The capital, Denver, has a mild, dry climate with an average of 300 sunny days a year. Spring is mild with warm days and cool evenings; summer has very warm days with low humidity and cool evening breezes.

Denver often enjoys an Indian Summer right into November, while winter is cold, sunny and crisp, with some snowfall. The mountains enjoy warm summer days with cool evenings. Autumn arrives early in the high ground, with abundant snowfall from December to April and temperatures around freezing point.

Required clothing
Warm clothing, especially in the mountains, from November to March/April. Cottons and linens during the summer months.

The City and County of Denver is the largest city and capital of the state of Colorado, United States of America. It is the largest city along the Front Range and forms the heart of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area.

The city is located on the plains just east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, which form a dramatic and awe inspiring skyline to the west. The central downtown district is on the east side of the South Platte River, near its confluence with Cherry Creek, approximately fifteen miles from the foothills.

It is the county seat of, and coextensive with, Denver County — one of the few consolidated city-counties. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 554,636. Also as of the 2000 census [1], the population of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area was 2,179,240, making it the 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Denver is nicknamed the “Mile-High City”, because its official elevation, measured on the fifteenth step of the state capitol building’s west side, is 5,280 feet (1,609 m) above sea level. (The elevation is 5,431 ft [1,655 m], as surveyed at the Denver International Airport). Also, a row of seats in the upper deck of Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies (NL), is distinctively marked in purple (one of the team’s colors) to indicate that the row is one mile above sea level.

Denver has also been known historically as the Queen City of the Plains because of its important role in the agricultural industry of the plains regions along the foothills of the Front Range.

Several US Navy ships have been named USS Denver in honor of the city.

In 2005, Denver became the first major city in the U.S. to make the private use of less than an ounce of marijuana legal for adults 21 and older. The city voted 53.49%-46.51% in favor of the marijuana legalization measure. It should be noted that this initiative does not usurp state law, which currently treats marijuana possession in much the same way as a speeding ticket, with fines of up to USD 100 and no jail time.

International Travel:

Air
Denver International (DEN) (website: www.flydenver.com), one of the largest airports in the world, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2005. It covers 137 sq km (53 sq miles), which is twice the size of Manhattan Island. The airport is located 38km (24 miles) northeast of Denver (travel time - 30 minutes). British Airways operates direct flights to Denver from London Heathrow. SkyRide buses run to downtown Denver and Boulder. Taxis, shuttle buses, public buses and limousines are available to the city. Car hire is also available. There are also many shuttles that operate services to Colorado’s various resorts, such as Aspen, Colorado Springs, Estes Park (Rocky Mountain National Park), Steamboat Springs, Summit County and Winter Park. Advance booking is recommended.

Domestic airports
The major ski resorts are all served by their own airports with domestic flights from many major centers in the USA. Airports include Aspen/Pitkin County, Colorado Springs, Durango/La Plata, Gunnison County, Vail/Eagle County and Yampa Valley (for Steamboat).

Approximate flight times
From Denver to Atlanta is two hours 50 minutes, to Boston is three hours 45 minutes, to Chicago is two hours 20 minutes, to Dallas is one hour 50 minutes, to Houston is two hours 15 minutes, to London is 10 hours, to Los Angeles is two hours 30 minutes, to Miami is three hours 35 minutes, to New York is three hours 40 minutes, to San Francisco is two hours 40 minutes, to Seattle is two hours 50 minutes and to Washington, DC is three hours 40 minutes.

The state’s economy broadened from its mid 19th century roots in mining when irrigated agriculture developed, and by the late 19th century, raising livestock had become important. Early industry was based on the extraction and processing of minerals and agricultural products. Current agricultural products are cattle, wheat, dairy products, corn, and hay.

The federal government is also a major economic force in the state with many important federal facilities including NORAD and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, NOAA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, U.S. Geological Survey and other government agencies at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood, the Denver Mint, and 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, and a federal Supermax Prison and other federal prisons near Cañon City. There are of course various other federal agencies and federally owned lands in the state, especially with Colorado’s abundant National Forests and four National Parks. There are also numerous private companies that have operations in Colorado that deal with the governmental agencies in the state.ax

In the second half of the 20th century the industrial and service sectors have expanded greatly. The state’s economy is diversified and is notable for its concentration of scientific research and high-technology industries. Other industries include food processing, transportation equipment, machinery, chemical products, minerals such as gold and molybdenum, and tourism. Denver is an important financial center.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that the total state product in 2003 was USD 187 billion. Per capital personal income in 2003 was USD 34,561, putting Colorado 8th in the nation.

The major cities and towns lie just east of the Front Range, in the I-25 corridor. The majority of the population of Colorado lives in this densely urbanized strip. To the west lies the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains with notable peaks such as Long’s Peak, Mount Evans, Pike’s Peak, and the Spanish Peaks near Walsenburg in the south. This area drains to the east, is forested, and partially urbanized. With urbanization, utilization of the forest for timbering and grazing was retarded which resulted in accumulation of fuel. During the drought of 2002 devastating forest fires swept this area.

To the west of the Front Range lies the continental divide. To the west of the continental divide is the Western Slope. Water west of the continental divide drains into the Pacific Ocean via the Colorado River. Within the interior of the Rocky Mountains there are several large parks or high broad basins. In the north, on the east side of the continental divide is North Park.

North Park is drained by the North Platte River which flows north into Wyoming. Just south, but on the west side of the continental divide is Middle Park, drained by the Colorado River. South Park is the headwaters of the South Platte River. To the south lies the San Luis Valley, the headwaters of the Rio Grande which drains into New Mexico. Across the Sangre de Cristo Range to the east of the San Luis Valley lies the Wet Mountain Valley. These basins, particularly the San Luis Valley, lie along the Rio Grande Rift, a major geological formation, and its branches. See Great Rift Valley.