Denver

Not to be confused with Denver, Iowa.

Denver is the capital and largest city in the U.S. state of Colorado and a county named Denver County. For this reason, Denver is the county seat of Denver County. It is at the foot of the Rocky Mountains on the South Platte River, and was founded in 1858. Denver is nicknamed the "Mile High City" because its official elevation is exactly one mile (5280 feet or 1609.344 meters) above sea level.^[a][14] It is at least 5,280 feet (or 1,609 meters) above sea level at a point in the city's state capitol building. The dome at the top of the capitol building is covered in gold.^[15][16]

Denver
State capital and consolidated city-county
Denver skyline
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  The Mile High City[1] Queen City of the Plains[2] Wall Street of the West[3]
Location of Denver in Colorado
Location of Colorado in the United States
Coordinates: 39.7392°N 104.9850°W / 39.7392; -104.9850 (City and County of Denver)[4]
Country	United States
State	Colorado
City and county	Denver[5]
Platted	November 17, 1858; 166 years ago (1858-11-17)[6]
Incorporated	November 7, 1861; 163 years ago (1861-11-07)[7]
Named for	James W. Denver
Government
• Mayor	Mike Johnston (D)
Area [8][9]
• Total	154.7 sq mi (400.7 km2)
• Land	153.1 sq mi (396.5 km2)
• Water	1.7 sq mi (4.3 km2)
• Metro	8,403 sq mi (21,764 km2)
Elevation [10]	5,276 ft (1,608 m)
Population  (2020)[8]
• Total	715,522
• Rank	19th in the United States 1st in Colorado
• Density	4,674/sq mi (1,805/km2)
• Urban [11]	2,686,147 (US: 18th)
• Urban density	4,167.5/sq mi (1,609.1/km2)
• Metro [12]	2,963,821 (US: 19th)
• CSA [13]	3,623,560 (US: 17th)
Demonym	Denverite
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Area codes	303, 720, 983
FIPS code	08-20000
GNIS feature ID	201738[10]
Website	www.denvergov.org
Capital and most populous city of the State of Colorado

History

Former Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver visited his namesake city in 1875 and in 1882.

Panorama print of Denver, 1898

Colorado State Capitol

Denver was founded in November 1858 as Denver City during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush as a mining town in western Kansas Territory.^[17] That summer, a group of gold prospectors from Lawrence, Kansas, started a settlement on the banks of the South Platte River. They called it Montana City. This was the first settlement in what was later to become the city of Denver. The settlement faded quickly. By the summer of 1859 it was abandoned in favor of Auraria (named after the gold mining town of Auraria, Georgia), and St. Charles City.

The "Broncho Buster", a variation of Frederic Remington's "Bronco Buster" western sculpture at the Denver capitol grounds, a gift from J.K. Mullen in 1920

The Colorado Territory was created on February 28, 1861,^[18] Arapahoe County was formed on November 1, 1861,^[18] and Denver City was incorporated on November 7, 1861.^[7] Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until consolidation in 1902.^[19] In 1867, Denver City became the Territorial Capital. With its new-found importance, Denver City shortened its name to just Denver.^[19] On August 1, 1876, Colorado was admitted to the Union.

Sports teams in Denver

Denver is the home of the Denver Broncos football team, the Denver Nuggets basketball team, the Colorado Rockies baseball team, the Colorado Avalanche hockey team, and the Colorado Rapids soccer team.

Newspapers

• The Denver Post^[20]
• The Rocky Mountain News^[21]

Notes

1. Denver has maintained its official mile-high elevation of 5,280 feet (1,609.344 m) for more than a century. When the National Geodetic Survey makes adjustments to its national elevation measurements, the State of Colorado moves the official mile-high elevation point up or down the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol to reflect the changes. Most of Denver actually lies above this elevation.

References

1. Claims to Fame – Geography Archived December 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Epodunk, accessed April 16, 2007
2. Queen City, Time, January 30, 1928, accessed April 13, 2007.
3. "The Big Apple: Wall Street of the West (17th Street in Denver)". 2012.
4. "2014 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Places". United States Census Bureau. July 1, 2014. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
5. "Active Colorado Municipalities". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
6. "Denver City Town Company Record Book, Mss.01813 (accession 99.225), History Colorado" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
7. "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
8. "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. August 12, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
9. "Denver, Aurora Metro Area". usa.com. 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
10. "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
11. "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
12. "2020 Population and Housing State Data". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
13. "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2021". United States Census Bureau. February 24, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
14. "Community Report, City and County of Denver, Colorado" (PDF). The City and County of Denver. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
15. "Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver". milehighcity.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
16. "What to do in Denver in 3 days".
17. "Denver: The Rocky Mountain metropolis time line". The City and County of Denver. January 1, 2006. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved August 30, 2006.
18. "State Government History". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. April 18, 2001. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
19. Thomas J. Noel. "Denver History: The Golden Gamble". City and County of Denver. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
20. "The Denver Post". The Denver Post.
21. "Rocky Mountain News".