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DENVER -- First it was Stapleton Airport that sat on a 1920's era site east of downtown Denver. For the past 23 years, it's been Denver International Airport taking up land 23 miles northeast of the city.
As Colorado has grown, so has aviation. Even today DIA is forced to evolve and expand.
"Aviation in this state is extraordinary," said aviation expert Jeff Price. "It just continues to expand."
Price just published a book, "Denver Airports: From Stapleton to DIA," which outlines the evolution of Denver's airports starting with Stapleton.
"You'll find pictures of Charles Lindberg in this book," said co-author Shahn Sederberg. "You''ll see pictures of Amelia Earhart and some amazing innovations of aircraft tested right here in Denver."
Stapleton outgrew itself and DIA took its place when it opened in 1995, but now, it is forced to expand as more and more people move to Colorado.
"With the Denver metro area in Colorado being a leader in the aerospace industry and very predominant in the IT industry, per capita income grows and so does the desire to fly and the need to fly," said Price.
The first step in that growth is the terminal re-design happening right now.
"That's going to add so much more revenue for the airport and overall, ideally lowering the cost of flying," Price said.
Price went on to explain how DIA is looking into the possibility of adding two more concourses to help with the projected influx of airlines, including more international carriers.
"Denver has the capability to handle those now," Price said. "The addition of the hotel and the addition of the RTD A-line is critical."
DIA is trying to keep up with the times in a very popular sate.
"Aerospace is coming in," said Sederberg. "Industry is coming in. It's a hot place... a good place for aviation and aerospace."