capital.
With its new-found importance, Denver City shortened its name to just Denver.
On
August 1 1876, Denver became the State Capital when Colorado was
admitted to the Union.
Panorama of Denver circa 1898
Between 1880-1895 the city experienced a huge rise in city corruption, as crime bosses, such as
Soapy Smith, worked side-by-side with elected officials and the police to control the elections, gambling, and the bunko gangs.
[4] In 1887, the precursor to the international charity
United Way was formed in Denver by local religious leaders who raised funds and coordinated various charities to help Denver's poor.
[5] By 1890, Denver had grown to be the second largest city west of
Omaha, but by 1900 it had dropped to third place behind
San Francisco and
Los Angeles.
[6]
In 1901 the
Colorado General Assembly voted to split Arapahoe County into three parts: a new
consolidated City and County of Denver, a new
Adams County, and the remainder of the Arapahoe County to be renamed
South Arapahoe County. A ruling by the
Colorado Supreme Court, subsequent
legislation, and a
referendum delayed the creation of the City and County of Denver until
1902-11-15. Denver hosted the
1908 Democratic National Convention to promote the city's status on the national political and socio-economic stage.
Beat icon Neal Cassady was raised on Larimer Street in Denver, and a portion of
Jack Kerouac's beat masterpiece ''
On the Road'' takes place in the city, and is based on the beat's actual experiences in Denver during a road trip. Beat poet
Allen Ginsberg lived for a time in a basement apartment on Grant Street (no longer standing), and Kerouac briefly owned a home in the Denver suburb of
Lakewood in the late spring and summer of 1949. In addition, Ginsberg helped found the "Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa," in nearby
Boulder at the
Buddhist college
Naropa University, then Naropa Institute.
Denver was selected to host the
1976 Winter Olympics to coincide with Colorado's
centennial celebration, but Colorado voters struck down ballot initiatives allocating public funds to pay for the high costs of the games, so the games were moved to
Innsbruck,
Austria. The notoriety of becoming the only city ever to decline to host an Olympiad after being selected has made subsequent bids difficult. The movement against hosting the games was based largely on environmental issues and was led by then State Representative
Richard Lamm. Lamm was subsequently elected as
Colorado governor in 1974.
Denver has also been known historically as the ''Queen City of the Plains'' because of its important role in the
agricultural industry of the plains regions along the foothills of the
Colorado Front Range. Several
US Navy ships have been named
USS ''Denver'' in honor of the city.
Geography
Satellite image of the Denver Metropolitan area
Denver is located at in the
Colorado Front Range region, between the
Rocky Mountains to the west and the
Great Plains to the east. According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 401.3
km² (154.9
mi²), of which 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²), or 1.03%, is water.
Adjacent counties
★
Adams County,
Colorado - north and east
★
Arapahoe County,
Colorado - south and east and southeastern
enclaves
★
Jefferson County,
Colorado – west
Climate
Denver has a
semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen Bsk), with four distinct seasons. While Denver is located on the
Great Plains, the weather of the city and surrounding area is heavily influenced by the proximity of the
Rocky Mountains to the west. The climate, while generally mild compared to the mountains to the west and the plains further east, can be very unpredictable. Measurable amounts of snow have fallen in Denver as late as
Memorial Day and as early as
Labor Day, and trace amounts have been recorded in every month of the year.
[7][8]
The average temperature in Denver is 50.1 °F (10.1 °C), and the average yearly precipitation is 15.81 inches (402 mm). The season's first snowfall generally occurs around
October 19, and the last snowfall is about
April 27, averaging 61.6 inches (156 cm) of seasonal accumulation. Although Denver's Convention and Visitor Bureau claims Denver receives over 300 sunny days a year,
[9] the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration places that figure at slightly above 250 days of sunshine a year.
[10]
Denver's
winters can vary from mild to cold, and although large amounts of snow can fall on the mountains just west of the city, the effects of
orographic lift dry out the air passing over the
Front Range, shadowing the city from precipitation for much of the season. Additionally, warm
chinook winds occasionally occur as air passing over the mountains heats as it descends, quickly melting snow accumulations and making Denver's winters milder than areas without this effect. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Denver was recorded on
January 9, 1875 at -29 °F (-34 °C), though the last time Denver recorded a temperature below -20 °F (-29 °C) was in 1990.
