Denver is the capital and largest city in the U.S. state of Colorado and a county named Denver County. For this reason, Denver is the county seat of Denver County. It is at the foot of the Rocky Mountains on the South Platte River and was founded in 1858. Denver is nicknamed the “Mile High City” because its official elevation is exactly one mile (5280 feet or 1609.344 meters) above sea level. It is at least 5,280 feet (or 1,609 meters) above sea level at a point in the city’s state capitol building. The dome at the top of the capitol building is covered in gold.
Former Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver visited his namesake city in 1875 and in 1882.
Denver was founded in November 1858 as Denver City during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush as a mining town in western Kansas Territory.] That summer, a group of gold prospectors from Lawrence, Kansas, started a settlement on the banks of the South Platte River. They called it Montana City. This was the first settlement in what was later to become the city of Denver. The settlement faded quickly. By the summer of 1859 it was abandoned in favour of Auraria (named after the gold mining town of Auraria, Georgia), and St. Charles City.
The Colorado Territory was created on February 28, 1861. Arapahoe County was formed on November 1, 1861, and Denver City was incorporated on November 7, 1861 Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until consolidation in 1902. In 1867, Denver City became the Territorial Capital. With its new-found importance, Denver City shortened its name to just Denver.On August 1, 1876, Colorado was admitted to the Union.
Today, the Mile High City is where urban sophistication meets outdoor adventure. Denver is famous for its world-class cultural attractions, thriving craft breweries, chef-driven dining and red-hot music scene, all within a stone’s throw of the Rocky Mountains. Enjoy a coffee in one of the twenty-eight outdoor cafes on the mile-long 16th Street Mall lined with two hundred trees and fifty thousand flowers, or pop into the Clyfford Still Museum to appreciate the works of one of America’s finest Abstract Expressionists.
The LoDo Historic District is home to ninety brewpubs, sports bars, restaurants and rooftop cafes.