n.
City (pop., 2000: 554,636), capital of Colorado, U.S. On the South Platte River just east of the Rocky Mountains , its elevation of 5,280 ft (1,609 m) gives it the nickname "Mile High City.
" An early stopping place for Indians and trappers, it was settled in the 1859 gold rush. The growing rival towns of Auraria and St. Charles combined in 1860 to form Denver, which became the capital in 1867. The 1870s and '80s saw a silver boom that ended in 1893, but new gold discoveries helped prevent a major decline. Modern Denver, a transportation, industrial, and commercial hub, has one of the nation's largest livestock markets. It is a major centre for winter sports, with many ski areas in the vicinity. The Denver branch of the U.S. Mint (opened 1906) produces about 75% of U.S. coinage and is the nation's second largest gold depository.