Editing Denver (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Denver}}
{{For timeline}}

[[File:Pd james w denver.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Former [[Kansas Territory|Kansas Territorial]] Governor [[James W. Denver]] visited his namesake city in 1875 and in 1882.]]
[[File:Broncho Buster, Denver, CO IMG 5544.JPG|thumb|left|The "Bronco Buster", a variation of [[Frederic Remington]]'s "[[The Bronco Buster|Bronco Buster]]" [[Western (genre)|Western]] sculpture at the Denver capitol grounds, a gift from J.K. Mullen in 1920]]

The greater Denver area was inhabited by several Indigenous peoples such as [[Apache]]s, [[Ute people|Ute]]s, [[Cheyenne]]s, [[Comanche]]s, and [[Arapaho]]es.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://clas.ucdenver.edu/historical-dialogues/Early%20Auraria%3A%20Native%20Peoples|title=Early Auraria: Native Peoples|date=May 24, 2016|website=Historical Dialogues|access-date=January 13, 2023|archive-date=January 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113124423/https://clas.ucdenver.edu/historical-dialogues/Early%20Auraria:%20Native%20Peoples|url-status=dead}}</ref> By the terms of the 1851 [[Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)|Treaty of Fort Laramie]] between the United States and various tribes including the Cheyenne and Arapaho,<ref name="fortlaramietreaty1851">"Treaty of Fort Laramie with Sioux, Etc., 1851." 11 Stats. 749, Sept. 17, 1851.</ref> the United States unilaterally defined and recognized Cheyenne and Arapaho territory as ranging from the [[North Platte River]] in present-day [[Wyoming]] and [[Nebraska]] southward to the [[Arkansas River]] in present-day Colorado and [[Kansas]]. This definition specifically encompasses the land of modern Metropolitan Denver. But the discovery in November 1858 of [[gold]] in the [[Rocky Mountains]] in Colorado<ref name="hoig2">Hoig, Stan. (1980). ''The Peace Chiefs of the Cheyennes''. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. {{ISBN|0-8061-1573-4}}.</ref> (then part of the western [[Kansas Territory]])<ref name="greene-2">Greene, Jerome A. (2004). ''Washita, The Southern Cheyenne and the U.S. Army.'' Campaigns and Commanders Series, vol. 3. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. {{ISBN|0-8061-3551-4}}.</ref> brought on a [[Pikes Peak Gold Rush|gold rush]] and a consequent flood of white immigration across Cheyenne and Arapaho lands.<ref name="hoig2"/> Colorado territorial officials pressured federal authorities to redefine and reduce the extent of [[Native Americans in the United States|Indian]] treaty lands.<ref name="greene-2"/>

In the summer of 1858, during the [[Pike's Peak Gold Rush]], a group of gold prospectors from [[Lawrence, Kansas]], established [[Montana City, Colorado|Montana City]] as a [[mining town]] on the banks of the [[South Platte River]] in what was then western [[Kansas Territory]], on traditional lands of [[Cheyenne]] and [[Arapaho]]. This was the first historical settlement in what later became the city of Denver. But the site faded quickly, and by the summer of 1859 it was abandoned in favor of [[Auraria, Denver|Auraria]] (named after the gold-mining town of [[Auraria, Georgia]]) and St. Charles City.<ref>{{cite web|date=January 1, 2006 |title=Denver: The Rocky Mountain metropolis timeline |publisher=The City and County of Denver |url=http://www.denvergov.org/aboutdenver/history_timeline.asp |access-date=August 30, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813180204/http://www.denvergov.org/aboutdenver/history_timeline.asp |archive-date=August 13, 2006 }}
</ref>

