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Colorado State Capitol - courtesy jimbowen0306 - CC-BY

Denver is the capital and largest city in the state of Colorado.  Denver City was founded in 1858 as a mining town during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush and incorporated in 1861.

Scratch through the shine of the New-West look of urban Denver and you’ll get a look at the Old West, too.  At 5,280 feet (one mile) above sea level, in view of the Rocky Mountains, the Mile High City is a good study in contrasts.  The dome of the state capitol overlooks a downtown where historic buildings and modern structures stand side by side. A modernistic airport keeps the company of tumbleweeds on the prairie far out of town. Exotic Asian markets rub shoulders with restaurants that specialize in bison steaks or green chili.

If one prefers to be outdoors, they won’t be disappointed. Miles of bike trails and fabulous city parks offer everything from hiking to water sports, all with a view of the Rocky Mountains.

Denver is the home of many nationally recognized museums, including the Denver Art Museum, along with the second largest performing arts center in the nation after Lincoln Center in New York City, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and more. There are bustling neighborhoods with art galleries, restaurants, bars and clubs. That is just part of the reason why Denver was recognized for the third year in a row as the best city for singles.

The city is also known for “western” food using ingredients such as angus beef, buffalo, rattlesnake, cutthroat trout and local produce in season. The city also demonstrates its cultural diversity with a wide-range of ethnic restaurants. Denver has most types of cuisine as other large cities and has several restaurants recently noted in top food publications.  There are several shopping areas in Denver. The two most prominent are the 16th Street Mall, and the Cherry Creek Shopping District.  The Cherry Creek District has some of the most expensive stores in the country.  You will be able to find most anything you want in Denver shops.

Denver is safe for a city its size. Just use your common sense.  However, altitude sickness is an illness that potentially anyone can have when they visit areas with higher altitudes than they are used to. Denver is called the Mile High City for a reason.  Don’t try and push it if you are feeling the altitude.  In fact, if you visit the state capitol (and you should) you can stand on the step that marks exactly its one mile altitude.

Denver has a semi-arid climate and is considered ‘High Desert’ and the average yearly precipitation is only 15.81 inches (402 mm). January high temperatures average 43 F (6 C) and low temperatures 15 F (-9 C).  In July the averages are 88 F (31 C) for a high and 58 F (14 C) as a low.

Denver is served by Denver International Airport.  Public transportation is bus, light rail and taxi.

Denver population is 598,707 (2008).  The Metro area is 2,506,626.

1 is the international calling code for the United States.

303 and 720 are the area codes for Denver.

For more information about Denver