The United States holds enough oil and gas to power the country for hundreds of years, and Colorado is at the center of the search for energy resources. Using a controversial process called hydraulic fracturing—better known as fracking—and new drilling techniques, oil and gas companies are able to extract these previously inaccessible fossil fuels. These technologies may be the biggest step yet toward securing our energy independence. But at what cost? 

A quick shot west of Denver on I-70, Olde Town Arvada is worth an afternoon of exploring as much for the eclectic dining and retail as for the chance to say you were hanging out at the site of Colorado’s first gold strike. Stroll through history—this is also the hometown of the guy who invented the automobile turn signal—and enjoy a slice of Main Street America, Colorado style.