This is a good article. Click here for more information. Denver From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the capital of Colorado. For other uses, see Denver (disam biguation). Denver, Colorado Consolidated city-county City and County of Denver Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Denver Skyline, Colorado State Capitol, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, RTD Light Rail train Downtown . Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Denver Skyline, Colorado State Capitol, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, RTD Light Rail train Downtown . Flag of Denver, Colorado Flag Official seal of Denver, Colorado Seal Nickname(s): The Mile-High City[1] Queen City of the West Queen City of the Plains,[2] Wall Street of the West[3] Location of Denver within Colorado Location of Denver within Colorado Coordinates: 39°45'43?N 104°52'52?WCoordinates: 39°45'43?N 104°52'52?W[4] Country United States State Colorado City and County Denver[5] Founded November 17, 1858, as Denver City, K.T.[6] Incorporated November 7, 1861, as Denver City, C.T.[7] Consolidated November 15, 1902, as the City and County of Denver Named for James W. Denver Government Type Consolidated City and County[5] Body Denver City Council Mayor Michael Hancock (D)[8] Area[9] Consolidated city-county 155 sq mi (400 km2) Land 153 sq mi (400 km2) Water 1.6 sq mi (4 km2) 1.1% Metro 8,414.4 sq mi (21,793 km2) Elevation[10] 5,1305,690 ft (1,5641,731 m) Population (2010)[11] Consolidated city-county 600,158 Estimate (2015)[12] 682,545 Rank US: 19th Density 4,044/sq mi (1,561/km2) Urban 2,374,203 (US: 18th) Metro 2,814,330 (US: 19th) Demonym Denverite Time zone MST (UTC 07:00) Summer (DST) MDT (UTC 06:00) ZIP codes 8020180212, 8021480239, 80241, 8024380244, 8024680252, 8025680266, 80 271, 8027380274, 8027980281, 8029080291, 8029380295, 80299, 80012, 80014, 80022, 800 33, 80123, 80127[13] Area code(s) 303 and 720 INCITS place code 0820000 GNIS feature ID 0201738 Highways I-25, I-70, I-76, I-225, I-270, US 285, US 287, SH 2, SH 26, SH 30, SH 35, SH 83, SH 88, SH 95, SH 121, SH 177, SH 265, SH 470, E-470 Website denvergov.org Capital and most populous city of the State of Colorado Denver (officially, The City and County of Denver) (/'d?nv?r/) is the capital an d most populous municipality of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2015, Denver i s also the most populous county in Colorado. Denver is located in the South Plat te River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Ra nge of the Rocky Mountains. The Denver downtown district is located immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek with the South Platte River, approximatel y 12 mi (19 km) east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Denver is nickname d the Mile-High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile (5,280 f t or 1,610 m) above sea level, making it one of the highest major cities in the United States.[9] The 105th meridian west of Greenwich, the longitudinal referen ce for the Mountain Time Zone, passes directly through Denver Union Station. Denver is ranked as a Beta- world city by the Globalization and World Cities Res earch Network. With a 2015 estimated population of 682,545, Denver ranks as the 21st-most populous U.S. city.[14] The 10-county Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metro politan Statistical Area had an estimated 2015 population of 2,814,330 and ranke d as the 19th most populous U.S. metropolitan statistical area.[15] The 12-city Denver-Aurora, CO Combined Statistical Area had an estimated 2015 population of 3,418,876, which ranks as the 16th most populous U.S. metropolitan area.[16] Den ver is the most populous city of the 18-county Front Range Urban Corridor, an ob long urban region stretching across two states with an estimated 2015 population of 4,757,713.[17] Denver is the most populous city within a 500-mile (800 km) r adius and the most populous city in the Mountain West and the third-most populou s city in the Southwestern United States after Phoenix, Arizona and El Paso, Tex as. Its metropolitan population is the second-largest in the Southwest after tha t of Phoenix. Denver ranks No. 1 on U.S. News & World Report's list of the 2016 Best Places to Live in the USA.