A thunderstorm in Denver.
Spring brings with it significant changes as Denver can be affected by
air masses on all sides. Arctic air from the north can occasionally combine with Pacific storm fronts bringing snow to the city. In fact, March is Denver's snowiest month, averaging 11.7 inches (29.7 cm) of snow. Additionally, warm air from the
Gulf of Mexico can bring the first
thunderstorms of the season, and continental warm air can bring summer-like warm and dry conditions.
Starting in mid-July, the
monsoon brings tropical moisture into the city and with it come frequent short (and occasionally severe) late-afternoon thunderstorms. However, despite this tropical moisture, humidity levels during the day generally remain very low. The average high during the summer is 85 °F (29 °C) and the average low is 56 °F (13 °C).
In the autumn, the tropical monsoon flow dies down and as Arctic air begins to approach, it can combine with moisture from the
Pacific Northwest to bring significant snowfall to the city – November is Denver's second snowiest month, and Denver's greatest recorded snowfall from a single storm, 45.7 inches (116 cm), fell in late autumn from
December 1 to
December 6 1913.
[11]
Neighborhoods
Denver's 79 ''official'' neighborhoods shown on this map
The City and County of Denver has defined 79 official
neighborhoods that the city and community groups use for planning and administration. Although the city's delineation of the neighborhood boundaries is somewhat arbitrary, it corresponds roughly to the definitions used by residents. These "neighborhoods" should not be confused with cities or suburbs, which are separate entities within the metro area.
These neighborhoods' character vary significantly from each other and include everything from large
skyscrapers to turn of the twentieth century houses to modern,
suburban style developments. Generally, the neighborhoods closest to the city center are denser, older and contain more brick building material. Many neighborhoods away from the city center were developed after World War II, and are built with more modern materials and style. Some of the neighborhoods even further from the city center, or recently redeveloped parcels anywhere in the city have either very suburban characteristics or are
new urbanist developments that attempt to recreate the feel of older neighborhoods. Most neighborhoods contain parks or other feature that is the focal point for the neighborhood.
Looking Across the Central Platte Valley over Lower Highland.
Denver also has a number of neighborhoods not reflected in the administrative boundaries. Sometimes, these neighborhoods reflect the way people in an area identify themselves; sometimes, they reflect how others, such as real estate developers, have defined those areas.
Well-known neighborhoods include the historic and trendy
LoDo (short for "Lower Downtown"), part of the city's Union Station neighborhood;
Capitol Hill,
Highland,
Washington Park; Uptown, part of the North Capitol Hill neighborhood; Curtis Park, part of the
Five Points neighborhood;
Alamo Placita, the northern part of the Speer neighborhood;
Park Hill, a successful example of intentional racial integration;
[12] and
Golden Triangle, in the Civic Center.
Parks and recreation
The Denver skyline from City Park during a free summer jazz concert
When Denver was founded in 1858, the city was little more than a dusty collection of buildings on a long, grassy plain with a few contorted
cottonwood and
willow trees on riverbanks. As of 2006, Denver has over 200 parks, from small mini-parks all over the city to the giant 314 acre (1.3 km²)
City Park to the 40,000 acre (160 km²) Denver Mountain Parks.
[13][14] Denver also has 28 recreation centers providing places and programming for resident's recreation and relaxation.
[15]
Many of Denver's parks were acquired from state lands in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This coincided with the
City Beautiful movement, and legendary Denver mayor Robert Speer (1904-12 and 1916-18) set out to expand and beautify the city's parks. Reinhard Schuetze was the city's first
landscape architect, and he brought his German-educated landscaping genius to
Washington Park,
Cheesman Park, and
City Park among others. Speer used Schuetze as well as other landscape architects such as
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and
Saco Rienk DeBoer to design not only parks such as
Civic Center Park, but many city parkways and tree-lawns. All of this greenery was fed with
South Platte River water diverted through the city ditch.
