(Photo: Denver.org)
Back in 1858, a group of prospectors came across the land that is now called Denver. At the time, their reference points of the location of Denver were the South Platte River and Cherry Creek. When the prospectors arrived, a group of indians named the Arapaho occupied the land and made a living trapping animals for fur. Shortly after, the native people were forced to move out of the land and most of them ended up in what is now Wyoming and Oklahoma.
It was during the gold rush that Denver got its name from the governor at that time, James W. Denver. During this time it was discovered that the surrounding areas of Denver were extremely rich in gold and silver. Though gold is more sought after now, silver was actually the more profitable precious metal back then. It did not take long before the gold and silver market crashed and Denver needed a new industry in order to stay afloat.
Thanks to the Pacific Railroad, Denver started to become a hub for food distribution in the West. This marked the first economic boom in Denver and resulted in nearly a 1000% increase in population from 1870 to 1890. As time went by, most of the country saw a massive decline in economic activity, but Denver was able to thrive on its own. Through both of the world wars, many military activities and defense contractors were stationed in Denver which allowed for a prosperous economy.
Through the 90’s Denver began to expand into the foothills west of the city, and into the hilly plains that surrounded it in the other three directions. Being the largest city between the Missouri River and the pacific states, Denver had become a hub for transportation, industrial goods, and the commercial industry.
Due to the booming industries in Denver, it has become a spectacular place to live, albeit the extremely high living costs. Over the past decade, the cost of living in Denver has risen by more than 70% and that number is not getting any smaller. More and more people are moving to here, and the population is skyrocketing. In the year 2016, more than 100,000 people moved to the state of Colorado, many of which reside in Denver.
In terms of what we should expect in the future, things are not going to change too quickly. Many people are projecting that the population will steadily increase, along with the cost of living. Many people that have lived in Denver all of their life are now being forced to move because they can no longer afford it. It is safe to say that if you’d like to stick around in the beautiful city of Denver, you best be prepared to pay a high cost to live here.
Luke Cahill Staff Reporter