"Denver" Denver by seagoingJLW

Denver is a study in contrasts. The population is the most educated in the United States with the highest percentage of high school and college graduates. Yet Denver also brews more beer than any other American city.

Denver is the "Baby Boomer" capital of the US. It is also the thinnest city in the US. It is the 20th in population, (554,636,) but it has the 10th largest downtown. Denver citizens contribute more public funding for the arts than any other city, yet the city does not offer much culturally.

It really is a mile high. The fifteenth step on the west steps of the state capitol is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level.

Denver is not really in the mountains, but they are so near. Only 15 miles away, the foothills of the Rockies rise to as high as 11,000 feet. Slightly beyond that is the Continental Divide which soars to 14,000 feet.

The new airport has to be the ugliest in the United States. It is considered an architectural landmark with its 34 teflon coated peaks that are supposed to symbolize the Rocky Mountains. I can't see any resemblance.

Denver is not in the west. It is located in central USA. The climate, supposedly great, can cause problems at times. When I was there last, hailstones the size of tennis balls were falling.

History

Denver was born in 1859 during the Pikes Peak gold rush. During its first few years it survived two major fires, Indian attacks and in invading force of Confederates from Texas during the Civl War.<BR>
It became a boom town with the discovery of more gold in the mountains. The turn of the century brought respectability. Then Denver became the "Queen of the Plains."

Denver has more than doubled its population since 1960. It did slow down, however, during the 1980s.

• Pros:The mountains that surround Denver are gorgeous.
• Cons:It can be very difficult to breathe in the thin atmosphere.
• In a nutshell:Beautiful, but boring.