[18] Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Neighborhoods 2.2 Adjacent counties, municipalities and CDPs 2.3 Climate 3 Demographics 3.1 Languages 4 Economy 5 Culture and contemporary life 6 Sports 7 Parks and recreation 8 Government 8.1 Politics 8.2 Taxes 9 Education 10 Media 10.1 Television stations 10.2 Radio stations 10.3 Print 11 Transportation 11.1 City streets 11.2 Cycling 11.3 Walkability 11.4 Freeways and highways 11.5 Mass transportation 11.6 Airports 12 Notable people 13 Sister cities 14 See also 15 Notes 16 References 17 External links History Main articles: History of Denver and Timeline of Denver Former Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver visited his namesake city in 1875 and in 1882. The "Bronco Buster", a variation of Frederic Remington's "Bronco Buster" western sculpture at the Denver capitol grounds, a gift from J.K. Mullen in 1920 Denver City was founded in November 1858 as a mining town during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in western Kansas Territory.[19] That summer, a group of gold prospec tors from Lawrence, Kansas, had arrived and established Montana City on the bank s 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 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. On November 22, 1858, General William Larimer, a land speculator from eastern Ka nsas Territory, placed cottonwood logs to stake a claim on the bluff overlooking the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek, across the creek fro m the existing mining settlement of Auraria, and on the site of the existing tow nsite of St. Charles. Larimer named the town site Denver City to curry favor wit h Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver.[20] Larimer hoped that the town's name would help make it the county seat of Arapaho County, but unknown to him G overnor 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 th e site of Confluence Park near downtown Denver. Larimer, along with associates i n the St. Charles City Land Company, sold parcels in the town to merchants and m iners, with the intention of creating a major city that would cater to new emigr ants. 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 Aurar ia.[20] In May 1859, Denver City residents donated 53 lots to the Leavenworth & Pike's Peak Express in order to secure the region's first overland wagon route. Offering daily service for "passengers, mail, freight, and gold," the Express re ached Denver on a trail that trimmed westward travel time from twelve days to si x. In 1863, Western Union furthered Denver's dominance of the region by choosing the city for its regional terminus. The Colorado Territory was created on February 28, 1861,[21] Arapahoe County was formed on November 1, 1861,[21] and Denver City was incorporated on November 7, 1861.[22] Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until consol idation in 1902.[23] In 1867, Denver City became the Territorial Capital. With i ts new-found importance, Denver City shortened its name to Denver.[23] On August 1, 1876, Colorado was admitted to the Union. "Pioneer Mothers of Colorado" statue at The Denver Post building Although by the close of the 1860s, Denver residents could look with pride at th eir success establishing a vibrant supply and service center, the decision to ro ute the nation's first transcontinental railroad through Cheyenne, rather than D enver, threatened the prosperity of the young town. A daunting 100 miles away, c itizens mobilized to build a railroad to connect Denver to the transcontinental railroad. Spearheaded by visionary leaders including Territorial Governor John E vans, David Moffat, and Walter Cheesman, fundraising began. Within three days, $ 300,000 had been raised, and citizens were optimistic. Fundraising stalled befor e enough was raised, forcing these visionary leaders to take control of the debt -ridden railroad. Despite challenges, on June 24, 1870, citizens cheered as the Denver Pacific completed the link to the transcontinental railroad, ushering in a new age of prosperity for Denver.[24] Finally linked to the rest of the nation by rail, Denver prospered as a service and supply center. The young city grew during these years, attracting millionair es with their mansions, as well as the poverty and crime of a rapidly growing ci ty. Denver citizens were proud when the rich chose Denver and were thrilled that Horace Tabor, the Leadville mining millionaire, built an impressive business bl ock at 16th and Larimer as well as the elegant Tabor Grand Opera House.