Life in Denver
Denver is the capital and most populous city of Colorado, with residents known as Denverites.
A city and its people
Denver is a consolidated city and county in the South Platte River valley, just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Its downtown district lies about 12 miles east of the foothills, and the city is nicknamed the “Mile High City” because its official elevation is exactly one mile above sea level.
As of the 2020 census, the City and County of Denver had 715,522 people and 301,501 households. Denverites is the term used for residents. According to the 2020 census, 70.3% of the population over age five spoke only English at home, while 23.5% spoke Spanish at home. The city’s population included Hispanic or Latino residents of any race at 27.9%, and Mexican Americans made up 20.3% of the city’s population.
Neighborhoods and community connections
Denver has 78 official neighborhoods used for planning and administration. The system of neighborhood boundaries and names dates to 1970, when city planners divided the city into statistical neighborhoods. Unlike some cities, Denver does not have official larger area designations, though colloquial names such as Northside and Westside are still in use.
Neighborhood names span central areas such as Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Civic Center, Union Station, and City Park; north and northwest areas such as Five Points, Globeville, Highland, Sloan Lake, and Sunnyside; and south, southwest, and west areas such as Washington Park, University, Harvey Park, Ruby Hill, Sun Valley, and Westwood.
Culture, arts, food, and festivals
The city has numerous art districts, including Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe and the River North Art District. LoDo is described as filled with art galleries, restaurants, bars, and clubs.
Denver’s cultural life includes Mexican-American celebrations such as Cinco de Mayo, El Grito de la Independencia, the annual Lowrider show, and Dia De Los Muertos art shows and events in North Denver’s Highland neighborhood and the Lincoln Park neighborhood in West Denver. The Dragon Boat Festival, Moon Festival, and Chinese New Year are annual events for Chinese and Asian-American communities. Every June, Denver hosts Denver PrideFest in Civic Center Park. Denver also has an active pop, jazz, jam, folk, metal, and classical music scene, and is home to the Denver Record Collectors Expo.
Sports, parks, and outdoor recreation
Denver has professional sports teams in five leagues. The Colorado Rapids play in Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.
As of 2006, Denver had over 200 parks, from small pocket parks to City Park, and 29 recreation centers. Denver has also acquired, built, and maintained approximately 14,000 acres of mountain parks, including Red Rocks Park, known for its scenery and musical history around Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The South Platte River Greenway runs along the South Platte for 35 miles into Adams County and supports recreational use by hikers and cyclists.