Our 2005 convention is scheduled for April
22-28, in Denver. It's no accident that Denver
is called "the Mile High City." When you climb
up to the
State Capitol, you're precisely 5,280
feet above sea level when you reach the 18th
step. Denver's location at this altitude was
purely coincidental; Denver is one of the few
cities that was not built on an ocean, lake,
navigable river, or even on an existing road or
railroad.
While in Denver, your home will
be the
Hyatt Regency, accommodations
in the heart of it all.
The best attractions are within walking distance
and dining and shopping are a brief stroll away.
The finest of hotels
in downtown Denver, Colorado.
Steps away from your hotel you can enjoy:
Denver Mint 6
Blocks -Manville Plaza 1
Block -Buell Theatre 9 Blocks
-16th Street Mall 1 Block -Capitol
Building 5 Blocks -Convention Center
3 Blocks
-Six Flags 3 Miles / 5 Kilometers -Tabor
Shopping Center 7 Blocks -
Museums
-Pepsi Center 1 Mile / 2 Kilometers -Ocean
Journey 2 Miles / 3 Kilometers
-Botanical Gardens 3 Miles / 5
Kilometers -Denver
Art Museum 5 Miles / 8 Kilometers
Although the gold found in
Denver was but a teaser for much larger strikes
in the nearby mountains, the community grew as a
shipping and trade center, in part because it
had a milder climate than the mining towns it
served. A devastating fire in 1863, a deadly
flash flood in 1864, and American Indian
hostilities in the late 1860s created many
hardships. But the establishment of rail links
to the east and the influx of silver from the
rich mines to the west kept Denver going. Silver
from Leadville and gold from Cripple Creek made
Denver a showcase city in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. The
U.S. Mint, built in 1906, established
Denver as a banking and financial center.
In the years following World War
II, Denver mushroomed to become the largest city
between the Great Plains and the Pacific Coast,
with about 500,000 residents within the city
limits and more than 1.8 million in the
metropolitan area. Today, it's a sprawling and
growing city, extending from the Rocky Mountain
foothills on the west far into the plains to the
south and east. Denver is noted for its dozens
of tree-lined boulevards, 200 city parks that
cover more than 20,000 acres, and architecture
ranging from Victorian to sleek contemporary.
The Mile High City is popular
with skiers, who can visit the large number of
ski resorts with a few hours' drive, and with
outdoors enthusiasts who love the recreation
opportunities in the Front Range and nearby
Rocky Mountain National Park.
Denver is also known as a
cultural center of the mountain west area.
The
Denver Performing Arts Complex is the
world's largest performing arts center under one
roof, with dozens of annual performances by
traveling groups or the city's own ballet,
dance, and opera companies. The Red Rocks
Amphitheater plays host to some of the nation's
top bands among the sandstone foothills, and the
Denver Art Museum has the largest collection of
artwork between Kansas and the West Coast.
