Fun Facts about Denver, Colorado
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Optimistic local residents named this mining camp that was situated on the South Platte River Denver after James Denver who was then the Governor of Kansas Territory. However the hoped-for political advancement could not materialize because Denver had left office by the time the town was named.
Originally, there three separate towns with three different names on the site where Denver now stands. In 1859, the other two names were given up in return for the payment of a barrel of whiskey to be shared among all the residents. It is fitting that the first permanent structure in Denver happened to be a saloon.
The local Indians warned the early settlers not to use that particular site but the warning was ignored. Sure enough, in the early years, Denver was devastated twice once by flood and once by fire.
Denver is one of the few cities in the history of cities in the world that was not established either on a road, a river that could be navigated or a body of water. The site merely happens to be the place where the first traces of gold were discovered in 1858.
Denver is geographically isolated being 600 miles away from the nearest major city. It has an altitude of exactly 1 mile above sea level and is shielded in the West by towering mountain peaks that rise to 14,000 feet and in the east by high desert. Today people come to Denver for its proximity to world-class outdoor sport like skiing, mountain biking and hiking. The beer from the local microbreweries is also a big draw. Denver has 12 million visitors every year and they spend about $3 billion.
In 1976, the Winter Olympics were scheduled to be held in Denver but over 60% of the voters voted against the Olympics because they feared the cost, the boom in population and the pollution that the games would bring. Colorado thus gained the distinction of becoming the first state to refuse to stage the Olympics.
Denver is called the "the Mile High City" because, when you climb up the steps to the State Capitol, the 13th step is exactly 1 mile or 5280 feet above sea level. This was purely a coincidence and the location of Denver is not because of design.
The top four busiest airports in the United States (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles International, and Dallas Fort Worth) could all fit into the area that is occupied by Denver International Airport. The roof of the Jeppesen Terminal at the airport is made of special fiberglass coated with Teflon that is only the thickness of a credit card.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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