A dose of optimism: It’s always sunny in Denver
Monthly mass shootings. Gang violence. Terrorist killings in the Middle East and elsewhere. Scary political candidates. The dark cloud of climate change.
Journalists and historians are accustomed to sharing such bad news. Good news is rarely news. We sometimes forget the many things that are going well.
What follows is a list of blessings enjoyed by Denverites (with thanks to Dr. Pangloss, the incurable optimist in Voltaire’s “Candide”):
1) Mountain view. No matter how wretched our lives may be or how badly the Broncos lose, there is no charge for our million-dollar view of the snowcapped Rockies. Just resting your eyes on the spectacle framed between Pikes Peak and Longs Peak can uplift even the saddest spirit.
2)
Although boosters have backed away from one early claim of 350 days out of the year in which the sun shines at least briefly, Denver outshines most states — even the Sunshine State of Florida. Sunny days facilitate outdoor activity, and contributes to the Mile High City’s ranking as one of the healthiest cities with physically fit citizens. Denver Health is one of the nation’s top city hospitals. You can golf in January and ski in June.
3) Robust, diversified economy. Even the current oil and gas bust has not slowed down Denver’s growth. The $100 million-a-month marijuana boom has
flowered into $100 million a year in tax revenue. If you want to know why Denver tops most cities, just ask the thousands of young people flocking here.
4) Progressive laws on pot, gay rights and gun control. In addition, Denver voters have been supportive of taxes for education, and to upgrade the National Western Stock Show Complex (while Chicago and many other cities have lost their stock shows). RTD’s first-rate FasTracks system is one of the nation’s most ambitious urban rail schemes.
5) Relatively honest and effective local government. That is, at least by comparison with many big cities — or even with Denver’s dirty early years.
6) Denver is a wideopen, spacious Western city with much elbow
room. Even the poorest neighborhoods largely contain single-family detached houses. Denver is among the top cities for park space acreage per capita.
7) Enlightened city planning. That began with Mayor Robert W. Speer’s century-old City Beautiful transformation of a dusty, drab ordinary Western city into what he called “Paris on the Platte.” Many subsequent mayors — such as Federico Peña, Wellington Webb and John Hickenlooper — continued to give the city expansive parks and handsome public buildings. Denver’s splendid public libraries have been honored as among the nation’s best.
8) Historic preservation. Denver is a national pacesetter with 51 historic districts and 333 designated landmarks. Amid rapid and often disconcerting growth, these souvenirs of the past provide some stability and reassurance that the Mile High City is not just another generic conglutination of chain stores and big boxes. Historic districts have helped transform once-blighted areas such as Five Points and LoDo into thriving neighborhoods.
9) A relatively open, friendly society. Rather than being ruled by an old guard elite, Denver has been inclusive, welcoming newcomers and often seeing them rise to the top. Mayor Michael Hancock was born in Texas, Gov. Hickenlooper is from Pennsylvania.
10) Easy escape. When Denverites grow weary of congestion, smog, goose poop, Car2Go vehicles grabbing every parking space and other urban nuisances, escape is easier than from most metro areas. An hour’s drive gets you out to the lonesome prairie or on some uncrowded mountain trail.
OK, I’m sure some of you are gagging by now. So make up your own list of problems. We can deal with those another Sunday.