Front Range

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Denver's identity is rooted in its founding at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River in November 1858. The city was named by land speculator William Larimer to curry favor with Governor James W. Denver, who had already resigned from office by the time the name was chosen. The location sits exactly one mile above sea level, earning the nickname 'Mile High City.' The Front Range corridor grew from a frontier town servicing miners into a major cultural hub hosting professional sports teams in five leagues. The area's history includes the cession of over 90 percent of Cheyenne and Arapaho lands via the Treaty of Fort Wise in 1861, clearing the way for Denver to become the permanent state capital in an 1881 referendum.

In Their Own Story

In the summer of 1858, gold prospectors from Lawrence, Kansas, established Montana City on the South Platte River banks before it was abandoned by 1859 in favor of Auraria and St. Charles City. On November 22, 1858, William Larimer and Jonathan Cox staked a claim on the bluff overlooking Cherry Creek across from Auraria. By February 1860, the Denver City post office opened, and by June 24, 1870, the Denver Pacific completed its link to the transcontinental railroad, ending the town's isolation. The city shortened its name to 'Denver' in 1866 and became the territorial capital on December 9, 1867. Today, the 105th meridian west passes directly through Denver Union Station, marking the longitudinal reference for the Mountain Time Zone.

Reader's Guide

The Front Range Urban Corridor functions as the economic center where the Denver metropolitan area holds 3.1 million residents across ten counties. Visitors find the city located about 12 miles east of the Rocky Mountains' foothills in the South Platte River valley. The region boasts a variety of museums and cultural institutions, including the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the Denver Art Museum, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. As the most populous metropolitan area in a 560-mile radius, it hosts headquarters for eight Fortune 500 firms and professional teams across five leagues. The city's elevation is exactly 5280 feet or 1609.344 meters above sea level.

Did You Know?

• The city was named after James W. Denver, the governor of the Kansas Territory, even though he had already resigned from office when the name was chosen.
• Denver's official elevation is exactly one mile (5280 feet or 1609.344 meters) above sea level.
• The 105th meridian west, the longitudinal reference for the Mountain Time Zone, passes directly through Denver Union Station.
• Founded in 1858 during the Gold Rush at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River, the city was originally called Denver City.
• The ten-county Denver metropolitan area is the 19th-largest in the country with 3.1 million residents.