[16]
In addition to the parks within Denver itself, the city acquired land for mountain parks starting in the 1910s. Over the years, Denver has acquired, built and maintained around 40,000 acres (160 km²) of mountain parks, the most famous being
Red Rocks Park, which is known just as much for its scenery as its musical history revolving around the
Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Denver also owns
Winter Park Resort ski area in
Grand County, west of Denver, which the city partners with
Intrawest Resort Company, to operate the ski resort
[17]. City parks are important places for the both Denverites and visitors inciting controversy with every change. Denver continues to grow its park system with the development of many new parks along the Platte River through the city and in the
Stapleton neighborhood redevelopment. All of these parks are important gathering places for residents and allow what was once a dry plain to be lush, active, and green.
Chess players on 16th street
Demographics
The
United States Census Bureau estimates that, in 2006, the population of the City and County of Denver was 566,974, making it the
27th most populous U.S. city.
The
Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated 2006 population of 2,408,750 and ranked as the
21st most populous U.S. metropolitan statistical area,
and the larger
Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area had an estimated 2006 population of 2,927,911 and ranked as the
17th most populous U.S. metropolitan area.
[ Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CBSA-EST2006-02) ] Denver is the most populous city within a
radius of 550 miles (885 kilometers).
[ CBSA-EST2005-alldata: Population Estimates and Estimated Components of Change for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and Their Geographic Components: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005 ] Residents of the city and county of Denver are known as Denverites.
According to census estimates, the City and County of Denver contains approximately 566,974 people (2006) and 239,235 households (2000). The
population density is 3,698/mi² (1,428/km²). There are 268,540 housing units (2005) at an average density of 1,751/mi² (676/km²).
[18]
The racial make up of the city, as of 2005, is 82.9%
White (50.3% excluding
Hispanics), 10.6%
Black, 3.1%
Asian American, 1.4%
Native American, 0.2%
Pacific Islander, and 1.9% from two or more races. 34.7% of the population is Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
18
There are 250,906 households, out of which 23.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% are
married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.1% are non-families. 39.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 3.14.
In the city, the population is spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 102.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $39,500, and the median income for a family is $48,195. Males have a median income of $34,232 versus $30,768 for females. The
per capita income for the city is $24,101. 14.3% of the population and 10.6% of families are below the
poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Government
Denver City and County Building (circa 1941).
Denver City and County Building (2007).
Denver is a
consolidated city-county with a
mayor elected on a
nonpartisan ballot, a 13-member
city council and an
auditor. The
Denver City Council is elected from 11 districts with two at-large council-members and is responsible for passing and changing all laws, resolutions, and ordinances, usually after a public hearing. They can also call for misconduct investigations of Denver's departmental officials.
Denver has a strong mayor/weak city council government. The mayor can approve or
veto any ordinances or resolutions approved by the council, makes sure all contracts with the city are kept and performed, signs all bonds and contracts, is responsible for the city budget, and can appoint people to various city departments, organizations, and commissions. However, the council can override the mayor's veto with a nine out of thirteen member vote, and the city budget must be approved and can be changed by a simple majority vote of the council. The auditor checks all expenditures and may refuse to allow specific ones, usually based on financial reasons.
[19]
All elected officials have four-year terms, with a maximum of three terms. While Denver elections are non-partisan,
Democrats have long held a majority sway on Denver politics with most officials elected citywide having Democratic Party affiliation. In federal elections, Denverites also tend to vote for Democratic candidates, voting for the Democratic Presidential nominee in every election since 1960 (excluding 1980 and 1972). The office of Denver's Mayor has been occupied by a Democrat since the municipal general election of 1963, including the current mayor,
John Hickenlooper. Denver is represented at the federal level by congresswoman
Diana DeGette, a Democrat representing
Colorado's 1st congressional district, which includes all of Denver and parts of
Arapahoe County.
Rodolfo Gonzales leads rally at Colorado State Capitol.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Denver was one of the epicenters of the
Chicano Movement. The boxer-turned-activist
Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales formed an organization called the Crusade for Justice, which battled police brutality, fought for bilingual education, and, most notably, hosted the First National Chicano Youth Liberation Conference in March of 1969.
