Capital and most populous city of the State of Colorado
Denver is the capital and largest city in the U.S. state of Colorado and a county named Denver County. For this reason, Denver is the county seat of Denver County. It is at the foot of the Rocky Mountains on the South Platte River, and was founded in 1858. Denver is nicknamed the "Mile High City" because its official elevation is exactly one mile (5280 feet or 1609.344 meters) above sea level.[a][14] It is at least 5,280 feet (or 1,609 meters) above sea level at a point in the city's state capitol building. The dome at the top of the capitol building is covered in gold.[15][16]
Denver was founded in November 1858 as Denver City during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush as a mining town in western Kansas Territory.[17] That summer, a group of gold prospectors from Lawrence, Kansas, started a settlement on the banks of the South Platte River. They called it Montana City. This was the first settlement in what was later to become the city of Denver. The settlement faded quickly. By the summer of 1859 it was abandoned in favor of Auraria (named after the gold mining town of Auraria, Georgia), and St. Charles City.
The Colorado Territory was created on February 28, 1861,[18]Arapahoe County was formed on November 1, 1861,[18] and Denver City was incorporated on November 7, 1861.[7] Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until consolidation in 1902.[19] In 1867, Denver City became the Territorial Capital. With its new-found importance, Denver City shortened its name to just Denver.[19] On August 1, 1876, Colorado was admitted to the Union.
↑Denver has maintained its official mile-high elevation of 5,280 feet (1,609.344 m) for more than a century. When the National Geodetic Survey makes adjustments to its national elevation measurements, the State of Colorado moves the official mile-high elevation point up or down the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol to reflect the changes. Most of Denver actually lies above this elevation.
↑ 18.018.1"State Government History". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. April 18, 2001. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
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