50 Fun Facts About Denver

Which mountain range rises just west of Denver?

Downtown sits about 12 miles east of the Front Range foothills.

What is Denver's famous nickname?

The official elevation is exactly 5,280 feet, measured at a benchmark on the State Capitol steps.

Where is the benchmark that fixes Denver's official one-mile elevation?

The city as a whole ranges from 5,130 to 5,690 feet.

Denver was founded where the South Platte River meets which waterway?

Confluence Park now occupies the site of the first townsites.

In which year was Denver founded?

Gold had been found in the Rockies that November, setting off the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.

James W. Denver, the city's namesake, was governor of which territory?

William Larimer picked the name to curry favour, not knowing Denver had already resigned.

Who staked the Denver City claim with cottonwood logs in November 1858?

He and Captain Jonathan Cox were land speculators from eastern Kansas Territory.

What was the first settlement on the Denver site, founded by Lawrence prospectors in 1858?

It was abandoned within a year in favour of Auraria and St. Charles City.

The rival settlement of Auraria was named after a gold-mining town in which state?

It sat across Cherry Creek from Larimer's claim.

Which 1861 treaty saw ten tribal chiefs cede the land of modern Denver?

Many Cheyennes said only a minority of chiefs signed it; the dispute led to the Colorado War.

The first transcontinental railroad bypassed Denver for which Wyoming city?

Citizens raised $300,000 in three days and built the Denver Pacific link, finished in June 1870.

Which Leadville mining millionaire built Denver's first opera house?

He also built a business block at 16th and Larimer in the 1880s.

Which crime boss ran Denver's bunco gangs in the 1880s and 1890s?

Elected officials and police worked alongside him to control elections and gambling.

Which charity's precursor was formed in Denver by religious leaders in 1887?

They pooled fundraising and coordinated relief for the city's poor.

Denver's booming flower industry of the 1880s–1930s was nicknamed what?

Floriculture thrived on the High Plains for half a century.

In which year did the City and County of Denver come into being?

Voters approved a home-rule amendment separating it from Arapahoe and Adams counties.

Denver is the only state capital in the US to be what?

It is surrounded by Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties.

Which Winter Olympics did Denver win and then decline to host?

Colorado voters rejected public funding in 1972 and the Games went to Innsbruck.

Which city took the 1976 Winter Games after Denver withdrew?

Denver is still the only city to back out after winning an Olympic bid.

Who led the movement against hosting the 1976 Olympics and later became governor?

He served three terms as Colorado governor from 1975 to 1987.

In which two years did Denver host the Democratic National Convention?

The 1908 gathering met in the Municipal Auditorium, now the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

Which 1993 event drew about 500,000 people, the largest gathering in Colorado history?

The Catholic Church's sixth World Youth Day ran August 10–15.

Which nuclear weapons plant about 15 miles from Denver made plutonium pits until 1989?

A 1957 fire and leaking waste contaminated parts of the city with plutonium-239.

Which meridian, the Mountain Time reference line, passes through Denver Union Station?

That position lets Denver reach both US coasts, Europe and Asia in one business day.

Roughly how many miles east of the Rocky Mountain foothills is downtown Denver?

The city sits on the western edge of the High Plains.

What was Denver's population at the 2020 census?

That made it the 19th most populous US city and fifth most populous state capital.

How many official neighborhoods does the City and County of Denver have?

The system dates to 1970 and most boundaries are unchanged since.

What does the neighborhood name LoDo stand for?

RiNo, for River North, is another of the city's colloquial district names.

The former Stapleton neighborhood was renamed what in 2020?

It was built on the old airport site; Mayor Stapleton had been a Ku Klux Klan member.

In which year did Denver International Airport open, replacing Stapleton?

It is the largest airport by land area in the United States.

Which airline has its headquarters and primary hub at Denver International Airport?

United also uses DIA as a major hub.

What do locals call the I-25/I-70 interchange?

From the air the cars are said to look like mice caught in a trap.

Which hotel founder suggested angling the downtown grid so streets get sun to melt snow?

A plaque across from the Brown Palace Hotel honours the idea.

Which major east–west artery runs 27 miles across Denver and Aurora as part of US 40?

It sits 15 blocks north of the Ellsworth Avenue median in the city grid.

Which letter names the commuter rail link from Union Station to the airport?

It opened in April 2016 and beat RTD's ridership expectations.

Which name has the Broncos' home stadium carried since 2019?

Renamed in September 2019, it was earlier Invesco Field and Sports Authority Field. The Broncos have sold out every home game since 1970, strike games aside.

From where did the Avalanche relocate to Denver in 1995?

They won the Stanley Cup in their first Denver season, then again in 2001 and 2022.

Denver's first NHL team, the Colorado Rockies, moved east to become which club?

They played in Denver from 1976 to 1982.

In which year did the Denver Nuggets win their first NBA championship?

They had joined the ABA in 1967 and the NBA in 1976.

Who beat the Colorado Rockies in their only World Series, in 2007?

The Rockies had reached it as a wild card; they have played at Coors Field since 1995.

In which suburb do the Colorado Rapids play?

Dick's Sporting Goods Park opened for the 2007 MLS season; the Rapids won MLS Cup in 2010.

What was Ball Arena called before its renaming?

The Avalanche and Nuggets have both played there since 1999.

Which Denver mountain park is famous for its natural amphitheatre?

The city owns about 14,000 acres of mountain parks, and the mountain under Winter Park Resort.

Which abstract expressionist's estate did Denver acquire in 2004 to build a museum?

The museum sits near the Denver Art Museum and its Daniel Libeskind wing.

Which event brings brewers from around the world to Denver each fall?

Coors and New Belgium are among the larger brewers offering tours nearby.

Which January event draws up to 700,000 people and 10,000 animals to Denver?

It celebrates the city's past as a beef and livestock trading centre.

Which burrito chain was founded in Denver before moving its HQ to California in 2018?

Quiznos and Smashburger were also born in the city.

Which 1980s soap opera captured Denver's oil boom?

It was set in Denver from 1981 to 1989 but mostly filmed in Los Angeles.

Which French city has been Denver's sister city since 1948, the second-oldest US link?

East High School students raised $32,000 to rebuild the children's wing of its hospital.

In 2005 Denver became the first major US city to vote to legalise what?

Mayor Hickenlooper noted the vote had no effect, since state law still applied.