In recent years, Denver has taken a stance on helping people who are or become
homeless, particularly under the administrations of mayors
John Hickenlooper and
Wellington Webb. Denver's homeless population is considerably lower than many other major cities, but residents of the city streets have suffered during Denver's winters. Although mild and dry much of the time, Denver's winters can have brief periods of cold temperatures and varying amounts of snow. As a result, the city has set a national precedent on homeless services, with the creations of a ten-year plan to end homelessness (a plan now becoming popular in other cities as well), a task force and commission to end homelessness, and an expansion of human and civil services through the Denver area.
In 2005, Denver became the first major city in the U.S. to make the private use of less than an ounce of
marijuana legal for adults 21 and older. The city voted 53.49-46.51 percent in favor of the
marijuana legalization measure. It should be noted that this initiative does not usurp state law, which currently treats marijuana possession in much the same way as a speeding ticket, with fines of up to $100 and no jail time.
[20] The electorate of Colorado voted on and rejected a similar state-wide initiative in November 2006.
Current Denver mayor John Hickenlooper is a member of the
Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,
[21] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by
New York City mayor
Michael Bloomberg and
Boston mayor
Thomas Menino.
Denver will host the
2008 Democratic National Convention, which would coincidentally be the centennial of the city's first hosting of the landmark 1908 convention. It also hosted the
G7 (now G8) summit between
June 20 and
June 22 in 1997.
Economy
The World Trade Center Buildings are part of the many financial, business and corporate buildings that make up 17th Street, described by some as "The Wall Street of the West."
[22]
Denver's economy is based partially on its geographic position and its connection to some of the major transportation systems of the country. Because Denver is the largest city within , it has become a natural location for storage and distribution of goods and services to the
Mountain States. Denver is also approximately halfway between the large cities of the
Midwest like
Chicago and
Detroit and the cities of the
West Coast, another benefit for distribution. Over the years, the city has been home to other large corporations in the central United States, making Denver a key trade point for the country.
Geography also allows Denver to have a considerable government presence, with many federal agencies based or having offices in the Denver area. In fact, the
Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area has more federal workers than any other metropolitan area except for the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Along with the plethora of federal agencies come many companies based on US defense and space projects, and more jobs are brought to the city by virtue of its being the
capital of the state of
Colorado. The Denver area is home to the former nuclear weapons plant
Rocky Flats and the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
In 2005, an expansion for the
Colorado Convention Center was completed. According to local officials, the convention center expansion makes the city one of the top 10 cities in the nation for holding a convention.
[23]
Denver's position near the mineral-rich
Rocky Mountains encouraged mining and energy companies to spring up in the area. In the early days of the city, gold and silver booms and busts played a large role in the economic success of the city. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the energy crisis in America created an energy boom in Denver captured in the soap opera ''
Dynasty''. During this time, Denver was built up considerably, with many new downtown skyscrapers built during this time. Eventually, the oil prices dropped from $34 a barrel in 1981 to $9 a barrel in 1986, and the Denver economy dropped with it, leaving almost 15,000 oil industry workers in the area unemployed (including current mayor
John Hickenlooper, a former geologist), and the highest office vacancy rate in the nation (30%).
[24] Energy and mining are still important in Denver's economy today, with companies such as
EnCana,
Halliburton,
Newmont Mining,
Noble Energy, and
Anadarko.
Denver's west-central geographic location in the Mountain Time Zone (UTC -7) also benefits the telecommunications industry by allowing communication with both North American coasts, South America, Europe, and Asia in the same business day. Denver's location on the 105th meridian at over 1 mile in elevation also enables it to be the largest city in the U.S. to offer a 'one-bounce' real-time satellite uplink to six continents in the same business day.
Qwest Communications,
EchoStar,
Starz-Encore, and
Comcast are just a few of the telecommunications companies with operations in the Denver area. These and other high-tech companies had a boom in Denver in the mid to late 1990s, but the technology bust in the new millennium caused Denver to lose many of those technology jobs. Recently, the Denver area has started making a comeback, with the October 2005 unemployment at 4.7% the lowest since September of 2001. The Downtown area of Denver is making a large comeback with several new skyscrapers, including a Four Seasons planned for the metro-Denver area.
