The conurbation includes one continuous region consisting of the six central counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson.

The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) provides funding for scientific and cultural facilities in a seven-county region including: In addition, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) provides mass transit, including a light rail system.

In 2005 the RTD developed a twelve-year comprehensive plan, called "FasTracks", to build and operate rail transit lines and expand and improve bus service throughout the region.

[8] The following table shows sports teams in the Denver metropolitan area that average more than 12,000 fans per game: The center of the metropolitan area sits in a valley, the Denver Basin, and suffers from air pollution known colloquially as the brown cloud, building up if the air is stagnant as it often is in the winter.

In the late 1980s the area was frequently in violation of multiple National Ambient Air Quality Standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) was formed in 1989 to create plans to address the problem.