On November 22, 1858,{{contradictory inline|reason=Infobox says city was founded on November 17|date=December 2019}} [[William Larimer Jr.|General William Larimer]] and Captain Jonathan Cox, both land speculators from eastern [[Kansas Territory]], placed [[Populus sect. Aigeiros|cottonwood]] logs to stake a claim on the bluff overlooking the confluence of the South Platte River and [[Cherry Creek (Colorado)|Cherry Creek]], across the creek from the existing mining settlement of Auraria, and on the site of the existing townsite of St. Charles. Larimer named the townsite Denver City to curry favor with Kansas Territorial Governor [[James W. Denver]].<ref name="DenverHistArapaho">{{cite web|url=http://www.denvergov.org/AboutDenver/history_narrative_1.asp |title=Denver History: The Arapaho Camp |author=Thomas J. Noel |publisher=City and County of Denver |access-date=September 26, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013125031/http://denvergov.org/AboutDenver/history_narrative_1.asp |archive-date=October 13, 2007 }}
</ref> Larimer hoped the town's name would help it be selected as the [[county seat]] of [[Arapahoe County, Colorado|Arapahoe County]], but unbeknownst to him, Governor Denver had already resigned from office. The location was accessible to existing trails and was across the South Platte River from the site of seasonal encampments of the [[Cheyenne]] and [[Arapaho]]. The site of these first towns is now occupied by [[Confluence Park]] near downtown Denver. [[Edward W. Wynkoop]] came to Colorado in 1859 and became one of the city's founders. Wynkoop Street in Denver is named after him.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111113042/frank-murray-wynkoop/|title=Newsman Dead|work=Los Angeles Mirror|place=Los Angeles, California|date=10 Apr 1954|page=3 |access-date=2022-10-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39827319/obituary-for-bdward-w-wynkoop/|title=A Good Man Gone.|work=Pottsville Republican|place=Pottsville, Pennsylvania|date=21 Sep 1891|page=4 |access-date=2022-10-11}}</ref>

Larimer, along with associates in the St. Charles City Land Company, sold parcels in the town to merchants and miners, with the intention of creating a major city that would cater to new immigrants. Denver City was a frontier town, with an economy based on servicing local miners with gambling, saloons, livestock, and goods trading. In the early years, land parcels were often traded for grubstakes or gambled away by miners in Auraria.<ref name="DenverHistArapaho"/> In May 1859, Denver City residents donated 53 lots to the Leavenworth & Pike's Peak Express in order to secure the region's first overland wagon route. Offering daily service for "passengers, mail, freight, and gold", the Express reached Denver on a trail that trimmed westward travel time from twelve days to six. In 1863, [[Western Union]] furthered Denver's dominance of the region by choosing the city for its regional terminus.

On February 18, 1861, six chiefs of the Southern Cheyenne and four of the Arapaho signed the [[Treaty of Fort Wise]] with the United States<ref name="fortwisetreaty">"Treaty with the Arapaho and Cheyenne, 1861" (Treaty of Fort Wise). 12 Stat. 1163, p. 810.</ref> at [[Bent's New Fort]] at [[Big Timbers]] near what is now [[Lamar, Colorado]]. They ceded more than 90 percent of the lands designated for them by the Fort Laramie Treaty, including the area of modern Denver.<ref name="greene-2"/> Some Cheyennes opposed to the treaty, saying that it had been signed by a small minority of the chiefs without the consent or approval of the rest of the tribe, that the signatories had not understood what they signed, and that they had been bribed to sign by a large distribution of gifts. The territorial government of Colorado, however, claimed the treaty was a "solemn obligation" and considered that those Indians who refused to abide by it were hostile and planning a war.<ref name="hyde">''Life of George Bent: Written From His Letters'', by George E. Hyde, edited by Savoie Lottinville, University of Oklahoma Press (1968), hardcover, 390 pages; trade paperback, 280 pages (March 1983) {{ISBN|0-8061-1577-7}} {{ISBN|978-0806115771}}</ref>

