Denver is the largest city
and the capital of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is also the second most
populous county in Colorado after El Paso County. Denver is a consolidated city
and county located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the
High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The Denver
downtown district is located immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek
with the South Platte River, approximately 12 miles (19 km) east of the
foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Denver is nicknamed the