BECAUSE YOU ASKED
Q: I often notice that mileage to a particular city does not correlate with the official city limits. When entering a major city, the mileage signs may still say 10 more miles. What is the standard method for calculating distance between cities? It appears to be somewhere downtown.
A: According to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the distance shown should be selected on a case-by-case basis by the jurisdiction that owns the road or by statewide policy. A well-defined central area or central business district should be used where one exists. In other cases, the layout of the community should be considered in relation to the highway being signed and the decision based on where it appears that most drivers would feel that they are in the center of the community in question.
The top name on the distance sign should be of the next place on the route having a post office or a railroad station, a route number or name of an intersected highway, or any other significant geographical identity.
The bottom name on the sign should be that of the next major destination or control city. If three destinations are shown, the middle line should be used to indicate communities of general interest along the route or important route junctions.
Source: Colorado Department of Transportation
Q: How far does one have to travel from the Denver metro area to reach a larger metro area?
A: The Denver metro area’s estimated 2004 population is 2,330,146. Traveling by air miles from Centennial Airport and using 2004 census estimates, these are the nearest larger cities:
1. Phoenix, 581 miles, population 3,715,360 in its metro area, which includes Phoenix, Mesa and Scottsdale.
2. Dallas, 643 miles, population 5,700,256, for the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Dallas only is 3,812,875.
3. St. Louis, 777 miles, population 2,764,054, which includes a portion of the metro area in Illinois.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2004 estimates; WebFlyer air mileage calculator (webflyer.com)
– Bonnie Gilbert
HAVE A QUESTION?
Have you ever wondered how to register your child for school? What a political caucus is and how to get information about one? How many “fourteeners” Colorado has? If you’d like information about something in the state outside Denver, send questions by e-mail to becauseyouasked@denverpost.com or by mail to: Because You Asked, Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202. Include your name, city of residence and phone number.
REGIONAL NOTES
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
Balcony House tours to begin
The Balcony House cliff dwelling opens Sunday with four ranger-guided, ticketed tours at 9:30 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tickets must be purchased at the Far View Visitor Center for $3. The full summer schedule of tours for Cliff Palace, Balcony House and Long House begins May 28.
Far View Terrace food service and gift shop are open. The Morefield Campground opens May 4.
The Centennial Lecture Series continues this month with a Friday program by archaeologist Mark Varien called “Gathering Wisdom: 23 Years at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.” The lecture begins at 7 p.m. at the center, near Cortez.
For more information on lecture series and the park’s four-day gala celebration of its 100th birthday June 29 through July 2, go to the park website, nps.gov/meve, or call the park at 970-529-4465.
GOLDEN
Casinos exec wins council seat
Joe Behm, 44, marketing director for Fortune Valley Casinos, defeated two opponents in Tuesday’s special election to fill a City Council vacancy.
Behm received 468 votes. Karla Conner was second, with 280 votes, and Brian Bookmyer was third, with 23 votes.
The Ward 2 vacancy was caused by the resignation of Arthur Chen, who moved to California with his company. Behm is scheduled to be sworn in during tonight’s council meeting and will serve the remaining 3 1/2 years of Chen’s term.