Ten days later, on February 28, 1861, the [[Colorado Territory]] was created,<ref name= StateGovHistCO>{{cite web|date = April 18, 2001|url = http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/arcgov.html|title = State Government History|publisher = State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives|access-date =November 28, 2006}}</ref> [[Arapahoe County, Colorado Territory|Arapahoe County]] was formed on November 1, 1861,<ref name= StateGovHistCO /> and Denver City was incorporated on November 7, 1861.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|date = December 1, 2004|url = http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/muninc.html|title = Colorado Municipal Incorporations|publisher = State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives|access-date =November 28, 2006}}</ref> Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until [[consolidated city-county|consolidation]] in 1902.<ref name=DenverHist /> In 1867, Denver City became the acting [[Capital city|territorial capital]], and in 1881 was chosen as the permanent state capital in a [[1881 Colorado state capital referendum|statewide ballot]]. With its newfound importance, Denver City shortened its name to Denver.<ref name=DenverHist /> On August 1, 1876, Colorado was [[List of U.S. states by date of statehood|admitted to the Union]].

This disagreement on the validity of [[Treaty of Fort Wise]] escalated to bring about the [[Colorado War]] of 1864 and 1865, during which the brutal [[Sand Creek massacre]] against [[Cheyenne]] and [[Arapaho]] peoples occurred. The aftermath of the war was the dissolution of the reservation in Eastern Colorado, the signing of [[Medicine Lodge Treaty]] which stipulated that the [[Cheyenne]] and [[Arapaho]] peoples would be relocated outside of their traditional territory. This treaty term was achieved, even though the treaty was not legally ratified by the tribal members, as per the treaty's own terms. Thus, by the end of 1860s, this effectively and completely cleared the Denver area of its indigenous inhabitants.<ref name="greene-2"/><ref>Magazine, Smithsonian. "How the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty Changed the Plains Indian Tribes Forever." Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, October 23, 2017. [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-1867-medicine-lodge-treaty-changed-plains-indian-tribes-forever-180965357/ Link].</ref>

[[File:Pioneer Mothers of Colorado statue, Denver, CO IMG 5558.JPG|left|thumb|"Pioneer Mothers of Colorado" statue at ''[[The Denver Post]]'' building]]

Although by the close of the 1860s Denver residents could look with pride at their success establishing a vibrant supply and service center, the decision to route the nation's first transcontinental railroad through [[Cheyenne, Wyoming|Cheyenne City]], rather than Denver, threatened the prosperity of the young town. The transcontinental railroad passed a daunting {{convert|100|mi|km|-1|abbr=off|sp=us}} away, but citizens mobilized to build a railroad to connect Denver to it. Spearheaded by visionary leaders, including Territorial Governor [[John Evans (Colorado governor)|John Evans]], [[David Moffat]], and [[Walter Cheesman]], fundraising began. Within three days, $300,000 had been raised, and citizens were optimistic. Fundraising stalled before enough was raised, forcing these visionary leaders to take control of the debt-ridden railroad. Despite challenges, on June 24, 1870, citizens cheered as the [[Denver Pacific]] completed the link to the transcontinental railroad, ushering in a new age of prosperity for Denver.<ref>Baker, Gayle, ''Denver'', HarborTown Histories. Santa Barbara, California, p. 31-33, {{ISBN|9780971098442}} (print), 9780987903860 (on-line)</ref>

Finally linked to the rest of the nation by rail, Denver prospered as a service and supply center. The young city grew during these years, attracting millionaires with their mansions, as well as a mixture of crime and poverty of a rapidly growing city. Denver citizens were proud when the rich chose Denver and were thrilled when [[Horace Tabor]], the Leadville mining millionaire, built a business block at 16th and Larimer, as well as the elegant Tabor Grand Opera House. Luxurious hotels, including the much-loved [[Brown Palace Hotel (Denver, Colorado)|Brown Palace Hotel]], soon followed, as well as splendid homes for millionaires, such as the Croke, Patterson, Campbell Mansion at 11th and Pennsylvania and the now-demolished Moffat Mansion at 8th and Grant.<ref>Baker, p. 39-48</ref> Intent on transforming Denver into one of the world's great cities, leaders wooed industry and attracted laborers to work in these factories.

