What is the capital of Colorado?

Denver is the capital of Colorado, located on the High Plains just east of the Rocky Mountains in the South Platte River valley at an elevation of 5,280 feet, exactly one mile above sea level (giving the city its nickname the Mile High City). Denver has been the territorial and state capital since 1867, when Colorado Territory replaced Boulder and Golden as designated capitals. Colorado was admitted as the 38th state on August 1, 1876 (giving Colorado the nickname the Centennial State because admission came in the centennial year of American independence).

Denver was founded in November 1858 as a gold mining camp on the South Platte River near Cherry Creek and named after Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver. Gold rushes in the surrounding mountains and the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1858 to 1859 brought rapid population growth, and Denver served as the supply hub. Silver mining in the 1870s and 1880s further fueled growth.

The Colorado State Capitol, completed in 1894, is one of the more distinctive state capitols, featuring a gold leaf dome originally covered in 1908 with about 200 ounces of pure Colorado gold. The dome has been re-gilded several times since. Denver's population is about 715,000, and the metropolitan area has about 3 million people, the largest in the Rocky Mountain region.

The economy includes telecommunications (Lumen Technologies, Dish Network), aerospace (Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance, Sierra Nevada Corporation), healthcare, finance, and energy (oil and gas, mining, renewables). The Denver Tech Center on the southeast side of the city houses many corporate offices. The federal government has a major presence including the Denver Mint (one of three U.S. Mint coin production facilities), the Federal Center, the U.S. Geological Survey western headquarters, and Buckley Space Force Base.

Major universities include the University of Denver (founded 1864, about 12,000 students), the University of Colorado Denver, and the Colorado School of Mines just west in Golden. Denver International Airport, opened in 1995, is one of the busiest airports in the country and the largest by area. The city is a major hub for air travel and rail freight.

The Front Range Urban Corridor extends from Pueblo through Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins to Cheyenne, Wyoming, with about 5 million people. Denver has a semi-arid climate with low humidity, abundant sunshine (about 300 days per year), cold snowy winters, and warm dry summers. Recreational opportunities in the nearby Rocky Mountains include skiing, hiking, climbing, and fishing.