Life in Denver, Colorado

Colorado is one of the most beautiful states in the US, full of outdoor adventure and amazing scenery. Sitting at the edge of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is a friendly city with an abundance of art, culture, dining and entertainment to enjoy.

The capital of Colorado and economic center of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions.  Denver is located on the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek in the north central part of the state.  It is situated at an elevation of about one mile above sea level, giving it the nickname, "Mile High City ."   The Rockies rise to heights of more than 14,000 feet nearby to the west, but Denver itself sprawls over a prairie. Denver 's climate, boasting 250 sun days a year, offers new residents the four seasons with a mild and dry climate throughout the year.

Denver is one of America 's fastest growing metro regions, with over 600,000 people in the city limits and 2.5 million in the metro area.  Denver has the second highest number of college graduates per capita (after Washington , D.C. ) and the nation's most highly educated downtown workforce. 

When National Jewish Health opened its doors in 1899, Denver was a town where mining and resource development were the central commercial activities. The city now anchors a metropolitan area with a fully diversified economy that supplies goods and services to the nation and the world.     

Telecommunications, aerospace, financial services, computer software, biomedical and many other high tech sectors now secure Denver 's economy. Many private sector leaders in their fields are located in the Denver area, including AT&T Broadband, telecommunications companies Level 3 Communications and Qwest Communications, aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, international financial services company Merrill Lynch,  utility provider Excel Energy, and Denver area, internet software pioneer Sun Microsystems. These companies have helped Denver in its 12 years of economic growth since the area's oil-and gas-induced slowdown in the mid-1980s, and will help Denver grow well into the future.

Denver has a variety of cultural attractions, including the Denver Art Museum with its collection of American Indian Art, pre-Columbian and Spanish Colonial Art, The Aquarium, the Denver Zoo and the Museum of Natural History , which are among the largest in the country.  Other cultural institutions include the Colorado State Historical Museum , the Buffalo Bill Museum , the Opera, the Symphony, the Buell Theater, Six Flags Elitch Gardens Amusement Park and a Center for the Performing Arts.  In addition, Denver has an extensive system of public parks covering about 4,300 acres in the city and 13,447 acres in the foothills of the Front Range of the Rockies .

Just a short drive to the beautiful Rocky Mountains is some of the best camping, skiing and outdoor recreation opportunities in the nation.  For avid sports spectators, there are the two time NFL Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos, the NBA Denver Nuggets, the NHL Colorado Avalanche, APSL Colorado Foxes, NSL Colorado Rapids, and the NBA Colorado Rockies Baseball teams.

Denver 's outstanding events include the National Western Livestock Show and Rodeo (January); Easter Sunrise Service at Red Rocks Amphitheater (April); Colorado Music Festival (symphonic performances, June-August); and the Colorado Renaissance Fair (June-July).

What do you want to know about Denver and Colorado?

Visit the websites below for more details and information about this wonderful place to call your home.

www.denver.com – Complete Guide to Denver

www.colorado.com – Official Colorado Travel & Tourism

www.colorado.gov – Official Colorado State Government

www.weather.com – Up-to-date weather information for the Denver-metro area