Soon, in addition to the elite and a large middle class, Denver had a growing population of immigrant German, Italian, and Chinese laborers, soon followed by African Americans from the Deep South and Hispanic workers. The influx of the new residents strained available housing. In addition, the Silver Crash of 1893 unsettled political, social, and economic balances. Competition among the different ethnic groups was often expressed as bigotry, and social tensions gave rise to the [[Red Scare]]. Americans were suspicious of immigrants, who were sometimes allied with socialist and labor union causes. After World War I, a revival of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] attracted white, native-born Americans who were anxious about the many changes in society. Unlike the earlier organization that was active in the rural South, KKK chapters developed in urban areas of the Midwest and West, including Denver, and into Idaho and Oregon. Corruption and crime also developed in Denver.<ref>Baker, p. 51-55</ref>

{{Wide image|Denver Colorado 1898 - LOC - restoration1.jpg|800px|Panoramic [[Old master print|print]] of Denver, 1898}}

Between 1880 and 1895, the city underwent a huge rise in corruption, as crime bosses, such as [[Soapy Smith]], worked side by side with elected officials and the police to control elections, gambling, and [[Lou Blonger|bunco gangs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soapysmith.net|title=Information from The Soapy Smith Preservation Trust website|access-date=October 29, 2006}}</ref> The city also suffered a [[Denver Depression of 1893|depression in 1893]] after the crash of silver prices. In 1887, the precursor to the international charity [[United Way of America|United Way]] was formed in Denver by local religious leaders, who raised funds and coordinated various charities to help Denver's poor.<ref>[http://national.unitedway.org/about/history.cfm United Way History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117060231/http://national.unitedway.org/about/history.cfm |date=January 17, 2010 }}. The United Way. Retrieved: September 26, 2006.</ref> By 1890, Denver had grown to be the second-largest city west of [[Omaha, Nebraska]].<ref>[http://www.demographia.com/db-uscity1850.htm US Population History from 1850]. Demographia. Retrieved: July 20, 2006</ref> In 1900, whites represented 96.8% of Denver's population.<ref name="census1990">{{cite web|title=Historical Census Statistics On Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For Large Cities And Other Urban Places In The United States |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |access-date=December 11, 2016}}</ref> The African American and Hispanic populations increased with migrations of the 20th century. Many African Americans first came as workers on the railroad, which had a terminus in Denver, and began to settle there.

Between the 1880s and 1930s, Denver's floriculture industry developed and thrived.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History – Colorado Flower Growers and its People|last=Kingman|first=Dick|publisher=Colorado Greenhouse Association, Inc|year=1986|url=http://ghex.colostate.edu/pdf_files/AHistoryColoradoFlowerGrowersAndItsPeople.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304101812/http://ghex.colostate.edu/pdf_files/AHistoryColoradoFlowerGrowersAndItsPeople.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>Shu Liu and Linda M. Meyer, [https://dspace.library.colostate.edu/bitstream/handle/10217/5199/Carnations_Liu_Meyer.pdf?sequence=1 "Carnations and the Floriculture Industry: Documenting the Cultivation and Marketing of Flowers in Colorado]", 2007</ref> This period became known locally as the [[Carnation Gold Rush]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.denverrealestatewatch.com/2015/10/15/neighbors-want-historic-designation-for-nw-denver-home/|title=Neighbors want historic designation for NW Denver home|last=Rebchuck|first=John|date=October 15, 2015|work=Denver Real Estate Watch}}</ref>

