City North America
Denver
Denver is a big city in the United States. It is high up, near tall mountains called the Rocky Mountains.
Denver is the capital of the state of Colorado, in the United States. It began in 1858 during a gold rush, where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte River, and it is nicknamed the Mile High City because it lies about 5,280 feet (one mile) above sea level. About 740,600 people lived there in 2025.
Denver City was named on 22 November 1858, during the Colorado Gold Rush, after Kansas Territorial Governor James Denver. It became capital of the Colorado Territory in 1867 and of the state created in 1876. The Census Bureau estimated 740,613 people in the city on 1 July 2025, the most of any city in Colorado.
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Denver
Denver is a big city in the state of Colorado. It is the capital of Colorado.
Denver is very high up. People call it the Mile High City!
Denver is the capital of Colorado, a state in the western United States. The Colorado Encyclopedia says the city is centered where Cherry Creek flows into the South Platte River, and it lies where the High Plains meet the Rocky Mountains.
At 5,280 feet, exactly one mile, above sea level, Denver is nicknamed the Mile High City. The US Census Bureau estimated 740,613 people in Denver on 1 July 2025, more than in any other city in Colorado.
The Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates give Denver city (which is also Denver County) 740,613 people on 1 July 2025, up from an estimates base of 715,509 for April 2020. Colorado Springs (494,743) and Aurora (410,053) come next among Colorado's cities.
The Colorado Encyclopedia (Thomas J. Noel) describes the wider metropolitan area as spreading over six counties of the High Plains and the Rocky Mountain foothills, and gives Denver's elevation as 5,280 feet, the source of its nickname.
- Country
- United States (capital of Colorado)
- People in Denver (estimate, 1 July 2025)
- 740,613
- Height above sea level
- 5,280 feet (one mile, about 1,609 m)
- Rivers
- where Cherry Creek joins the South Platte River
Old station, new airport
Denver has an art museum and a public library.
Part of its old downtown is protected as a historic district.
In 1988 the city made part of downtown, called Lower Downtown or 'LoDo', a historic district. In 1995 the Colorado Rockies baseball team came to Denver and built its stadium on the district's edge, with red brick and stone trim to match the buildings around it.
Denver's art museum grew from the Artists Club, started in 1893 and reorganized as the Denver Art Museum in the 1920s. The Denver Public Library was founded in 1886.
The Colorado Encyclopedia says the city designated Lower Downtown, between Twentieth Street, Larimer Street, Cherry Creek and Wynkoop Street, as a historic district in 1988. Its redevelopment brought Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies to Denver in 1995; their stadium, at Twentieth and Blake Streets, borrows red brick and stone trim from the buildings around it.
Colorado artists organized the Artists Club in 1893, and in the 1920s it was reorganized as the Denver Art Museum; its strongest collection is of American Indian materials, which the benefactor and artist Anne Evans helped build. The Denver Public Library was founded in 1886.
- Lower Downtown (LoDo)
- historic district since 1988
- Denver Art Museum
- grew from the Artists Club of 1893
- Denver Public Library
- founded 1886
A gold rush town
Long ago, people found gold near Denver. Many people came to look for more.
They built a town that grew into a big city.
In July 1858 a prospecting party found gold about eight miles upstream from where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte, starting the Colorado Gold Rush. On 22 November 1858 William Larimer claimed land across Cherry Creek from the new settlement of Auraria and named his town Denver City, after the governor of Kansas Territory, James Denver.
The gold soon ran low, but Denver became the place that supplied the miners in the mountains. In 1867 it became capital of the Colorado Territory, and of the new state of Colorado in 1876.
The Colorado Encyclopedia says William Green Russell's prospecting party found a few ounces of gold in July 1858 about eight miles above the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte; the party then founded Auraria, named from the Latin word for gold, on the west side of Cherry Creek. On 22 November 1858 William H. Larimer Jr. claimed land across the creek and named his town Denver City.
Universalis notes that both towns risked being abandoned when richer mines were found farther west, but Denver won out as the supply center for the new mining camps, helped by the Western Union telegraph company's choice of it. Shortened to Denver, it became the territorial capital in 1867 and the state capital when Colorado became a state in 1876.
- Gold found nearby
- July 1858
- Denver City named
- 22 November 1858
- Capital of the Colorado Territory
- 1867 (state of Colorado from 1876)
Railroads, light rail and a giant airport
Long ago, trains carried gold and silver ore to Denver.
