Denver Facts - Interesting Facts About Denver, CO

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Denver's history as a boom and bust town began with the desire for a simple precious metal: gold. In 1858, a group of prospectors were exploring the Kansas Territory, which then encompassed what is now Colorado, and discovered piles of the almighty metal at the confluence of the Platte River and Cherry Creek. One of the prospectors, William Larimer, established Denver City in an area then populated by the Arapaho tribe, who camped along the banks of Cherry Creek while hunting and gathering. Over the next two years, a new gold fever penetrated the pulse of the eastern states. One-hundred-thousand hopefuls pioneered across the harsh landscape to the territory, seeking instant prosperity. The influx uprooted the Native Americans and forced them to move on, while the settler population soared, causing the federal government to create the Colorado Territory. So began Denver's first boom, inspiring its mythical image as a Wild West town ruled by material obsession.

State:

Colorado

Country:

United States

Denver By The Numbers:

Population: 554,636; 2.4 million metro area

Land Area: 154.63 square miles/ 399 square kilometers

Elevation: 5,280 feet/ 1,609 meters

Average Annual Rainfall: 15.4 inches/ 38 centimeters

Average Annual Snowfall: 55.4 inches Average/ 104 centimeters

Average February Temperature: 33 degrees F/ 1 degree C

Average August Temperature: 72 degrees F/ 22 degrees C

Average Sunshine Days: 300+

Quick Facts:

Major Industries: Communications, Utilities, Transportation, Aerospace.

Electricity: 110-120 volts AC, 60Hz; flat two-pin plugs are standard.

Ethnic mix: 50.1% Caucasian, 31.7% Hispanic, 11.1% African-American, 2.8% Asian & Pacific Islander, 1.3% Native American, 3% multiracial.

Time zone: GMT - 7.

Country dialing code: 1.

Area Code: 303 or 720 (must be included when dialing local calls).

Did You Know?

Denver is ranked the "thinnest" city in America by the American Cancer Society. It resides 346 miles/557 kilometers west of the exact center of the continental United States. Colorado brews more beer than any other state.

Orientation:

Denver is bordered by the Great Plains towards the east, and the Rocky Mountains in the west; it is part of the Colorado Front Range area.

Average Temperatures

Fah

Cel

Rainy Days

Average Annual Rainfall:

18.1" / 46.2 cm

General Introduction

Welcome to the Mile High City, where the Wild West meets the urban frontier, where towering peaks collide with the desert plains. Rising from the dust of gold, Denver is a vibrant city, home to 300 days of sunshine, and world class skiing.

Denver is a geographically isolated city sitting exactly one mile above sea level and over 600 barren miles from the next closest major city. Concealed from the west by bold foothills and towering 14,000-foot peaks, and protected to the east by an expansive and unforgiving high desert terrain, it is a place where everybody seems to be from somewhere else. Today, modern-day pioneers flock to Denver for world-class skiing and biking, serene hiking and intense rock climbing. They travel here from far and wide to imbibe famous microbrews, stand in the humbling presence of massive peaks or find prosperity in the booming computer and telecommunications economy.