A bill proposing a state constitutional amendment to allow [[home rule]] for Denver and other municipalities was introduced in the legislature in 1901 and passed. The measure called for a statewide referendum, which voters approved in 1902. On December 1 that year, Governor [[James Orman]] proclaimed the amendment part of the state's fundamental law. The City and County of Denver came into being on that date and was separated from Arapahoe and Adams counties.<ref name="BostonSmelting" /><ref name="DenvervAdams">"[T]he city and county of Denver ... did not come into being until the day of the issuance of the Governor's proclamation, on December 1, 1902". {{cite court | litigants=City Council of the City and County of Denver v. Board of Commissioners of Adams County | vol=77 | reporter=P. | opinion=858, 861 | date=1904 | url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b4428747;view=1up;seq=880;size=200 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=King |first1=Clyde Lyndon |title=The History of the Government of Denver With Special Reference to its Relations With Public Service Corporations |via=[[Internet Archive]] |url=https://archive.org/details/historygovernme00kinggoog |publisher=The Fisher Book Company |access-date=February 19, 2019 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historygovernme00kinggoog/page/n245 222], 233 |date=1911}}</ref>

From 1953 to 1989, the [[Rocky Flats Plant]], a [[United States Department of Energy|DOE]] nuclear weapon facility that was about 15 miles from Denver, produced [[fissile]] [[plutonium]] "[[pit (nuclear weapon)|pits]]" for [[nuclear warhead]]s. A major fire at the facility in 1957, as well as leakage from [[nuclear waste]] stored at the site between 1958 and 1968, resulted in the [[Radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant|contamination of some parts of Denver]], to varying degrees, with [[plutonium-239]], a harmful radioactive substance with a half-life of 24,200 years.<ref name="Moore2007">{{cite book | title=Ethics of Research on Health Impacts of Nuclear Weapons Activities in the United States | publisher=Collaborative Initiative for Research Ethics and Environmental Health (CIREEH) at [[Syracuse University]] | last=Moore | first=LeRoy | year=2007 | pages=55–97 | editor1-last=Quigley | editor1-first=Dianne | editor2-last=Lowman | editor2-first=Amy | editor3-last=Wing | editor3-first=Steve | url=http://www.rockyflatsnuclearguardianship.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/leroy-moore-papers/dem-public-heath-at-rf-12-10.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331142610/http://www.rockyflatsnuclearguardianship.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/leroy-moore-papers/dem-public-heath-at-rf-12-10.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 31, 2012 | access-date=September 17, 2011 | chapter=Democracy and Public Health at Rocky Flats: The Examples of Edward Martell and Carl J. Johnson }}</ref> A 1981 study by the Jefferson County health director, Carl Johnson, linked the contamination to an increase in birth defects and [[cancer]] incidence in central Denver and nearer Rocky Flats. Later studies confirmed many of his findings.<ref>{{cite journal | jstor=4312671 | title=Cancer Incidence in an Area Contaminated with Radionuclides Near a Nuclear Installation | author=Johnson, Carl J. | journal=[[Ambio]] |date=October 1981 | volume=10 | issue=4 | pages=176–182| pmid=7348208 }}, cited in {{Harvnb|Moore|2007|pp=103–109}}.</ref><ref>{{cite report |last=Moore |first=LeRoy |title=Democracy and Public Health at Rocky Flats: the Examples of Edward A. Martell and Carl J. Johnson |url=http://www.rockyflatsnuclearguardianship.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/leroy-moore-papers/dem-public-heath-at-rf-12-10.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724044900/http://www.rockyflatsnuclearguardianship.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/leroy-moore-papers/dem-public-heath-at-rf-12-10.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2013 |website=Rocky Flats Nuclear Guardianship |access-date=April 11, 2023}}</ref> Plutonium contamination was still present outside the former plant site {{As of|2010|08|lc=y}}.<ref name="ENS">{{cite web | url=http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2010/2010-08-05-01.html | title=Rocky Flats Nuclear Site Too Hot for Public Access, Citizens Warn | publisher=[[Environment News Service]] | date=August 5, 2010 | access-date=September 17, 2011 | archive-date=May 25, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525185346/http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2010/2010-08-05-01.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> It presents risks to building the envisioned Jefferson Parkway,<ref>{{cite web |last=Salazar |first=Quibian |url=http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-6051-plutonium-parkway.html |title=Plutonium parkway |publisher=Boulderweekly.com |date=July 21, 2011 |access-date=February 11, 2012 |archive-date=January 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105092236/http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-6051-plutonium-parkway.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> which would complete Denver's automotive [[ring road|beltway]].
[[File:6408-DenSkyline-BrownPalaceCosmoHotels.Jpg|thumb|Downtown Denver cityscape, 1964. Includes Denver's oldest church (Trinity United Methodist), first building of the Mile High Center complex, Lincoln Center, old brownstone part of the Brown Palace Hotel, and Cosmopolitan Hotel – since demolished.]]