Media
Founded in 1859, the ''Rocky Mountain News'' is Colorado's oldest newspaper.
The Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area is served by a variety of media outlets in print, radio and television. Denver is the #18 market in the country for television, according to the
Nielsen DMA's. Some stations, such as
KWGN and
KRMA, are broadcast regionally to areas that do not have their own network affilations.
KWGN 2, the CW affiliate, is owned and operated by
Tribune Media of Chicago. KWGN is the direct sister station to
WGN Chicago.
KCNC 4 is the CBS owned and operated station.
KRMA 6 serves as a holding company (Rocky Mountain PBS) and broadcasts signals to a variety of affiliates, including Colorado Springs (
KTSC), Grand Junction (
KRMJ) and other stations in
New Mexico,
Nebraska,
Wyoming, and
Kansas. Channel 6 generally serves those who cannot receive an over-the-air signal (such as a
Superstation).
KBDI 12 is another Denver PBS affiliate, making the Denver market one of only a few markets with 2 PBS stations.
KMGH 7 is the ABC affiliate, owned and operated by
McGraw-Hill.
KUSA 9 is the NBC affiliate, owned and operated by
Gannett Communications.
KDVR 31 is the Fox owned and operated station.
KTVD 20 was formerly the UPN affiliate, but when the
CW was launched,
KWGN won the affiliation and subsequently the MyNetworkTV affiliation was given to
KTVD.
KCEC 50 is the
Univision affiliate.
Denver is also served by over 40 AM and FM radio stations, covering a wide variety of formats and styles. Denver radio is the #22 market in the United States, according to
Arbitron.
For a list of radio stations, see
Radio Stations in Colorado
After a continued rivalry between Denver's two main newspapers, the ''
Denver Post'' and ''
Rocky Mountain News'', the papers merged operations in 2001 under a Joint Operating Agreement which formed the Denver Newspaper Agency.
[26] The new company runs all non-editorial operations of both papers, namely advertising and circulation. The papers still publish separately (except during the weekends, when the ''Rocky Mountain News'' is published only on Saturday and the ''Denver Post'' on Sunday) and maintain their rivalry. There are also several alternative or localized newspapers published in Denver, including ''
Westword'', ''
Denver Daily News'' and ''
Out Front Colorado''.
Transportation
Colfax Avenue at Broadway, where the downtown street grid and the "normal" city grid meet
City streets
Most of Denver has a straightforward
street grid oriented to the four
cardinal directions. Blocks are usually identified in hundreds from the median streets, identified as "00", which are Broadway (the east–west median, running north–south) and Ellsworth Avenue (the north–south median, running east–west).
Colfax Avenue, the major east-west artery through Denver, is 15 blocks (1500) north of the median. Avenues north of Ellsworth are numbered (with the exception of Colfax Avenue and a few others), while avenues south of Ellsworth are named.
There is also an older downtown grid system that was designed to be parallel to the confluence of the
South Platte River and
Cherry Creek. Most of the streets downtown and in
LoDo run northeast-southwest and northwest-southeast. This system has an unplanned benefit for snow removal; if the streets were in a normal N-S/E-W grid, only the N-S streets would receive sunlight. With the grid oriented to the diagonal directions, the NW-SE streets receive sunlight to melt snow in the morning and the NE-SW streets receive it in the afternoon. This idea was from Henry Brown the founder of the
Brown Palace Hotel. There is now a plaque across the street from the
Brown Palace Hotel which honors this idea. The NW-SE streets are numbered, while the NE-SW streets are named. The named streets start at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Broadway with the block-long Cheyenne Place. The numbered streets start underneath the Colfax and I-25 viaducts. There are 27 named and 44 numbered streets on this grid. There are also a few vestiges of the old grid system in the normal grid, such as Park Avenue, Morrison Road, and Speer Boulevard.
All roads in the downtown grid system are streets. (
16th Street, Stout Street) Roads outside of that system that travel east/west are given the suffix "avenue" and those that head north and south are given the "street" suffix. (Example, Colfax Avenue, Lincoln Street,). Boulevards are higher capacity streets and will travel any direction (more commonly North and South). Smaller roads are sometimes referred to as places, drives or courts. Most streets outside of the area between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard are organized alphabetically from the city's center.