Now Denver has a huge airport, and trains and buses that carry people around the city.
Denver had no river that boats could travel on. Railroads arrived in 1870: Universalis says local business leaders managed to connect the city to the transcontinental line that passed farther north, at Cheyenne.
Union Station once made Denver a hub for travel, but since 1995 Denver International Airport has taken that role. The Regional Transportation District runs buses and light rail, including service to the airport.
The Colorado Encyclopedia notes that Denver lacked navigable waterways and that steamboats never ran on the South Platte; railroads arrived in 1870 and carried mountain gold and silver ores to Denver's smelters. Universalis says the city grew from 4,700 people in 1870 to 35,000 in 1880 and 107,000 in 1890.
The encyclopedia calls Denver International Airport, open since 1995, the largest US airport by land area, at more than 33,500 acres, and says the Regional Transportation District provides bus and light rail service across the metro area, including to the airport. Wikidata dates the airport's opening to 28 February 1995.
- Railroads arrive
- 1870
- Denver International Airport
- open since 1995
- Airport land area
- more than 33,500 acres
Dry plains below the mountains
Summers in Denver are hot, and winter nights are freezing cold.
It is quite dry. The wettest months are in spring and summer.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Denver (1981–2010) show daytime highs of about 32 °C in July and about 6 to 7 °C in December and January. Winter nights drop well below freezing, to about −8 °C.
Denver is fairly dry: about 363 millimeters of precipitation fall in an average year. May to August is the wettest time, and December and February the driest.
The WMO table for Denver, 1981–2010, gives average highs from 6.0 °C in December to 31.9 °C in July, and average lows from −8.3 °C in December to 14.9 °C in July. Lows stay below freezing from November to March.
The monthly averages add up to about 363.2 mm a year on about 80 days. July has the most (54.9 mm), followed by May (53.8) and June (50.3); December has the least (8.9). Universalis notes that the cold, dry climate once drew people seeking cures for lung diseases.
- July, average high (WMO, 1981–2010)
- 31.9 °C
- December, average low (same period)
- −8.3 °C
- Precipitation in a year (sum of the monthly averages)
- about 363 mm
From silver to new kinds of work
Long ago, Denver sold supplies to miners and melted gold and silver out of rock.
Later, people found new work. They prepared farm products and welcomed visitors.
Denver first earned its living by supplying the miners and, later, by smelting the gold and silver ores brought from the mountains. When the price of silver crashed in 1893, the city turned to other work, such as tourism and preparing farm products.
In 1983 the price of oil fell sharply too, and Denver looked for new kinds of business, including computer and high-tech companies. Within an hour's drive to the west are the city's mountain parks, hiking trails and ski areas.
The Colorado Encyclopedia says the giant Argo, Globe and Grant smelters were Denver's biggest employers by the 1890s. In the Panic of 1893, silver fell from over a dollar an ounce to under sixty cents, and Denver diversified into tourism and agricultural processing; in 1894 it launched the Festival of Mountain and Plain to promote tourism.
When crude oil fell from $42 to $10 a barrel in 1983, the city explored high-tech businesses. Universalis adds that federal agencies and, from the 1960s, aerospace and high-technology companies settled in the area.
- Silver price fall
- 1893
- Oil price fall
- 1983
- Nickname
- the 'Queen City of the Plains'
Denver on the map
Find the United States on the globe. Look at the west, next to the tall Rocky Mountains. That is where Denver is!
The flat plains stretch away to the east.
Denver is in the western United States at about 40° north, where the High Plains meet the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The Colorado Encyclopedia says the Great Plains lie within an hour's drive to the east and the Continental Divide within an hour to the west.
Measured from the Colorado State Capitol, the Denver Art Museum is about 0.4 kilometers to the southwest, Union Station about 2 kilometers to the northwest, and Denver International Airport about 30 kilometers to the east-northeast.
Denver lies at about 39.7° N and 105.0° W. Measured from the Colorado State Capitol (Wikidata points), the Denver Art Museum is about 0.44 km west-southwest, Union Station about 2.0 km northwest and Denver International Airport about 29.9 km east-northeast.
The hero photo was taken by a drone camera on 21 April 2026 at 10:55 by its clock, about 2.2 km east-southeast of the Capitol and 1,677 m above sea level (Commons camera data), looking toward downtown and the mountains.
- Latitude
- about 39.7° north
- Longitude
- about 105.0° west
- State Capitol to the airport
- about 30 km east-northeast
Amazing facts
-
Denver is one mile above the sea!
