Denver, officially the City and County of Denver, is the capital and most populous municipality of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is 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 immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek with the South Platte River, approximately 12 mi (19 km) east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
As of the 2010 census, the population of the City and County of Denver was 600,158, making it the 24th most populous U.S. city. According to the 2010 census, the City and County of Denver contained 600,158 people and 285,797 households. The population density was 3,698 inhabitants per square mile (1,428/km²) including the airport. There were 285,797 housing units at an average density of 1,751 per square mile (676/km²).