Denver

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.[1][2]

Denver
Denver County
City of Denver
Denver skyline
Denver skyline
Flag of Denver
Official seal of Denver
Nickname(s): 
The Mile-High City
Location of Denver in Colorado
Location of Denver in Colorado
Location of Colorado in the United States
Location of Colorado in the United States
Denver is located in the United States
Denver
Denver
Location of Denver in the United States
Coordinates:
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
County-CityDenver (coextensive)
County seatDenver
FoundedNovember 22 1858
IncorporatedNovember 7 1861
Government
  TypeStrong Mayor/Weak Council
  MayorMichael Hancock (D)
Area
  City and County154.9 sq mi (401 km2)
  Land153.3 sq mi (397 km2)
  Water1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  1.03%
  Metro
8,414.4 sq mi (21,793 km2)
Elevation
5,280 ft (1,610 m)
Population
 (2006)
  City and County566,974
  Density3,642/sq mi (1,406/km2)
  Metro
2,408,750
  Metro density286/sq mi (110/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
  Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
Area code(s)303, 720
Websitehttp://www.denvergov.org

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.[3] 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,[4] Arapahoe County was formed on November 1, 1861,[4] and Denver City was incorporated on November 7, 1861.[5] Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until consolidation in 1902.[6] In 1867, Denver City became the Territorial Capital. With its new-found importance, Denver City shortened its name to just Denver.[6] 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[7]
  • The Rocky Mountain News[8]

References

  1. "Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver". milehighcity.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  2. "What to do in Denver in 3 days".
  3. "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.
  4. "State Government History". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. April 18, 2001. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
  5. "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
  6. 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.
  7. "The Denver Post". The Denver Post.
  8. "Rocky Mountain News".
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