Intro to co

Welcome to denver

Located one mile above sea level, Denver is Colorado's capital and largest city. It is the cultural, business, and transportation hub of the Rocky Mountains and you will not find another city of equal or greater size within 500 miles. Denver's metro area is one of the largest in the Mountain West, second only to Phoenix.

The Front Range

Denver sits at the core of the Front Range Urban Corridor, which basically parallels I-25 through central Colorado from Pueblo to Fort Collins. The major cities in the Front Range include Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, Loveland, and Fort Collins. The urban area basically clings to the foot of the mountains, extending north to south, and never reaching more than 30-40 miles to the east. Immediately adjacent to the west lie the foothills and ultimately the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains (from which the area gets its name). Prominent Peaks within the Front Range include Mt. Evans, Pikes Peak, and Longs Peak. To the east lie the vast prairies of the Great Plains

The Centennial State

Compared to most eastern states, Colorado is relatively vast. The 8th largest state in the US, Colorado spreads across 104,094 square miles, slightly larger than Pennsylvania and New York combined, or about 86 times larger than the state of Rhode Island.

Denver lies roughly northeast of center in the state, right where the Rockies meet the plains. Contrary to common belief, the entire state is not mountainous. The eastern half of the state is covered by the high plains, an area commonly written off as vast emptiness by locals. From north to south, roughly across the middle of the state, rise the Rocky Mountains. Numerous sub-ranges arc across the state, including the Front Range, the San Juan Mountains, the Sawatch Range, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. On the western side of the state, the mountains collapse into the mesas, canyons, and high deserts of the Colorado Plateau.

There is no shortage of National Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks across the state. From pre-Columbian civilizations and Gold Rush ghost town to jagged peaks and near-bottomless canyons, Colorado has a history as extensive as its geography.

Denver Metro Area

The Denver Metro area is mostly circular, roughly bounded by the C-470 and E-470. Downtown Denver lies in the center of the metro. To the east lies Aurora; to the west is Lakewood, as well as the smaller cities of Wheat Ridge, Arvada, and Edgewater. On the far western edge of the metro, at the base of the foothills, is the historic town of Golden. South of Denver is Englewood along with the wealthier suburbs of Littleton, Centennial, and Highlands Ranch. Further southeast lies Parker and Lone Tree. North of Denver are the cities of Thornton and Northglenn. Heading northwest toward Boulder are Westminster and Broomfield.

Most of the area, other than immediately around downtown, is largely suburban. In Denver, most of the activity is centered in LoDo, LoHi, South Broadway, and the Highlands. The entirety of the metro has no shortage of craft breweries, with the state of Colorado featuring the highest number of craft breweries per-capita of any state. Denver is scattered with parks and opportunities for outdoor recreation abound, even in the city. Major parks in town include Sloan's Lake, City Park, Crown Hill, and Washington Park. South Valley Park, Cherry Creek State Park, North Table Mountain, and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal are also fairly convenient to central Denver.

Getting Around

The main freeways through the area are the I-25, the I-70, and US-36. I-25 runs north to south through Denver, heading north towards Fort Collins and Cheyenne, WY and south to Colorado Springs. I-70 travels west, up into the mountains, as well as east across the plains. Lastly US-36 runs from Denver to Boulder to the northwest and onward to Estes Park. US-285 provides the other main connection to the mountains, running southwest into the foothills towards Fairplay and South Park.

Denver and the surrounding cities and towns share the same street grid, with the exception of downtown. The main street grid is set up relative to Broadway, which runs north-south, and Ellsworth Ave, which runs east west. All addresses are relative to these two streets, however only South (south of Ellsworth) and West (west of Broadway) are typically indicated. When not specified, north and east are inferred. In general, Avenues run east-west, and are set up in groups. North of Ellsworth (which is never a major or continuous street), all Avenues are numbered, counting the blocks north of Ellsworth. The notable exception is Colfax Ave., which is in place of 15th Ave., serving as the main east-west road through Aurora, Denver, and Lakewood. South of Ellsworth, Avenues have name grouping, such as states, colleges, etc... North south roads are named as streets, and outside of the area between Broadway and Colorado Blvd. (the old part of town) streets are named in alphabetical order. On the east side, letters are duplicated (i.e. A,A,B,B,C,C...) while on the west side they are not (i.e. A,B,C,D,E,F...). Boulevards may run in any direction, and often serve as major arteries through town. Finally, Place (Pl) will always indicate a east-west local street while any street named Court (Ct) runs north-south. These often fall in between main blocks. At least in Denver, as well as many of the surrounding towns, street signs will indicate the block number.

When driving through the region, be aware that many cities and towns do photo-enforce traffic lights. Additionally, both Denver and Aurora utilize mobile photo-radar vans to enforce speed limits on local roads. At least in Denver, a blue photo radar warning sign will indicate that a van is in use on the block.

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