Nestled between the Rocky Mountains to the west and the High Plains to the east, Denver, Colorado, is nicknamed the Mile High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile above sea level. Over the past ten years, it has also been one of the country's fastest-growing metropolitan areas. In Denver's early days, its geographic proximity to the mineral-rich mountains attracted miners, and gold and silver booms and busts played a large role in its economic success. Today, its central location—between the west and east coasts and between major cities of the Midwest—makes it a key node for the distribution of goods and services as well as an optimal site for federal agencies and telecommunications companies. In Metropolitan Denver, Andrew R. Goetz and E. Eric Boschmann show how the city evolved from its origins as a mining town into a cosmopolitan metropolis. They chart the foundations of Denver's recent economic development—from mining and agriculture to energy, defense, and technology—and examine the challenges engendered by a postwar population explosion that led to increasing income inequality and rapid growth in the number of Latino residents. Highlighting the risks and rewards of regional collaboration in municipal governance, Goetz and Boschmann recount public works projects such as the construction of the Denver International Airport and explore the smart growth movement that shifted development from postwar low-density, automobile-based, suburban and exurban sprawl to higher-density, mixed use, transit-oriented urban centers. Because of its proximity to the mountains and generally sunny weather, Denver has a reputation as a very active, outdoor-oriented city and a desirable place to live and work. Metropolitan Denver reveals the purposeful civic decisions made regarding tourism, downtown urban revitalization, and cultural-led economic development that make the city a destination.

In the palm of time: Understanding the saga of San Juan -- Land of contrast, land of change: The geography and place names of San Juan County -- Academics, amateurs, and the Anasazi: An overview of the prehistory of San Juan County -- Utes, Paiutes, and Navajos come to San Juan: Setting the foundation, A.D. 100 to 1880 -- Entradas and campaigns, entrepreneurs and surveys: Early entrants into the San Juan Country -- Civilization comes to San Juan: Homesteading and city-building, 1880-1940 -- Pushing the line: Navajo Conflict and boundary expansion, 1880-1933 -- Shrinking lands in a crucible of change: The Ute and Paiute experience, 1880-1933 -- Beef, wheat, and biology: Livestock and farming industries in San Juan, 1880-1990 -- From beads and blankets to dollars: Ute and Navajo economic development, 1900-1990 -- Tall timbers, mountain streams, and desert rivers: The development of forest and water resources in San Juan County -- Mines and roads: A hundred years of boom and bust -- Taking care of its own: Health and education in San Juan County -- Faiths of the land: Religious expression in San Juan County -- Taming San Juan: The establishment of law, order, and government -- From "Blank Spot" to "Sagebrush Rebellion": The rise of federal hegemony in San Juan County -- San Juan in the imagination: A writer's paradise, a philosopher's dream -- Through a glass darkly: One historian's view of the future.