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Denver is a city in north central Colorado, capital of the state and its largest city. Denver is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of the Rocky Mountain region and the home of numerous federal government agencies and offices. The city's dry, sunny climate is favored by tourists. Denver is known as the Mile High City, a nickname it was given because a spot on the state capitol steps is at an elevation of 5280 ft (1609 m), exactly one mile above sea level.
Denver is on the western edge of the Great Plains near the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The range's snowcapped peaks rise abruptly from low foothills and provide a spectacular backdrop to the city. In the city is the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek. Denver's location on the plains gives it a climate quite different from that found in the Rocky Mountains a short distance to the west. Denver experiences more moderate temperatures and receives less precipitation. The average high temperature in January is 6° C (43° F) and the average low is -8° C (16° F). The average high in July is 31° C (88° F) and the average low is 15° C (59° F). About 390 mm (about 15 in) of precipitation falls annually; most arrives in spring and summer months, with much of the accumulation in early spring in the form of snow.
Denver was founded in 1858 at the beginning of a regional gold rush and named after James W. Denver, territorial governor of Kansas, of which the region was still a part.
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