Emerging Creative Hubs Index
Take The Quiz

Denver

State
Colorado
Population
City Limits
749,103
Metro Area
2,963,821

Sources: World Population Review, Wikipedia

Known by many names
The Mile-High City, the Napa Valley of Beer, Wall Street of the West, Queen City of the Plains, Broncoville

Denver doesn’t just have a particular charm— it has a particular force. It’s a force that draws in adventurers, creators, big thinkers, enthusiastic hikers, beer connoisseurs, and quirky crafters alike. And we’re not the only ones who feel it. In the past ten years, Denver’s population has grown by more than 100,000. The Mile-High City might draw you in more powerfully than you’d ever expect.

Aerial panorama of DenverPhoto by Josh Berendes

In Denver, it feels like your day can take you into at least 10 different worlds. Often it can start with hiking in the sun or outdoor aerial yoga classes, lead you to thumbing through records at Vinyl Me, Please to lunch at the Denver Milk Market, and end the day in awe at the enormity of the Red Rock Amphitheater after a late-night astronomy tour.

Every day the city gives you a hundred options to spark and feed your curiosity. You can easily explore each one by hopping onto a B-Cycle bike and using one of their many locations throughout the city. In fact, Denver is rated the fourth most bikeable city in the United State. Whether you want to bike it out, walk it out, or ski it out, you can easily find a way in Denver.

For those who favor the world of athletics, this city won’t disappoint. Denver is one of the 12 US cities to have teams from four major sports (baseball, hockey, football, and basketball) and is home to seven professional sports teams.

Red Rocks AmphitheatrePhoto by Brian Overcast

“A man is as tall as his height
Plus the height of his home town.
I know a Denverite
Who, measured from sea to crown,
Is one mile five-foot-ten,
And he swings a commensurate pen.”

Robert FrostWriting to his friend Thomas Hornsby Ferril in Denver American Poet

Denver’s city planning demonstrates attentive detail to how citizens can live meaningful, healthy lives, and is designed to help them do so. The relationship that Denver has with nature (with over 200 parks) is close and meaningful, and offers residents ample opportunity to connect with others, exercise, and enjoy the outdoors. The city itself is nestled near mountains—giving residents a jagged, constant, and colorful horizon to admire daily sunsets.

We see the city’s investment in the creative ambition of its people, with the Colorado Art Tank and The Denver Foundation’s Arts Affinity Group launching. And the state has continued to show its commitment to the creative community. Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill in 2011 encouraging the development of creative districts throughout the city, including RiNo, 40 West Arts, and the Sante Fe Art District in Denver.

Exterior of Huckleberry RoastersPhoto provided by Huckleberry Roasters

“...I had to get to Denver at once.

“And there in the blue air, I saw for the first time, far off, the great snowy tops of the Rocky Mountains. I had to get to Denver at once.”
Jack KerouacWriter

A city good for… enjoying the benefits of a comprehensive park system.

Skiing near DenverPhoto by Mike Kilcoyne
While Colorado’s 300 days of sunshine is an urban myth, it’s darn near close. And it’s lovely. Back in 1914, the city acquired land outside the city with the intention of protecting and saving nearby beauty for future generations. Denver has more than 200 parks within the city and 14,000 acres of parks in the nearby mountains. Whether you want to fish at Echo Lake, ogle at a buffalo herd in Genesee park, or hike by some Rocky Mountain goats, you will surely be wowed by the awe-inducing expanses of Denver.