Denver's elevation is 5,280 feet, exactly one mile, which is why it is called the Mile High City.
The Colorado Encyclopedia gives Denver's elevation as 5,280 feet, one mile, the origin of its nickname 'The Mile High City'.
-
Denver's airport covers a huge area of land!
Denver International Airport covers more than 33,500 acres, the most land of any airport in the United States, according to the Colorado Encyclopedia.
The Colorado Encyclopedia calls Denver International Airport, open since 1995, the largest US airport by land area, at more than 33,500 acres.
-
A town near Denver was named after the word for gold.
Auraria, the first lasting settlement in what is now the Denver area, took its name from the Latin word for gold.
Russell's prospecting party founded Auraria, named from the Latin word for gold, on the west side of Cherry Creek; on 22 November 1858 Denver City was claimed across the creek from it.
-
Denver grew very fast after the trains came.
Denver had about 4,700 people in 1870, the year the railroads arrived, and about 107,000 by 1890.
Universalis gives Denver about 4,700 people in 1870, 35,000 in 1880 and 107,000 in 1890, boosted by silver mining, tourism and health cures.
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a state's or country's government is based
- gold rush
- a time when many people hurry to a place where gold has been found
- prospector
- a person who searches the land for gold or other minerals
- confluence
- the place where two rivers or streams meet
- elevation
- how high a place is above the level of the sea
- smelter
- a factory that heats rock to melt out metals such as gold and silver
Discovery challenge
-
Denver is the capital of which state?
Denver is the capital of which US state?
Since 1876, Denver has been the capital of which state?
- Colorado
- Kansas
- Utah
Show the answer
Colorado
Colorado!
Colorado, in the western United States.
Colorado; Denver had been the territorial capital since 1867.
-
What is Denver's nickname?
Why is Denver called the Mile High City?
Denver's nickname, the Mile High City, comes from which fact?
- It has a tower one mile tall
- It is about one mile above sea level
- It is one mile wide
Show the answer
It is about one mile above sea level
It is one mile up high!
Its elevation is 5,280 feet, one mile.
An elevation of 5,280 feet, exactly one mile.
-
What did people find near Denver in 1858?
What was found near Denver in 1858 that started a rush of people?
What did William Green Russell's prospecting party find in July 1858, starting the rush that gave birth to Denver?
- Oil
- Gold
- Diamonds
Show the answer
Gold
Gold!
Gold, which started the Colorado Gold Rush.
A few ounces of gold, starting the Colorado Gold Rush of 1858–59.
-
Which mountains are next to Denver?
Which mountain range rises just west of Denver?
Denver lies where the High Plains meet the foothills of which mountains?
- The Appalachian Mountains
- The Rocky Mountains
- The Andes
Show the answer
The Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains!
The Rocky Mountains.
The Rocky Mountains; the Continental Divide is about an hour's drive west.
-
Which month is the hottest in Denver?
Which month has Denver's highest average daytime temperature?
In the WMO's 1981–2010 averages, which month has Denver's highest average high (31.9 °C)?
- January
- April
- July
Show the answer
July
July!
July, at about 32 °C.
July (31.9 °C), ahead of August (30.7 °C).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Denver and Colorado where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains.
- Describe how a gold rush and the railroads created and grew a city.
- Explain how a city changes its work when prices of silver or oil fall.
- Read monthly temperature and precipitation averages for a high, dry city.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Denver had no river big enough for boats. How did the railroads help it grow anyway?
- When silver prices crashed in 1893, Denver turned to tourism and farm products. Why is it useful for a city to have many kinds of work?
- Denver is one mile above sea level. How might living up high change the weather or how people feel?
Try at home or in class
- Mile high: measure 5,280 feet as laps of a running track (about 400 m each) and count how many it takes.
- Climate chart: plot Denver's monthly highs and lows and find the months when nights drop below freezing.
- Gold panning: swirl sand and a few heavy washers in a pan of water to see how heavier bits settle at the bottom.
Key vocabulary: capital, gold rush, prospector, confluence, elevation, smelter
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- City and town population totals, Colorado (Vintage 2025, sub-est2025_8.csv) , US Census Bureau
- Denver , Colorado Encyclopedia (Thomas J. Noel)
- Denver , Encyclopaedia Universalis
- World Weather Information Service: Denver climatological information , World Meteorological Organization
- File:Denver, Colorado skyline (cropped).jpg (Quintin Soloviev, 21 April 2026) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.