In 1970, Denver was selected to host the [[1976 Winter Olympics]] to coincide with Colorado's centennial celebration, but in November 1972, Colorado voters struck down ballot initiatives allocating public funds to pay for the high costs of the games. They were moved to [[Innsbruck]], Austria.<ref name= 1970Olympics>{{cite web|date = April 7, 2015|url = https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/apr/07/when-denver-rejected-the-olympics-in-favour-of-the-environment-and-economics|title = When Denver rejected the Olympics in favour of the environment and economics|work=The Guardian|access-date =December 31, 2015}}</ref> The notoriety of being the only city ever to decline to host an Olympiad after being selected has made subsequent bids difficult. The movement against hosting the games was based largely on environmental issues and was led by State Representative [[Richard Lamm]]. He was subsequently elected to three terms (1975–87) as [[List of Colorado Governors|Colorado governor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/offic/gov.html |title=Archives &#124; |publisher=State of Colorado |access-date=April 7, 2016}}</ref> Denver explored a potential bid for the [[2022 Winter Olympics]],<ref>[http://www.gamesbids.com/eng/winter_olympic_bids/future_bids_2018/1216136238.html]{{dead link|date=April 2016}}</ref> but no bid was submitted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kdvr.com/2012/07/03/usoc-no-winter-olympics-for-denver-in-2022/ |title=USOC: No Winter Olympics for Denver in 2022 |publisher=KDVR |date=July 3, 2012 |access-date=September 15, 2013 |archive-date=July 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724035100/http://kdvr.com/2012/07/03/usoc-no-winter-olympics-for-denver-in-2022/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2010, Denver adopted a comprehensive update of its zoning code,<ref>{{cite web |title=Denver Zoning Code |url=https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/community-planning-and-development/zoning/denver-zoning-code.html |date=2016 |publisher=City and County of Denver |access-date=February 3, 2016}}</ref> which was developed to guide development as envisioned in adopted plans such as Blueprint Denver,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.denvergov.org/cpd/Planning/BlueprintDenver/tabid/431883/Default.aspx |title=Blueprint Denver |publisher=Denvergov.org |date=December 18, 2009 |access-date=September 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517022949/http://denvergov.org/cpd/Planning/BlueprintDenver/tabid/431883/Default.aspx |archive-date=May 17, 2011 }}</ref> Transit Oriented Development Strategic Plan, Greenprint Denver, and the Strategic Transportation Plan.<!-- What does it include? -->

Denver has hosted the [[Democratic National Convention]] twice, in [[1908 Democratic National Convention|1908]] and [[2008 Democratic National Convention|2008]]. It promoted the city on the national, political, and socioeconomic stage.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/25/dems.convention.trivia/index.html | publisher=CNN | title=Think you know your Democratic convention trivia? | date=August 26, 2008}}</ref> On August 10–15, 1993, Denver hosted the Catholic Church's [[World Youth Day 1993|6th World Youth Day]], which was attended by an estimated 500,000, making it the largest gathering in Colorado history.

In 2015, a new commuter railway system commenced operations in the Denver metropolitan area with a network operation of 25 kV 60&nbsp;Hz.

Denver has been known historically as the ''Queen City of the Plains'' and the ''Queen City of the West'', because of its important role in the [[agriculture in the United States|agricultural]] industry of the [[High Plains (United States)|High Plains]] region in eastern Colorado and along the foothills of the [[Colorado Front Range]].