Confusion may arise where the two grid systems meet, especially given downtown Denver's one way streets. The system can be easily navigated with the help of directional signs. The mountains to the west also offer a great compass-point for those attempting to drive in the Mile High City.
Highways
I-25 during rush hour
Denver is primarily served by the interstate highways
I-25 and
I-70. The intersection of the two interstates is referred to locally as "
the mousetrap", because when airborne, the junction (and subsequent vehicles) resemble mice in a large trap. I-70 runs east-west from
Utah to
Maryland. I-25 runs north-south from
New Mexico through Denver to
Wyoming.
I-225 traverses neighboring
Aurora and connects with I-25 in the southeastern corner of Denver. Additionally,
I-76 begins from I-70 just west of the city in
Arvada. It intersects I-25 north of the city and runs northeast to Nebraska where it ends at
I-80. Denver also has a nearly complete beltway known as "the 470's". These are
C-470, a limited access state highway in the southwest Metro area, and two toll highways,
E-470 (from southeast to northeast) and
Northwest Parkway (from terminus of E-470 to
US 36).
Highway 6 follows the alignment of 6th Avenue west of I-25, and connects downtown Denver to the west-central suburbs of
Golden and
Lakewood.
A highway expansion and transit project for the southern
I-25 corridor, dubbed T-REX (
TRansportation EXpansion Project), was completed on November 17, 2006.
[27] The project installed wider and additional highway lanes, and improved highway access and drainage. The project also includes a light rail line that traverses from downtown to the south end of the metro area at Lincoln Avenue
[28]. The project spanned almost along the highway with an additional line traveling parallel to part of
I-225
Mass transportation
Denver RTD Light Rail car at 16th & Stout
throughout the
Denver-Aurora metropolitan area is managed and coordinated by the
Regional Transportation District (RTD). RTD currently operates more than 1,000
buses serving over 10,000 bus stops in 38 municipal jurisdictions in eight counties around the
Denver-Aurora and Boulder Metropolitan Areas. Additionally, RTD operates six
light rail lines, the C,D,E,F,G,and H with a total of 34.9 miles (56 km) of track, serving 37 stations.
[29] FasTracks, an expansion project approved by voters in 2004, will allow light rail to serve cities such as
Lakewood,
Golden, and
Aurora. Commuter rail lines will serve the northern section of the metropolitan area, in addition to
Boulder,
Longmont, and
Denver International Airport. November 17, 2006 saw the first extension of Light Rail in four years, and some elements of the new lines will mark the beginning of the FasTracks program, although this extension of the system was part of T-REX.
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Denver, operating its
California Zephyr daily in both directions between
Chicago and
Emeryville,
California, across the bay from
San Francisco. Amtrak Thruway service operated by private bus companies links the Denver station with Rocky Mountain points. At Raton, New Mexico, Denver Thruway connections are made daily with the Amtrak
Southwest Chief. Additionally, there is the
Ski Train operated by the
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, which takes passengers between Denver and the
Winter Park Ski Resort. Denver's early years as a major train hub of the west are still very visible today. Trains stop in Denver at historic
Union Station, where travelers can access RTD's 16th Street Free MallRide or use light rail to tour the city.
Union Station will also serve as the main juncture for rail travel in the metro area, at the completion of
FasTracks.
Airports
The tented roof of DIA was designed to resemble the snow-capped Rocky Mountains.
(IATA: DEN, ICAO: KDEN), commonly known as DIA, serves as the primary airport for the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan area. It is the tenth busiest airport in the world and ranks fifth in the United States, with 47,324,844 passengers passing through it in 2006
[30]. It covers more than 53 square miles (137 km²), making it the largest airport in the United States by land area. Denver serves as a major hub for
United Airlines and the headquarters for
Frontier Airlines. In the past, Denver has been home to other airports that are no longer operational.
Stapleton International Airport was closed in 1995 when it was replaced by DIA.
