New West, New Energy, New Opportunities The New West states (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Montana) are yielding increasing political, economic and cultural impact in the United States and beyond.
NEW WEST
Just as the Old West embodied a quintessentially American ethic of rugged individualism and frontier determination, the New West continues to pioneer new ground — yielding increasing political, economic and cultural impact in the United States and beyond. The New West states are Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Montana. These states represent a bastion of independent thinking and regional collaboration, and they demonstrate that the New West is a place for innovation and adventure. Spectacular landscapes and geography combine with a diverse and active population to create an energetic environment where anything is possible.
NEW ENERGY
The New West is an energizing region that awakens the senses, a place where people get more out of every day. The combination of the Rocky Mountains, more than 300 days of sunshine a year and diverse opportunities for business and recreation creates an environment where active, entrepreneurial and creative people thrive. The Rocky Mountain West’s historic prominence as an energy hub is rapidly expanding to alternative energy as the region becomes a leading innovator in renewable energy sources and technologies. A nationally recognized sustainability leader, the New West embodies the interdependence between environmental and economic health, creating new opportunities for green industries. This dual commitment to environment and economy is evident in the Host Committee’s goal to host the “greenest” convention to date.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES
The New West’s heritage is one of opportunity, a new frontier grounded in entrepreneurial values and openness to innovations — welcoming diverse types of people and supporting diverse types of commerce, recreation and cultural activities.
DENVER/COLORADO FACTS & INFO
POPULATION
- With 2.6 million people, metro Denver is the largest urban area in a 1,000-km radius— the business, cultural, shopping and entertainment capital of the Rocky Mountain West.
- Denver’s population increased 29.8 percent from 1990-2000, the equivalent of a thousand people a week, every week for a decade; Colorado’s population has increased 30.6 percent (more than a million people) from 1990 growing to 4,665,177 residents in 2005.
- The City & County of Denver has a diverse ethnic population including 11.1 percent African American; 31.7 percent Hispanic; 2.8 percent Asian and 1.3 percent Native American.
- Colorado’s Hispanic population increased 23 percent from 2000 to 2005, growing to the current 900,000 or 19.5 percent of the state’s total population.
- Denver has the thinnest residents and Colorado is the thinnest state in the nation with just 16.9 percent classified as obese, according to a 2006 study by the Trust for America’s Health.
- Colorado has the second highest percentage of college-educated residents in the U.S.
*Source: 2005 U.S. Census
INFRASTRUCTURE
- Denver is the 20th largest metro area in America, but has the 10th largest downtown in terms of office space, businesses and workers.
- Denver International Airport is the 4th busiest in the U.S., 9th busiest in the world with more than 1,300 daily flights including non-stops to 140 worldwide destinations.
- Denver is building the largest light rail network in American history, a $4.3 billion project that will include 119 miles of new rail connections.
- Denver has the largest city park system in the nation with 200 parks in the city and 14,000 acres of parks in the nearby mountains, including the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
- Denver has the nation’s largest bike trail network with 850 miles of paved, off-road bike trails. The city also boasts 90 golf courses.
- Denver has six new sports stadiums and is one of only two cities (Philadelphia is the other) to have eight professional sports teams.
ENVIRONMENT
- Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has launched Greenprint Denver (www.greenprintdenver.org), a citywide action agenda for sustainable practices that respect the interdependent relationship between economic and environmental health. The program includes an initiative to plant one million trees throughout the region in the next 20 years and plans to reduce water use and waste.
- Denver is located 340 miles west of the exact center of the Continental U.S. on high, rolling plains at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The 140-mile-long mountain panorama visible from Denver has more than 200 named peaks, including 32 that soar to 13,000 feet and above. Because the mountains act as a snow shield, Denver receives 300 days of sunshine a year, more annual hours of sun than San Diego or Miami Beach.
CULTURE
- The Denver Performing Arts Complex is the second largest in the nation after Lincoln Center with ten venues seating 10,000 for theatre, opera, symphony and dance.
- Denver collects more public money for the arts than any other city. A seven-county Scientific and Cultural Facilities District has a self-imposed 1/10 of a cent sales tax that collects $40 million a year that is distributed to more than 300 arts organizations.
- Denver has opened two new art museums in the last two years (the new Hamilton Building at the Denver Art Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind and the Museum of Contemporary Art designed by David Adjaye) and is building a third to open in 2010.
- In Denver, you are never far from nature. Half of Colorado is public land preserved in four national parks, seven national monuments and historic sites, 12 national forests, and 30 state parks.
- The Denver Zoo is the 4th most popular zoo in the U.S. based on paid admissions and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the 4th largest museum in the nation.
- The Butterfly Pavilion & Insect Center is the largest facility of its kind in the nation.
- The Denver Botanic Gardens is ranked as one of the top five botanic gardens in the U.S.
ONLINE
Denver has produced an online vendor directory for the Democratic National Convention. The vendor directory also can be downloaded in a printable format. To view it, go to www.denverconvention2008.com.
Denver 2008 Host Committee
www.DenverConvention2008.com
303-534-6200