Living in Denver
The sky’s the limit in the Mile-High City, where the maverick spirit of the old west meets a modern metropolis as cutting edge as they come. First settled as part of Kansas Territory during the Pike’s Peak gold rush and initially called Montana City, the once rough-and-tumble settlement was later renamed for territorial governor James W. Denver — the name stuck, though like Dorothy it’s not in Kansas anymore. Denver has served as Colorado’s state capital since its admission to the union on August 1st, 1876. While there’s history everywhere, Denver has downloaded every possible upgrade: it’s one of America’s most advanced cities, from its high-tech business hubs to sleek, new electric commute trains that glide between downtown and the airport. The soaring metropolis—also a county—has 78 defined neighborhoods in total, from Victorian-castled Capitol Hill to the postindustrial-chic RiNo arts district. Couple that with world-class outdoor recreation, from trees to shining skis, and there’s just about every reason to give Denver a Rocky Mountain “hi.”