Lowry Air Force Base was a military flight training facility that ceased flight operations in 1966, with the base finally being closed in 1994. It is currently being used for residential purposes.
Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC) and
Centennial Airport (KAPA) are north and south, respectively, of downtown Denver. Both airports are moderately busy, but only serve
general aviation aircraft.
Education
The Ritchie Center at University of Denver
(DPS) is the public school system in Denver. It currently educates about 73,000 students in 73
elementary schools, 15 K-8 schools, 17
middle schools, 14
high schools, and 19
charter schools
[5]. The first school of what is now DPS was a log cabin that opened in 1859 on the corner of 12th Street between Market and Larimer Streets. The district boundaries are coëxtensive with the city limits.
Denver's many colleges and universities range in age and study programs. The city boasts
Roman Catholic and
Jewish institutions, as well as a well-respected health sciences school. In addition to those schools within the city, there are a number of schools located throughout the surrounding metro area. The private
University of Denver, Catholic
Regis University and the three public universities that constitute the
Auraria Campus are likely the most well known higher education institutions located in the city itself.
Culture and contemporary life
Apollo Hall opened quickly after the city's founding in 1859 and staged many plays for eager settlers.
[31] In the 1880s
Horace Tabor built Denver's first
Opera House. After the turn of the century, city leaders embarked on a city beautification program that created many of the city's parks, parkways, museums, and the Municipal Auditorium, which was home to the
1908 Democratic National Convention and is now known as the
Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Denver and the metropolitan areas around it continued to support culture. In 1988, voters in the
Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area approved the Scientific and Cultural Facilities Tax (commonly known as SCFD), a .01
sales tax that contributes money to various cultural and scientific facilities and organizations throughout the Metro area.
[32] The tax was renewed by voters in 1994 and 2004 and allows the SCFD to operate until 2018.
[33]
Now, Denver is home to many nationally recognized museums, including a new wing for the
Denver Art Museum by world-renowned architect
Daniel Libeskind, the second largest
Performing arts center in the nation after
Lincoln Center in
New York City and bustling neighborhoods such as
LoDo, filled with art galleries, restaurants, bars and clubs. That is part of the reason why Denver was recently recognized for the third year in a row as the best city for singles.
[34] Denver continues to gain cultural importance. The city was selected as the future home for a museum dedicated to
abstract expressionist painter
Clyfford Still. Denver's neighborhoods also continue their influx of diverse people and businesses while the city's cultural institutions grow and prosper.
Downtown Denver from 'Lodo' area
While Denver may not be as recognized for historical musical prominence as some other American cities, it still manages to have a very active
pop,
jazz,
jam,
folk, and
classical music scene, which has nurtured several artists and genres to regional, national, and even international attention. Of particular note is Denver's importance in the
folk scene of the 1960s and 1970s. Well-known folk artists such as
Bob Dylan,
Judy Collins and
John Denver lived in Denver at various points during this time, and performed at local clubs.
[35]
Denver is also the setting for the ''
The Bill Engvall Show'', and the setting for of
MTV's ''
The Real World''. From 1998 to 2002, the city's
Alameda East Veterinary Hospital was home to the
Animal Planet series ''
Emergency Vets'', which spun off three one-off documentary specials and the current Animal Planet series ''
E-Vet Interns''.
Sports
Denver is home to many sports teams and belongs to a select group of
U.S. cities with teams from four major sports. The
Denver Broncos of the
NFL have been able to draw crowds of nearly 70,000 since their
AFL origins in the early 1960s and continue to draw fans today to their current home
Invesco Field at Mile High. The team has advanced to the
Super Bowl six times and won back-to-back in 1998 and '99. In the 1980s and 1990s, one of the top priorities of former Mayor
Federico Peña was bringing major league baseball to the city, an effort which culminated in the construction of
Coors Field and the creation of the
Colorado Rockies as an expansion franchise in 1993. Denver is also home to the
Colorado Avalanche, a
National Hockey League team that relocated from
Quebec City in 1995. They have won two
Stanley Cups (1996 and 2001) while in Denver and play at
Pepsi Center, which also hosts the
Denver Nuggets of the
National Basketball Association, the
Colorado Mammoth of the
National Lacrosse League and the
Colorado Crush of the
Arena Football League. The Major League Soccer team
Colorado Rapids play in
Dick's Sporting Goods Park, an 18,000 seat stadium located
Commerce City, a suburb of Denver
[7].
