Banks, Public Finance.— Denver's banking and financial institutions are strong. The five national banks report combined capital and sur plus for 1915 as $7,103,386; national bank clear ings, $508,421,052; deposits, $67,606,781; loans and discounts, $34,030,906. Total number of banks, 36. The assessed valuation of the city in 1915 was $358,365,823; bonded indebtedness, $1,564,350, with sinking fund $855,096, leaving net bonded indebtedness $709,254; indebtedness per capita, $2.88; annual tax levy, 16.2 mills on the dollar; property assessed at its full cash value; number fire alarms, 1,057; number fires, 908; loss by fire, $244,354; number of persons per policeman, 1,072.
Parks, Public Playgrounds.— The city has 30 parks and 10 playgrounds. Those lying strictly within the municipal limits comprise 1,318 acres. They contain bronze and marble statuary and all floral adornment known to the modern scientific landscape artist, lakes and fountains, pavilions for musician entertainments where the municipal band of 50 pieces gives daily concerts during the summer (in winter the concerts are given Sundays in the municipal auditorium), floral-bordered walks, wide-sur faced drives, municipal golf links, tennis courts, camping grounds for automobile tourists, bath ing beaches and playgrounds with modern equipment and competent supervision and in struction. A natural history museum is lo cated in City Park, also a zoological garden well stocked with native animals and birds. Another feature of this park is the electric fountain, which plays every summer evening with varicolored lights. The connecting sys tem of parkways about the city includes 12 miles of parking, with gardens, lawns and floral decorations, altogether embracing 56 acres. Denver owns in the mountains within 30 miles from the corporate limits parks comprising 2,530 acres, to which more is being added from year to year. These mountain parks include canon and peak, to reach which a highway has been constructed by way of Lookout Mountain to the summit of Genesee Peak, rising to an altitude of 8,270 feet. The mountain roadways are at no point less than 20 feet in width and their grade more than 6 to 100 feet, and wherever necessary are guarded by post-and cable protection. Rustic shelters and rest sta tions where refreshment may be had, fire places for cooking, etc., are convenienty located for parties who motor over part or all of the 72 miles of highway. A mountain pasture stocked with elk and buffalo lends to the attractiveness of the parks, while trout streams lure the city dweller and the tourist. These parks arc maintained by the city of Denver for the free use of its citizens and guests, and pro vide unique and pleasurable rural excursions and mountain outings. The round trip from Denver by automobile over one of the most popular routes is accomplished in four hours. From various points on the trip the city is in full view, and with a glass its streets, buildings and parks are distinctly recognized. From these summits at night the view of the distant bril liantly lighted city is enchanting. In 1915 the city spent on the maintenance of its parks $233,000, and on improvements including moun tain parks $160,000.
Schools, Libraries, Etc.—The public schools provide free education for all from the kinder garten through the high school, 15 years. In addition to the elementary fundamental branches, night schools are provided for adults of all nationalities; manual training, special training in cooking and sewing, modern and ancient languages, music, drawing, trade schools with special preparation for advanced work in technical schools and military training. In 1915 $1,463,000 was expended for the maintenance of public schools. The school property is valued at $4,260,000. The public library contains 100,000 volumes; five branches of this library are maintained at various points in the city. In addition there is a medical library of several thousand volumes; six law libraries; school libraries containing 60,000 volumes exclusive of textbooks; at the State Capitol a library num bering approximately 15,000 volumes. Denver has four daily newspapers, 35 weekly papers and a number of trade journals. Its church edifices number over 200.
Climate.—The climate is one of the most delightful and remarkable in the country. United States Department of Agriculture data for the years 1872 to 1915 give the following information: Discarding fractions of a degree, the mean annual temperature at Denver is 50° as against 49° at Chicago, 49° at Boston, 55° at Washington, 56° at Saint Louis and 69° at Jacksonville. During the last 44 years 100° or higher has been touched 13 times, 7 in July and 6 in August. While these high tempera tures were maintained for only a few minutes, readings in the 90's are common during every summer month. For July, the warmest month, the average temperature is 72°, and the average daily maximum, or afternoon reading, is 86°. Here, as elsewhere over the greater part of the United States, the coldest month is January, with an average temperature of 31°. The annual precipitation is 14.5 inches ; Chicago, 33.2; Saint Louis, 40; Washington, 42.7; Boston, 41.8; and Jacksonville, 54.1. Of sunshine Denver has 67 per cent of the possible, as against 65 at Saint Louis, 57 at Washington, 54 at Boston and 58 at Chicago. The average relative hu midity is 52 per cent. It is highest in February, 57 per cent, and lowest in October, 49 per cent. Twice during the last 42 years a humidity as low as one-half of 1 per cent has been re corded. The annual relative humidity at Saint Louis is 70 per cent, Boston 72, Washington 73, Chicago 74 and Jacksonville 80; and for the warmer months— June, July, August and Sep tember—at Saint Louis 66 per cent, Chicago and Boston 74, Washington 76 and Jacksonville 82. It will be observed that in the Atlantic States the humidity during the warm months is greater than the average annual, just the reverse of that which obtains in Denver. In brief, Denver summers are characterized by warm days and cool nights, the heat of the day not attended by the usual debilitating effects; the winters by an abundance of sunshine and general absence of snow and severe, long continued cold.