Metro Denver is a mile high above the rest.
Metro Denver’s mild climate and wealth of recreational activities make this the perfect environment for energetic bodies. Its educational and cultural opportunities make it the ideal home for energetic minds. In fact, Denver ranks first among the nation’s most desirable places to live, according to a 2009 poll by the Pew Research Center. Below are a few highlights:
Business Climate
Colorado is ranked as the No. 1 state for labor prospects, No. 2 for growth prospects, and No. 5 for its economic climate ranking the state as the fourth-best state overall for business
- Forbes, 2009
Colorado ranks third in Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grants, third in venture capital investments per $1,000 for State GDP, and fifth in number of new companies per 1,000 employees
-Toward a More Competitive Colorado, Fifth Edition, 2009
Denver is ranked the third-best metro region in the nation for business
-MarketWatch, 2009
Colorado is No. 3 among America's Top States for Business, ranking highly for economy, business friendliness, and access to capital
- CNBC, 2009
Colorado is one of five states that will lead the national economic recovery due to its high-tech industry base and the fact that the state was one of the last to join the national recession
- Moody's.com, 2009
Colorado had a 1.81 percent population growth rate between 2008 and 2009, the fourth-highest in the nation.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2009
Workforce
Denver is the No. 1 city where people most want to live
- Pew Research Center, 2009
Colorado ranks first in top-scoring students in ACT and SAT tests
- NCHEMS Information Center, 2009
Colorado is the second-most highly educated state
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2009
Colorado ranks third in tech-worker concentration
- TechAmerica, 2009
Colorado ranks eighth in the U.S. for scientists & engineers as a percent of the workforce
- National Science Foundation, 2009
Health & Wellness
Colorado has the nation's lowest obesity rate
- Trust for America’s Health, 2009
Colorado residents fill the second-fewest drug prescriptions per capita
- Kaiser Family Foundation's State Health Facts, 2009
Metro Denver is the nation's third-fittest metro area based on healthcare access, community support for physical activity, and preventative health measures
- American College of Sports Medicine and WellPoint Foundation, Inc., 2009
People living in Western states are happier than those living in other parts of the country—residents in Colorado have among the highest well-being in the country
- Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, 2009
Boulder is top in the "America's Top 5 Towns to Live Well" report, registering well for venture capital funding, workforce, and access to cultural amenities
- Forbes, 2009
Colorado has the third-fewest heart disease deaths and fourth-fewest diabetes and cancer deaths
- Kaiser Family Foundation's State Health Facts, 2009
Infrastructure
Denver International Airport is the fifth-busiest U.S. airport and is 10th-busiest in the world
- Federal Aviation Administration, 2009
FasTracks is the largest simultaneous construction of a mass transit system in U.S. history
- American Public Transportation Association
The Regional Transportation District (RTD) was voted the best transit organization in North America.
- American Public Transportation Association (APTA), 2008
Denver is the largest U.S. city with one-bounce satellite uplink capability for real-time connections to six out of seven continents in one business day
- Development Research Partners, 2009
Colorado produces the eighth-highest amount of total wind energy net generation and installed capacity
- Energy Information Administration, American Wind Energy Association, 2009
Colorado has the fourth-highest total solar energy installed capacity
- SNL Financial Operating Capacity Dataset, 2009
Up to 50 transit-oriented developments are planned along eight different light rail and commuter rail lines extending in all directions from the downtown core, making every corner of the region accessible to workers, residents, and visitors
- Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, 2009
Sustainability
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter is the Greenest Governor in the U.S., ranking high for his legislative initiatives and setting goals for the greening of state government
- Greenopia, 2009
The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden is the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency R&D
- U.S. Department of Energy, 2009
The City and County of Denver's Greenprint Denver is a national model for energy conservation and clean energy technology
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2009
Denver has 67 registered and 18 certified LEED buildings per 100,000 people, ranking the city fifth out of 50 major U.S. cities.
- Sustainlane.com, 2008
Denver ranks as the sixth-best city for policy, programs, and performance in energy and climate change.
- Sustainlane.com, 2008
Colorado State University is building the world's largest university-owned wind facility to power its entire campus
- Colorado State University, 2009
Colorado ranks fourth in the U.S. for renewable energy and energy research employment
- Development Research Partners, 2009
The new Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver has a LEED Gold certification – the first such museum in the country to earn the distinction
- Museum of Contemporary Art, 2009
The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) new Research Support Facility will be one of the "greenest" buildings ever constructed
- NREL, 2009
Regionalism
Metro Denver's successful regional economic development has been studied by U.S. cities like Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, San Diego, San Jose, St. Paul, and Milwaukee
- Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
Over $40 million is distributed annually to 300 arts and culture organizations in Metro Denver
- Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, 2009
Culture in Metro Denver had a $1.7 billion economic impact in 2008
- Colorado Business Committee for the Arts
The economic vitality of Denver’s creative sector, or Creative Vitality Index (CVI), is almost three times greater than the national average
- Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, 2009