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Denver, city (1990 pop. 467,610), alt. 5,280 ft (1,609 m), state capital, coextensive with Denver co., N central Colo., on a plateau at the foot of the Front Range of the Rocky Mts., along the South Platte River where Cherry Creek meets it; inc. 1861. The largest Colorado city, it is a processing, shipping, and distribution point for an extensive agricultural area. It is also the financial, business, administrative, and transportation center of the Rocky Mt. region (the "Inland West"), and home to numerous federal agencies. The Denver area has many electronics plants and is a major livestock market and headquarters to mining companies; leading manufactures include aeronautical, telecommunications, and other high-technology products. With ski and mountain resorts, national parks, and frontier historical sites nearby, Denver is also an important tourist center.
Among the city's educational institutions are the Univ. of Denver, Loretto Heights College, Regis College, Colorado Women's College, and the Univ. of Colorado medical school. Points of interest include a park system incorporating many mountain areas; the Denver Art Museum; the Colorado State Historical Museum; the Denver Museum of Natural History; the Black American West Museum; the Denver Performing Arts Complex; the state capitol; a U.S. Mint; Mile High Stadium, home of the Broncos (football); Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies (baseball); the Pepsi Center, home of the Nuggets (basketball) and Avalanche (hockey); and zoological gardens. The former Rocky Mountain Arsenal has become a national wildlife refuge.
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