Denver and the Rocky Mountain Region by
Jeff Julin
President
MGA Communications, Denver
President, PROI Worldwide, 2003-05 and Partner Public Relations Organisation International, Inc.
Denver — the "Gateway to the Rockies."
Reaching from the northern interior of Canada to southern New Mexico, the Rocky
Mountains provide a majestic backdrop for the cities of Denver, Colorado, Salt
Lake City, Utah, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Recently, Salt Lake City, Utah hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics—the first
city in the Region to host the games. The successful event added to the Region’s
international acclaim and built upon past successes like Denver’s hosting
of the Summit of the Eight in the late 1990s.
An interesting side-note: preparation for the 2002 Winter Olympics left Salt
Lake City with one of the best technology infrastructures in the country –
Salt Lake is now as connected as San Francisco. The games firmly established
a new face for the Region with the rest of the nation.
Geography
The Rocky Mountain Region encompasses from north to south the following states:
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.
Population(as of 7/1/2001) Colorado – 4,417,714 Denver Metro (Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson Counties) -
Total Population: 2,109,282
Sex
Male
1,055,072
Female
1,054,210
Race
White
1,673,977
Hispanic
397,236
Black
114,572
Native American
20,492
Asian
62,972
Idaho – 1,293,953 Montana – 902,195 New Mexico – 1,819,046 Albuquerque (Metro): 712,738 Utah – 2,099,758 Salt Lake City (Metro): 1,231,000 Wyoming – 493,782
Median Incomes
(three-year average from 1998-2000)
Colorado—$49,216
Idaho—$37,760
Montana—$32,553
New Mexico—$34,035
Utah—$46,539
Wyoming—$38,291
Denver, Colorado Snapshot the Region’s Economic,
Social and Political Anchor
Denver has the 20th largest metro area, and the 10th largest downtown area of
all the cities in the United States. There has been a steady influx of people
moving to the Rocky Mountain Region from California in particular, and many
from the Midwest region and the East Coast for nearly a decade. Along with the
rest of the country, the growth of the Colorado economy seems to have peaked
in the late 1990s (eleven Colorado counties were listed in the top 50 fastest
growing counties in the U.S. in 1998—Colorado had the most counties in
the top fifty of any state). Entering 2002, the unemployment rate was approximately
6%, however, a 5-year average still places Colorado better-than-average for
the country.
The reason: four seasons, the gamut of outdoor recreational activities (world-class
skiing), a stable economy, a diverse compilation of cultural attractions, Denver
is treated to more sunshine each year than Miami, Florida or San Diego, California
(over 300 days of sunshine per year!) and is the home of the two-time defending
Super Bowl Champions—the Denver Broncos (see Denver Media section).
Colorado Facts
Colorado—Spanish name meaning, "color red"Nickname—The
Centennial State
Statehood—1876
Politics
Current Governor: Bill Owens (R),
First elected: 1998
Term ends: January 2003
Current Denver Mayor: Wellington Webb (D)
First elected: 1991
Term ends: 2003
Colorado Politics
2002 marks the end of an era for Denver, as Mayor Wellington Webb, who has served
as the head of the city for more than a decade, has reached the end of his term
limit. The Colorado Governorship is also up for election, with incumbent Governor
Bill Owens running for a second term against Rollie Heath (D), the only democrat
to declare for the race to date.
Rocky Mountain Region Politics
In general, the Region is predominantly republican. Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming
all currently have republican governors and consistently come up republican
for presidential elections. New Mexico has the largest democratic voting block,
occasionally selecting democratic presidential candidates. Colorado is next,
having selected Clinton (D) in the 1992 presidential election.
Colorado’s Economy
Colorado is a hub for the communications and transportation industries. It is
headquarters of Qwest (formerly US West), which provides telecommunications
services to 14 western states and is currently trying to meet 1996 telecom act
requirements to operate as a long-distance carrier in the Region; Level 3 Communications
moved its headquarters to Colorado. Also holding a major presence in Colorado
are the communications giants AT&T and MCI. TCI and AT&T merged in 2000,
creating one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, Liberty
Media Corporation, which brings integrated cable, telephone and data services
to Colorado.
Colorado’s economy has a strong manufacturing base. Major non-durable
goods include food processing, an important link to the state’s agricultural
production, and printing and publishing. In the durables sector, electrical
and non-electrical machinery and instruments are the largest employers, primarily
in computers and peripherals.
The University of Colorado at Boulder College of Business and Administration’s
1999 Economic Outlook reported that Colorado’s exports of manufactured
products rose by 4.2% in to a record level of $5 billion. The export of Colorado’s
manufactured goods has enjoyed phenomenal growth over the course of the past
ten years. Through mid-year 1998, Colorado’s manufactured exports rose
2% despite the Asian recession. In 2000, Colorado export sales and merchandise
totaled $12.3 billion, placing Colorado as the 16th largest exporter in the
states. The overall future for Colorado’s manufactured goods in overseas
markets remains bright.
The largest employment base is in the multi-faceted "services" sector.
