A mile high and a cut above

Denver reaches for its historic roots to revitalize downtown

June 18, 1997
Web posted at: 10:53 a.m. EDT (1453 GMT)

(CNN) -- A decade after the start of the California gold rush, hopes of finding more treasure brought prospectors to the eastern edge of the towering Rocky Mountains. Merchants quickly joined the ranks of those with gold fever, and almost overnight, Denver -- named for a Kansas territory governor who never visited the place -- was born.

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Gold never panned out in Colorado the way it had in California, but that lustrous beginning set the backdrop for a growing metropolis that will host an economic summit June 20-22 of leaders of the world's seven richest industrialized nations and Russia.

From its rough and tumble beginnings -- New York Tribune founder Horace Greeley wrote that the city had "more brawls, more pistol shots with criminal intent ... than any community with equal numbers on Earth" -- Denver has evolved from cowtown to wonderland on the strength of location, climate and economic growth.

With an average of more than 300 days of sunshine per year -- more than Miami, San Diego or Honolulu -- the Gateway to the Rockies boasts four of the nation's 10 fastest-growing counties. High tech, government and tourism-related jobs are the draw for new residents, and that boom has sparked a new burst of energy for the city's once forlorn downtown area.

"I like the atmosphere," says Mina Litinsky, the Russian-born owner of the Sloane Gallery, one of 30 art galleries in the restored warehouse district downtown. "I like the people here. People are very friendly, very supportive."

Downtown restoration projects are a national trend -- and Denver's is on the leading edge.

"It has changed dramatically," Litinsky says. "I remember when I just opened my gallery, there was a lot of bums on the street. And people said that I'm crazy to open [a] gallery in this location."

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