We’ve visited Denver, Colorado many times but we knew little about the city’s history or the people that influenced it. Before our last visit, we did some research.
25 Interesting Facts About Denver, Colorado
- In the early part of 1858, no one living in the area that makes up the city of Denver today. That changed in July 1858 when gold was found nearby, and the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush (later known as the Colorado Gold Rush) began.
- Two land speculators — General William Larimer and Captain Jonathan Cox — placed cottonwood logs to stake a claim on the bluff overlooking the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek on November 22, 1858.
- General Larimer named the town site Denver City to curry favor with Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver.
- Driven by the Colorado Gold Rush, Denver became the temporary state capital when Colorado was admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876. After a statewide vote in 1881, the city became Colorado’s permanent state capital.
- At an elevation of 5,280 feet or 1,609 meters, Denver is the “Mile High City“ because it sits exactly one mile above sea level.
- The 13th step of the Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver is exactly one mile high above sea level.
- The gold dome on the is covered with gold leaf made from 24 karat (.9999 pure) gold. The gold was first added to the dome in 1908, commemorating the Colorado Gold Rush.
- Denver averages 300 days of sunshine each year, and more annual hours of sun than San Diego or Miami Beach.
- The iconic “I See What You Mean” art installation by artist Lawrence Argent– better know as the “Big Blue Bear,” is hard to miss in downtown Denver. Leaning its paws against Denver’s Colorado Convention Center, the bear reaches 40 feet in height and weighs 10,000 pounds.
- Denver claims the invention of the cheeseburger since Denver resident Louis Ballast of Humpty Dumpty Drive-In was awarded the trademark for the name in 1935.
- Denver was awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics Games. In response to public opposition – related concerns about high cost and potential environmental damage — the city withdrew its bid, making it the first place to ever turn down hosting the Olympics.
- The first Chipotle Mexican Grill opened in Denver in 1993 near the University of Denver campus.
- The Denver Mint produces about 40 million coins a day or a total of 8 billion coins a year, all of which have a D mark.
- Pennies make up 70 percent of the coins struck at the Denver Mint, with nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, dollars and commemorative coins accounting for the other 30 percent.
- The Denver Mint also holds $100 billion worth of solid gold bars, the second-largest gold bullion deposit in the United States.
- The Denver Performing Arts Complex –one of the largest in the U.S. –covers four blocks and 12 acres. The DPAC contains ten performance spaces with more than 10,000 seats connected by an 80 ft. tall glass roof.
- Although Denver is located more than 1,000 miles from the ocean, it has a connection to the Queen Mary ocean liner. The Cruise Room, opened one day after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, is located in the Oxford Hotel. The Cruise Room serves cocktails in an Art Deco atmosphere modeled after a lounge on the Queen Mary.
- Denver residents support the arts with a 0.1 percent sale and use tax collected for the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. The money collected provides funding for art, music, theater, dance, zoology, botany, natural history, or cultural history organizations in the Denver Metropolitan Area.
- Denver’s 16th Street Mall is a mile-long, pedestrian-friendly mall packed with shopping, restaurants and attractions in downtown Denver, from Union Station to the Civic Center Station.
- The city of Denver covers 155 square miles.
- Within a three-mile area of the city one can attend four different professional sporting events:
- The Denver Broncos play NFL football at Mile High Stadium
- The Colorado Rockies play MLB baseball at Coors Field
- The Denver Nuggets play NBA basketball at Pepsi Center
- The Colorado Avalanche play NHL ice hockey at Pepsi Center
- In Denver’s high-altitude air, golf balls travel up to 10 percent farther than they do at sea level because the air is less dense and exerts less drag force on the ball.
- Similarly – thanks to its high elevation and dry air — baseballs fly further at Denver’s Coors Field, making it one of the best ballparks in the nation for home runs.
- Covering 53 square miles, Denver International Airport is the world’s second largest airport in terms of land area. It covers a larger area than Manhattan, San Francisco, and the land portion of Miami.
- Blue Mustang, a cast-fiberglass sculpture nicknamed “Blucifer” stands near the main road leading into Denver International Airport. The stallion’s creator, Luis Jimenez, was killed in his studio when a piece of the 9,000-pound sculpture fell on his leg and severed an artery.
What fun fact about Denver can you add to this list?
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For more information on Denver, check out these books:
Walking Denver
Lost Denver