DENVER

MARIJUANA LEGISLATION is far from the only change the Mile High City (pun not intended) has undergone over the past decade. Since 2012, the median household income of Colorado’s capital city has grown at about twice the rate of the rest of the U.S., and only a small margin of that is from the 200-plus dispensaries in the metro area.

The city has used this economic surge to lay the groundwork for a great many community projects, such as expanding commercial centers and adding to Denver’s already extensive city park system. As a result, the Mile High City has maintained its strong position as the state’s tourism hub, and many natives living out of the state rep its iconic flag with T-shirts and stickers — good luck doing that with Wisconsin’s coat of arms.

On the downside, Denver is experiencing one of the worst gentrification crises in the U.S. as out-of-staters flood into the city faster than new housing can be built, driving up prices for what houses and apartments are available.