City breath of fresh air
Six reasons you should put Denver on your travel itinerary
300 DAYS OF SUNSHINE A YEAR
Located east of a major mountain range, Denver has a mild, dry and sunny climate with more hours of sun a year than San Diego or Miami Beach.
NEAR THE MOUNTAINS, NOT IN THEM
Denver might not be in the mountains, but the mountains still dominate the city. The picturesque mountain panorama from Denver is 225km long. There are 200 visible named peaks, including 32 that soar to 4000m and above. State law prohibits building any structure that would block the view from the Colorado State Capitol.
A CITY OF MANY COLOURS AND CULTURES
Denver grew by 30 per cent in the 1990s – an average of 1000 new residents a week, every week for 10 years and the Hispanic population in Colorado increased by 73 per cent. Today, more than 30 per cent of the City of Denver is of Hispanic and Latino descent and 11 per cent are African American. Denver’s diversity is celebrated at numerous festivals and events including the nation’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebration and the largest Martin Luther King Jr march and rally, referred to by locals as a “marade.”
SHORT, COLOURFUL HISTORY
In 1858, there was not a single person living in the Denver metro area except for migrating camps of Arapaho and Cheyenne Native Americans. Just 30 years later, Colorado was a state with a population of almost 200,000. A gold rush caused this boom and in a 30–40-year period Denver had some of the wildest events in the Wild West.
This fascinating period is brought to life at museums, old gold mining towns and in hundreds of elegant Victorian buildings. The History Colorado Center is a $120 million interactive museum where it is possible to descend into a coal mine, jump off a ski jump and visit other exciting moments from Denver and Colorado history.
A LOVE FOR SPORTS
Denver is one of only two cities (Philadelphia is the other) to have seven professional sports teams. The Colorado Rockies hold 11 Major League Baseball attendance records and the Denver Broncos have sold out every game for more than 20 years. Denver also hosts one of the world’s largest rodeos – the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo.
THE MILE HIGH CITY IS EXACTLY ONE MILE HIGH
In Denver’s rarefied air, golf balls go 10 per cent farther. So do cocktails. Alcoholic drinks pack more of a punch than at sea level. The sun feels warmer because you are closer to it and there is 25 per cent less protection from its rays. With less water vapour in the air at this altitude, the sky really is bluer in Colorado. More at denver.org