'Current sporting venues in Denver, Colorado'| | | |
Historic trails
★
Smoky Hill Trail
★
South Platte Trail
★
Heritage Trail
Recreational trails
★
American Discovery Trail
★
Highline Canal National Recreation Trail
★
Platte River Greenway National Recreation Trail
Adjacent municipalities
| 'North:' Commerce City | |
| 'West:' Wheat Ridge, Lakeside, Mountain View, Edgewater, Lakewood | 'Denver'
'Enclave:' Glendale | 'East:' Aurora |
| 'South:' Aurora, Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, Englewood, Sheridan, Littleton, Bow Mar | |
See also
★
Colorado census statistical areas
★
Colorado counties
★
Colorado metropolitan areas
★
Colorado municipalities
★
Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area
★
Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area
★
Denver City Council
★
Front Range Urban Corridor
★
List of Foreign Consulates in Denver
★
List of people from Denver
★
Sister cities of Denver
External links
★
Official City and County of Denver site
★
WikiTravel site for Denver
★
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
★
City Mayors' profile of John Hickenlooper, Mayor of Denver
★
Denver Public Library
★
Regional Transportation District Homepage
★
Denver Police Department
★
Overview of Downtown Denver growth and development
★
Denvergov's neighborhood map, pdf format
★
Denver Public Schools
References
1. Denver Facts Guide - Today
2.
3. Denver: The Rocky Mountain metropolis time line
4. Information from The Soapy Smith Preservation Trust website
5. United Way History. The United Way. Retrieved on September 26 2006.
6. US Population History from 1850. Demographia. Retrieved on July 20 2006
7. Denver/Boulder, CO Normals and Means 1971-2000. National Weather Service. Retrieved July 20 2006.
8. Denver/Boulder, CO Temperature Normals and Extremes for July (1872-2005). National Weather Service. Retrieved July 20 2006.
9. Denver's climate. The City and County of Denver. Retrieved on July 20 2006.
10. Sunshine - average percent of possible. NOAA National Data Centers. Retrieved on July 20 2006.
11. Denver's Winter/Cold Season Statistics. National Weather Service. Retrieved on July 20 2006.
12. Park Hill, Denver, , Katherine, Woods, Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research,
13. Denver Parks & Recreation: Parks Division
14. Denver Mountain Parks Foundation
15. [1] Retrieved on August 18 2006.
16. [Etter, Carolyn and Don. City of Parks: The Preservation of Denver's Park and Parkway System. The Denver Public Library © 2005].
17. [2] Retrieved on July 24, 2007
18. Denver County, Colorado QuickFacts
19. How Denver City Government Works. The City and County of Denver. Retrieved on July 21 2006.
20. O'Driscoll, Patrick. Denver votes to legalize marijuana possession. USATODAY.com. November 3 2005. Retrieved on July 21 2006.
21. Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members Retrieved on June 11, 2007
22. m1145/is 9 36/ai 78860755. The Denver Post. Retrieved on March 21 2007.
23. [3]. The Denver Post. Retrieved on September 27 2006.
24. Denver: The Rocky Mountain Metropolis History. The City and County of Denver. Retrieved on July 21 2006.
25. The Denver Business Journal. www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2005/02/28/story7.html
26. Denver Newspaper Agency
27. http://www.trexproject.com/
28. http://www.rtd-denver.com/LightRail/images/lightrailmap.gif
29. [4]. RTD refers to its buses as TheRideon their bus stops. RTD Facts and Figures Retrieved on December 22 2006.
30. Passenger Traffic 2006 PRELIMINARY
31. Denver History: The Golden Gamble Thomas J. Noel
32. What is the SCFD?
33. SCFD: About Reauthorization
34. Denver-Boulder No.1 again with singles. The Denver Business Journal. July 25 2006. Retrieved on July 29 2006.
35. [6] Retrieved on October 1 2006
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
