Denver

capital city of state of Colorado, United States
(Redirected from Denver, CO)

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. A nickname for Denver is The Mile High City, because Denver is very high above sea level. 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.[14][15]

Denver
Denver skyline
Denver skyline
Flag of Denver
Official seal of Denver
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 Denver in Colorado
Location of Colorado in the United States
Location of Colorado in the United States
Coordinates: 39°44′21″N 104°59′06″W / 39.7392°N 104.9850°W / 39.7392; -104.9850 (City and County of Denver)[5]
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
City and countyDenver[4]
PlattedNovember 17, 1858; 165 years ago (1858-11-17)[6]
IncorporatedNovember 7, 1861; 162 years ago (1861-11-07)[7]
Named forJames W. Denver
Government
 • MayorMike Johnston (D)
Area
 • Total154.7 sq mi (400.7 km2)
 • Land153.1 sq mi (396.5 km2)
 • Water1.7 sq mi (4.3 km2)
 • Metro
8,403 sq mi (21,764 km2)
Elevation5,276 ft (1,608 m)
Population
 • Total715,522
 • Rank19th in the United States
1st in Colorado
 • Density4,674/sq mi (1,805/km2)
 • Urban2,686,147 (US: 18th)
 • Urban density4,167.5/sq mi (1,609.1/km2)
 • Metro2,963,821 (US: 19th)
 • CSA3,623,560 (US: 17th)
DemonymDenverite
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Area codes303, 720, 983
FIPS code08-20000
GNIS feature ID201738[10]
Websitewww.denvergov.org
Capital and most populous city of the State of Colorado

History change

 
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.[16] 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,[17] Arapahoe County was formed on November 1, 1861,[17] and Denver City was incorporated on November 7, 1861.[7] Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until consolidation in 1902.[18] In 1867, Denver City became the Territorial Capital. With its new-found importance, Denver City shortened its name to just Denver.[18] On August 1, 1876, Colorado was admitted to the Union.

Sports teams in Denver change

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 change

  • The Denver Post[19]
  • The Rocky Mountain News[20]

References change

  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. "Active Colorado Municipalities". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  5. "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.
  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. 7.0 7.1 "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "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. 10.0 10.1 "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. "Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver". milehighcity.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  15. "What to do in Denver in 3 days".
  16. "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.
  17. 17.0 17.1 "State Government History". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. April 18, 2001. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
  18. 18.0 18.1 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.
  19. "The Denver Post". The Denver Post.
  20. "Rocky Mountain News".