Oral health is an important part of your overall well-being, but choosing the right dentist isn’t as simple as walking into the closest dental office. Lucky for you, we already did the heavy lifting: 5280 teamed up with topDentists, a company that creates nationwide dentist listings, to locate Colorado’s 598 best dentists. A healthy smile is just the flip of a page away.

Our annual, must-have guide to the best physicians—337 of them in more than 90 medical specialties—in the Mile High City.

Ever wish you could ask the mayor about urban development, or a battalion chief about fighting the Waldo Canyon fire, or a Nobel Prize winner about the nature of reality? In our first-ever Interview Issue, we asked 18 of the city’s brightest, most outspoken leaders and personalities those questions, and many more. Turn the page to hear them speak out—in their own words.

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? 

From the latest gadgets to gorgeous fashion finds to whimsical toys for the kids, we’ve got the perfect present for everyone on your list this year.

Love and longing in the rugged landscape of the West. 

Five years ago this month Jeanne Assam shot a gunman at New Life Church in Colorado Springs and saved countless lives. She was called a national hero and lauded by President George W. Bush. It looked As if her life would change forever. But before Assam could move forward, she first had to confront herself. 

Even if you’ve just driven up the hill for a quick weekend away from Denver, there’s something about visiting a spa on vacation that seems especially indulgent. We scouted out a range of high-country spas—you know, for some extra encouragement to schedule that appointment you were already dreaming about. Plus, we revisit some tried-and-true urban favorites, scope out spas with a twist, and give you the 411 on spa etiquette. Go ahead. Get pampered. You deserve it.

Coloradans have long pursued outdoor adventures, usually to satisfy a craving for one thing: Adrenaline. But what’s the real cost of our most feverish obsession?