Denver is the capital of Colorado and is nicknamed the “Mile High City” because its official elevation is about 5,280 feet above sea level.
The city was founded in 1858 during the Colorado Gold Rush, when prospectors established settlements near the South Platte River. It was named for James W. Denver, the territorial governor of Kansas, although he never visited the settlement.
Denver became Colorado’s territorial capital in 1867 and remained the capital when Colorado became a state in 1876. The nickname refers to the elevation at the Colorado State Capitol’s west steps, where a marker indicates one mile above sea level. Nearby Boulder and Colorado Springs are important Colorado cities, but neither is the state capital.