Colorado is a regional medical center, serving neighboring states as well as
its own population. The business services and professional services sectors,
led by legal, engineering, and architectural services, are also expanding steadily.
Agriculture, mining and natural resources, once the economic strongholds in
Colorado, continue to provide a solid foundation for the state’s economy.
Technological advances have increased productivity in these sectors, especially
natural resources. But, with the strong presence of telecom, healthcare, transportation
and the emerging biotech industries, Colorado is no longer subject to the cyclical
nature of the once homogenous mining and natural resources economy.
Finally, tourism, as alluded to earlier though not easily identifiable as a
separate economic sector, is an important industry in Colorado. Visitors are
drawn to Colorado year round, but primarily for the world-class skiing and snowboarding
in the winter months, and for the myriad of recreational activities and breathtaking
scenery in the summer months. Colorado currently ranks 8th in the nation for
total tourism spending. In 2000, travelers spent approximately $7 billion in
the state (that’s $19 million per day!)
Denver’s Economy
Denver was a finalist in Boeing’s 2001 search for a new headquarters.
Natural resource (or oil and gas) companies account for some of the largest
Denver-based companies. Denver is also a major transportation center. With the
opening of Denver International Airport (DIA) in 1995, the state is strengthening
its position as a global air transportation hub. In September 1998, British
Airways began daily non-stop service to London’s Gatwick Airport. Lufthansa
also offers non-stop flights to Europe.
Denver serves as a key distribution center for the growing Rocky Mountain Region.
An excellent system of highway and rail transportation supports this function.
However, millions of dollars are currently being allocated toward highway improvements,
including the widening of highways, addition of car pool lanes and extending
light rail alongside major thoroughfares. For example, the T-Rex project will
expand Interstate 25 to facilitate a freer flow of north-south traffic. The
project broke ground in 2002 and won’t be complete until at least 2005.
Colorado’s Top Employers Most Employees in Colorado as of February 2002, The Denver Post
Wal-Mart Stores - Retail
Kroger - Groceries
Qwest Communications - Telecommunications
Centura Health – Health care
Vail – Resort/Tourism
Safeway Inc. – Groceries
Columbia/HealthOne – Health care
Lockheed Martin—Aerospace Design
United Airlines - Transportation
AT&T Corp - Telecommunications
Denver Media
Denver has five broadcast television news stations and two major daily newspapers.
The newspapers share a joint operating agreement, but maintain separate editorial
staff. The Denver Post has the largest circulation (801,315) and statewide reach
and provides the only Sunday edition.
The Denver market attracts journalists from small town and major news markets
alike. Some newspaper staff are New York Times or Wall Street Journal transplants.
Reporting, both broadcast and print, sometimes has a hometown feel, but the
Denver media are professional, engaged and national award winning. Denver is
also home to stringers/bureaus from national publications like USA Today, US
News & World Report and the New York Times.
Broadcast
KWGN-TV Channel 2 (WB)
KCNC-TV Channel 4 (CBS)
KMGH-TV Channel 7 (ABC)
KUSA-TV Channel 9 (NBC)
KDVR-TV Channel 31 (FOX)
Note: Hispanic cable network Univision is carried in the Denver market on KCEC-TV
Channel 50, which also runs a bi-lingual daily newscast
Print
The Denver Rocky Mountain News
The Denver Post
Denver Business Journal
Points of Interest Sports
The epicenter of sports in Denver has an approximately 3-mile radius, which
encompasses the Pepsi Center, Invesco Field at Mile High and Coors Field. The
new 18,007-seat Pepsi Center is home to the Denver Nuggets (National Basketball
Association) and the Colorado Avalanche (National Hockey League). Invesco Field
seats of 76,000 and is home of the two-time Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos.
Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies (Major League Baseball) is a 43,000+-seat
baseball stadium located in lower downtown.
Convention Centers/Hotel Accommodations
The Colorado Convention Center (300,000-sq. ft.) is the new site for large convention
activities that come through town. Total rooms in the Denver-metro area: 29,500
with 9 hotels in 3-5-block radius.
Lower Downtown (LoDo)
There has been a dramatic restoration of the old lower downtown section of Denver,
including art galleries, coffee houses, avant-garde gathering places, loft projects,
and the site of many outdoor concerts and gatherings on weekends through the
summer months. The most exciting addition to LoDo is Coors Field. LoDo is the
center of Denver’s social scene with over 30 restaurants and bars.
Cultural Activities
Denver has magnificent art museum (Denver Art Museum), a modern public library
(the Denver Public Library hosted the Summit of the Eight in 1998), Denver Center
for the Performing Arts (the largest resident, professional theatre between
Chicago and the West Coast), the U.S. Mint, the Denver Museum of Natural History,
the Children’s Museum, and the Denver Zoo are just a handful of locations
sure to keep you occupied while in Denver.
The Rocky Mountains are a powerful lure to the Region. However, it is the fabulous
weather, the friendly people and the beautiful cities that turn tourists and
vacationers into long-time residents of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado
and New Mexico. It’s not just a lifestyle—it’s an attitude.
Sources
Colorado Department of Personnel, General Support Services
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