Fun Facts and Weird Laws in Denver

If you live in our luxury Denver apartments, you’re in for a treat! You live in one of the most interesting cities in the United States, and we’re here to prove that your mile-high city is as fascinating as it gets.

From having the largest mint in the world to having strange laws controlling snowball fights, Denver and Colorado share some truly unique laws and facts that will make you the best candidate for your next trivia night. 

Fun facts about Denver

• The 13th step of the State Capitol building is 5,280 feet above sea level, giving Denver the nickname of “the Mile-High City.” If you go there, you can see the words “one mile above sea level” carved onto the step.
• The first recorded use of the term ‘cheeseburger’ was at Denver’s Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in 1935. The name was trademarked by drive-in operator Louis Ballast. Cheese Louis!
• There are about 600 ghost towns in Colorado. These are all that remain of the 1,500 ghost towns that existed after the mining era.
• The Buckhorn Exchange restaurant was the first to receive a liquor license after the state prohibition ended.
• The longest continuous street in the United States is Colfax Avenue in Denver. It runs just over 26 miles miles east-west from downtown Denver into Aurora.
• You can thank Denver for the invention of the tire clamp. It was invented by a violinist named Frank Marugg in 1944. Thanks, Frank.
• There have been no U.S. presidents or vice-presidents born in Colorado. 
• Denver is home to the very first Chipotle! Steve Ells opened the fast-casual restaurant in 1993 near the University of Denver at 1644 East Evans Ave., which is not too far from our Glendale apartments in Cherry Creek!
• Denver has the 10th largest downtown in the United States. 
• Denver has its own buffalo herd in the nearby Rocky Mountains.
• The very first permanent building in Denver was a saloon.
• Denver is the first city to turn down the Olympics. The city was supposed to host the Winter Olympics in 1976, but voters in the community voted against it, and the city withdrew the bid.
• Denver has four major sports: hockey, football, baseball and basketball. It's one of only 12 cities in the US to do so!
• The entire known supply of Colorado rose onyx in the world is in the interior of the Colorado state capitol. 
• The Denver mint produces over 10 billion coins a year, making it the largest coin producer in the world! 
• Coors Field is one of the best places to hit a home run. Twice it’s broken the world record for most home runs hit in a season! Because the air is thinner and drier, it's easier for baseballs to fly through the air. 
• Denver was named after a Kansas Territorial governor, James Denver, in an effort to gain Denver’s favor. Unfortunately, Governor Denver had retired by the time the town was named.
• If you're an artist, then Denver is a great place for you! The city collects more money for the arts than any other city in the US, and the Denver Performing Arts Complex is the second largest of its kind in the world.
• You can see over 200 peaks from Denver, 32 of which are over 13,000 feet high.

Weird laws in Denver and Colorado

• It’s illegal to hit obstacles while skiing or snowboarding in Vail. Next time you accidentally hit a tree, you’re actually committing a crime!
• In Boulder, Colorado, it’s against the law to herd pigs in public.
• It’s illegal to throw snowballs at people or buildings in Aspen, Colorado. It really makes a snowball fight seem much more intense, though, considering it’s against the law! In addition to snowballs, catapults, blowguns and slingshots are also outlawed.
• You may not kiss on the platforms at the Denver Union Station. The rule was enforced in 1902 because all the kissing slowed down the trains.
• It’s against the law to buy or sell cars on Sundays, no matter if you’re a dealership or private seller. It’s legal to buy car parts, such as tires or accessories, but cars will have to wait until Monday.
• In the state of Colorado, it’s illegal to buy drinks with an alcohol content of over 3.2% from the grocery store. 
• It’s illegal to throw missiles at cars in Alamosa. “Where would I get a missile to throw?” you may ask, but the term "missile" actually refers to any object forcibly propelled toward the car. This could include rocks, tomatoes, eggs, water balloons and a boatload of other options. While this law is in effect pretty much everywhere, it’s just strange to have it worded like it is in Colorado's case.
• It’s against the law to mutilate a rock in a state park. You should already know that this is a big no-no, so just don’t do it, yeah?
• It’s illegal to drink and drive in Boulder, but it’s also illegal to ride and drive! Horses are considered non-motorized vehicles, so to drink while riding them violates the no drinking and driving law, too!

Enjoy Denver!

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Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/12019