A higher altitude

From cowtown to boomtown, Denver sheds its Western roots one modern minute at a time

Denverites (YOU’LL KNOW WHO THEY ARE BY THE “NATIVE” STICKERS PASTED TO THEIR SUV BUMPERS) MAKE it their ongoing mission to dispel the thorny myth that the Queen City of the Plains is really nothing more than a glorified cowtown, a stomping ground where you can dust off your boots and tip your cowboy hat before heading west to the state’s swanky ski resorts. It only goes to solidify the city’s pioneer image that it was founded on gold by opportunistic prospectors in 1858, lays claim to the largest rodeo in the country, and sits some 600 barren miles from the next major metropolis.

But Denver, the nation’s eighth largest city (and the birthplace of the cheeseburger, if you believe the lore), revels in its historic Western roots. Walk the streets of downtown, and you’ll still see bona fide cowboys garbed in Western threads, likely purchased from Rockmount Ranchwear (1626 Wazee Street, 303-629-7777), a three-generation business that put the first snap on a shirt.

Over the past decade, however, an onslaught of young, hip, and well-educated professionals have flocked to this megalopolis for its unparalled recreational pursuits, booming business opportunities, flourishing housing market, delightfully mild climate, charming, tree-lined neighborhoods and dynamically diverse cultural attractions.

Denver may be the only city in the country where you can nosh on a tenderloin of buffalo, imbibe a locally brewed beer, attend a world-class opera performance and wrap up the night at a speakeasy jazz club that’s welcomed the pipes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett.

The city’s character

Denver’s proximity to the glorious Rocky Mountains, those towering, snow-capped peaks that jet jaggedly into the skyline, makes it an unrivaled playground for outdoor pursuits. This means that no matter the time of year, the city’s parks, trails, sidewalks and streets are flush with cyclists, inline skaters and joggers. And just so you know, Denverites unabashedly flaunt the fact that the American Cancer Society deemed their hometown the thinnest city in America.

But life wasn’t always so rosy. Denver experienced a devastating fire in 1863 that left the prominent business districts in ashes, then a deadly flash flood followed a year later. When the energy boom crashed in the mid-1980s, thousands of Denver oil industry workers lost their jobs. The city went quiet, and the downtown area rivaled a ghost town.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that Denver began to rebound. Newcomers, lulled by vacant office space, affordable housing prices, open spaces and outdoor adventures, began arriving in droves, and a healthy, robust economy emerged.

Today, Denver touts itself as both a tourist and business destination (the city logs between 2 and 2.5 million overnight stays by business travelers annually)—and considering that the Colorado House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would earmark $20 million for tourism promotion, it’s clear that city officials want to compete in the big leagues. But from the hive of professional sports teams to a recently expanded, state-of-the-art convention center, myriad urban trails, golf courses and parks and the swank boutiques, restaurants and watering holes of Lower Downtown, there’s already much to appreciate about Denver.

Like most cities of its size, Denver experiences its share of snarled traffic problems and never-ending construction projects. Cranes and scaffolding are commonplace, and the congested highways provoke fits of frustration, but the city’s light rail system, ongoing freeway expansion programs and free downtown mall shuttle, which services the pedestrian-only 16th Street Mall promenade, are highly utilized by both local commuters and business travelers.

Shedding their cowtown image hasn’t been easy for Denverites, but the Mile High City is flourishing at a fast pace. By year’s end, the Denver Art Museum plans to unveil its $80 million, titanium-clad expansion wing, and the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, which opened to great fanfare in October 2005, is a spectacularly appointed cultural marvel on par with the best opera houses in the world. And the city is downright giddy with news that a Ritz-Carlton hotel, complete with all the luxuries you’ve ever dreamt about, is slated for a spring 2007 opening in the city center.

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lori midson is a freelance writer in Denver. Email Lori at editor@executivetravelmag.com.

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