Introduction

Denver, dubbed the Mile High City, is the commercial, financial, and transportation capital of the Rocky Mountain region. A concentration of federal government offices makes it the administrative center of this area as well. Denver’s history has included frequent boom periods, but redirection and economic diversification became necessary during the late 1960s through the early 1980s. The city is undergoing a renaissance, with downtown development paving the way for Denver’s projected ascendance in high-technology industries as the nation’s population shifts southwestward. Set in a verdant plain at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is noted for its quality of life and the blending of modern innovation and Western tradition; because of its high quality lifestyle Sperlings for MSN ranked the city as second of America’s “Ten Best Places To Live” in 2003.