Denver: A Portrait in 10 Questions

Cities have brands, and the one sported by Denver, Colorado, is a good one. Enough said, right? Well—a quick look at a map suggests there might be something strange going on. Colorado, after all, abuts states like Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, none of which are known for their glamour appeal. In other words, this place is worthy of further study, Q&A style.

 

Why does Denver exist?

Native cultures had a presence in the area for years, but the history as we know it began in 1858 when Denver—named for a governor of the Kansas Territory—was founded as a mining town after the discovery of gold nearby. From there, its strategic location on the South Platte River, where the plains meet the Rocky Mountains, made it a natural center of trade. Once the railroad arrived, things picked up even more. Throw in some oil and gas money, and its fate was secure.

 

What is Denver’s population?

The city has a population of around 715,000, and the metropolitan area comes in at just under 3 million, making it the 19th largest in the US. The region is the anchor of the Front Range—one of 11 US megaregions—meaning it is a center of culture and entertainment for a lot of people who live in the middle of nowhere.

 

What do people do there now?

In addition to the usual mix of employers, several big-name companies are headquartered in the Denver area, including Frontier Airlines, Dish Network, DaVita, RE/MAX, Quiznos, and Smashburger. Others were birthed there but have since moved on—think Samsonite, Chipotle, and Coors Brewing Company.

Simple geography continues to make Denver an ideal location for storage, distribution, mining, and fossil fuel extraction. And as a capital city, government jobs abound.

All told—and more or less in keeping with its population—Denver has the 18th-largest metropolitan GDP in the US.

 

Any sports?

Absolutely. Denver is the smallest of 13 metropolitan areas in the US with at least one team in all four major professional sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL). If you want to put Major League Soccer in the mix, Denver has that too.

 

What about for people who can’t stand watching sports?

This place has a ton of attractions, with one example being the funky-looking Denver Art Museum. There are cool neighborhoods like Lower Downtown (LoDo) and—thanks to the mountains and abundant sunshine—a boatload of outdoor activities. If you like gimmicks, check out the 40-foot blue bear at the Convention Center. And don’t forget about the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, one of the coolest concert venues in the world.

 

Who from Denver is famous?

A bunch of people. Some names and acts with Denver connections that you might recognize include Earth, Wind & Fire; Judy Collins; India Arie; The Fray; The Lumineers; OneRepublic; the South Park creators; Madeleine Albright; Neil Gorsuch; John Kerry; Condoleezza Rice; Karl Rove; Chauncey Billups; Tim Allen; and Don Cheadle.

 

What really makes Denver?

Definitely the Rocky Mountains, the result of millions of years of tectonic activity. Without those, Denver’s brand might be more in line with that of Kansas City or Indianapolis.

 

Beyond the mystique, what’s the reality?

It’s not Chicago or Los Angeles, but traffic can be painful. And it’s not Seattle, but the homeless population is surprisingly robust. Perhaps related, Colorado has one of the highest drug abuse rates in the country.

Denver has been recognized for having an abundance of vacant office space and—due to reliance on tributaries of the Colorado River—a tenuous water supply.

 

Denver reminds me of something else. What is it?

Maybe John Denver? You know, the folk musician who changed his name in honor of the city and sang I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again, eerily dying in a plane crash three decades later.

 

Anything else?

You can’t talk about the Mile High City without mentioning its elevation—one mile above sea level. Oh, and Dynasty, that painful soap opera your parents made you watch, was about a fictional Denver family.