- More than 715 thousand people live in Denver, the capital of Colorado. This is more than in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
- This city was founded more than 150 years ago, in 1858. The reason for its foundation was the gold rush.
- At first, Denver had a different name: Montana City. It was later renamed in honor of James Denver, the governor of Colorado.
- The territory of Colorado became part of the United States as a state on August 1, 1876. Denver became the capital of Colorado from that moment on.
- The area of Denver is 155 sq mi (~401 km²). This is approximately equal to the area of the country of Barbados, located on the island of the same name.
- Denver is the most populous municipality in the state of Colorado. The population density here exceeds 4,600 people per 1 sq mile.
- Over the XX century, the city’s population has grown more than 4 times: from 133,859 to 554,636 people.
- Every fifth resident of Denver speaks Spanish at home. The third most popular language in Denver is Vietnamese (0.81% of citizens speak it).
- In 2016, Denver was named the best place to live in the United States by the US News and World Report.
- It is located at an altitude of 5250 feet (1,609.34 meters) above sea level, which makes it one of the highest mountain largest cities in the United States.
- In 1957, an accident occurred at the plant for the manufacture of nuclear components, and, as a result, radioactive contamination occurred. The radiation level in Denver has been exceeded almost twice since then.
- In the 1995 film Waterworld, you can see the remains of the city underwater. That’s Denver.
- In April 2019, paleontologists from the University of Colorado at Denver were able to find traces of one of the smallest theropods Minisauripus – small predatory dinosaurs that moved on their hind legs. The find was made not far from the city.
- Denver is the city with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States.
- The dome of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver is covered with real 24-karat gold. This is a reminder of the gold rush, thanks to which this city was built.
- One of Denver’s nicknames is The Mile High City. If you climb the west stairs of the Capitol to the 18th step, you will find yourself at an altitude of exactly 1 mile above sea level.
- According to rumors, about a quarter of the US gold reserve is stored at the Denver Mint.
- The first permanent structure in Denver was not a hospital, bank, or house. It was a saloon.
- The Denver Botanic Gardens are known for their impressive collection of the world’s rarest orchids.
- The Rocky Mountains National Park is located an hour’s drive from the city streets, but all tourists who visit Denver come here. This is an amazing place in the mountains with about 150 small lakes.
- Russian is the native language for 0.5% of the Denver population.
- The hottest temperature recorded in Denver was 105 °F (40,6 °C), and the coldest was -29 °F (-33,9 °C).
- Mount Evans is the highest mountain near Denver, its height reaches 14,267 ft (4,350 m).
- There are more than 200 parks here, from mini small ones to a huge City Park of Denver.
- Denver’s architecture is very diverse. Here you can see both typical suburban houses and skyscrapers of the early XX century.
- In 1970, Denver received the right to host the 1976 Winter Olympics. This date coincided with the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the formation of the state of Colorado. However, in 1972, residents of Colorado took to the streets to protest about the high costs of hosting the games, and subsequently, the competitions were moved to Innsbruck.
- Denver has been named the “Baby Boomer Capital of America,” boasting a higher number of baby boomers than any other US city.
- According to one version, it was in Denver that the cheeseburger was invented when in 1935 a local entrepreneur Louis Ballast added a piece of cheese to the burger.
- About 200 named peaks can be seen from Denver, including 32 that rise to an altitude of 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) and higher. The mountain panorama visible from Denver is 140 miles (225 km) long.
- Denver has 300 days of sunshine a year. Located east of a major mountain range, Denver has a mild, dry, and sunny climate with more annual hours of sun than San Diego or Miami Beach. In winter, Denver is dryer than Phoenix with an average daily high of 45 °F (7 °C) in February.
- Denver is one of only a few cities to have six professional sports teams. It loves its sports, from basketball to football to soccer to baseball. Denver also has horse racing and a professional rodeo. It has 90 golf courses, miles of bike paths, and the nation’s most unique city park system.
- In Denver’s rarified air, golf balls go about 10% farther than they would at sea level.
- Elvis Presley once flew in his private jet from Memphis to Denver’s Stapleton Airport just for a sandwich. He ordered 22 Fool’s Gold Loafs, a sandwich containing a jar of peanut butter, a jar of grape jelly, and one pound of bacon, from the Colorado Gold Mine Company Steakhouse for him and his friends. They dined on the sandwiches with champagne and then returned home.
- Denver is one of the few cities in the US that wasn’t built on a road, railroad, lake, or navigable body of water. Settlers were attracted to the spot because of the gold found there.
- In Denver, it is illegal to lend a vacuum cleaner to your neighbor. However, it is illegal to lend a vacuum to a next-door neighbor, but it’s perfectly okay to lend a vacuum to a friend down the street.