Guide to Denver

Denver is the largest city between Missouri and California. It owes its beginnings to its location and its proximity to some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. It is the capital of Colorado and was admitted to the Union in 1876. The Greater Denver metropolitan area is home to more than 2 million people – about 600,000 of which live in the city and county of Denver.

Colorado is the eighth largest state in the country. It is bounded on the north by Wyoming, on the south by New Mexico, on the east by Kansas and on the west by Utah. The eastern third of Colorado is a continuation of the Great Plains reflected in Kansas and Nebraska. The western third of the state changes dramatically with several ranges of the Rocky Mountains running north and south through the state. Because of this, Colorado is called the backbone of the United States.

There are 53 mountain peaks over 14,000 feet high in Colorado, the highest of which is Mt. Elbert at 14,433 feet. In the midst of these mountains is the Continental Divide, the highest spot in the western United States. Many rivers originate from this point and are fed by melting snow. Depending on which side of the Divide they appear, the rivers will either run east to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico or west to the Pacific Ocean.

Denver itself sits at a high altitude – a mile high to be exact – as measured from the 18 th step of the Colorado State Capitol. It is from this that Denver takes its name "the mile high city."

The majesty of the mountains becomes apparent when landing at Denver International Airport, located northeast of the city. It is the fifth busiest airport in the nation and covers an area the size of Rhode Island. The airport itself is a work of art. It was built in the mid 1990s at a cost of $3.2 billion. The construction cost included some $7.5 million in original works of art. The roof line looks like a series of canvas tents and mimic the skyline of the mountains to the west. It is ultra-modern and ultra-efficient. Most passengers have rated DIA far higher than airports in other cities such as Dallas-Ft. Worth or Chicago.

From the airport it is about 24 miles by cab or shuttle bus to the downtown area. Denver is bisected north and south by Interstate I-25, which heads south to Colorado Springs and north to Ft. Collins and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Much of Denver is surrounded by a beltway marked Interstate I-470. Interstate I-70 cuts the city running east and west.

Starting at the airport, there are several prominent suburbs. Going counterclockwise there is Aurora, Parker, Englewood, Littleton (which is just west of the southern point on the compass) proceeding to Lakewood (and beyond that Evergreen) to Golden (which sits on the western point of the compass) to Arvada, Westminster, Bloomfield (which sits on Route 36 and is roughly half way to Boulder). Boulder is about 30 miles north and west of Denver. Thornton and Commerce City close the loop. None of these suburbs are very far away and have attractions in them that will invite the attention of visitors away from Denver. The fastest-growing part of the city is in the Southeast along the I-25 corridor toward Colorado Springs, which was a central reason that T-Rex was built – a light rail system scheduled for completion in November 2006.

Downtown refers to an area bounded by 13 th Avenue on the south, Speer Boulevard (which follows Cherry Creek) on the west, the South Platte River on the north and Grant Street on the east. Most downtown streets run one-way. 17 th Street, where most of the banks and tall office buildings are located is considered the heart of downtown.

The 16 th Street Mall is an important pedestrian thoroughfare. It is a mile long and includes an impressive array of shops and restaurants. Free shuttle buses run the length of this corridor. It is closed to automobile traffic between Market Street and Broadway and in-line skates are also not allowed there.

Somewhere near Market Street, Downtown becomes known as Lower Downtown or "LoDo" as the natives say. The definition of what makes up LoDo depends on who you ask. One thing is certain, if your get to Capitol Hill, the name of the area just east of downtown, then you have gone too far.

The Colorado Convention Center located at Welton and 13th Streets is a state of the art facility, which is beautiful as well as functional. It is the site of the NAHC 26 th Annual Meeting. The headquarters hotel, the brand new Hyatt Denver, is located immediately across the street from the Center.

The climate in Denver is mild and is not humid in the summer. The average temperature is 85 degrees with a low of 56. In the winter, the average temperature is 45 and the low is 18. Average rainfall is 11 inches and average snowfall is 60 inches. There are usually only about 18 days per year when there is more than an inch of snow on the ground. The sun shines all or part of some 300 days a year. The temperature the first week of October should be a high of 75 and a low of 45. Visitors are advised to bring a jacket or a sweater because like all desert climates, Denver cools off at night when the sun goes down. Dressing in layers is advised by the Denver Chamber of Commerce.

Another key point for visitors is to drink water because many people require a day or two to get adjusted to the altitude. Individuals who are sensitive to high altitudes may feel light-headed as they climb the mountain peaks. This is because the air is thinner at high altitudes and there is less oxygen content in it.