5280 Magazine
5280 Magazine is a Denver-based regional publisher of a monthly lifestyle magazine and digital content covering restaurants, health, real estate, culture, adventure, and Colorado news, serving Denver metro consumers through subscriptions and local advertisers and professionals through paid directories (Top Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Real Estate Producers) and events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What 5280 Magazine does
5280 Magazine (legal entity 5280 Elevated, Inc.) is a privately held regional publishing company headquartered at 950 17th Street, Suite 1150, Denver, Colorado, founded in 1993. It publishes a monthly lifestyle magazine covering Denver and Colorado — content spans restaurants, events, health, real estate, culture, adventure, home, and topical news including sports, politics, infrastructure, environment, education, and business. The print magazine is supported by a digital ecosystem at 5280.com, email newsletters, social media channels, and the 5280 Scene promotions and ticketing platform.
The core product set includes the flagship monthly 5280 Magazine, the 5280 Health annual special issue, four paid editorial directories (Top Doctors, Top Dentists, Denver's Top Lawyers, Top Real Estate Producers), and signature events such as Top of the Town. The annual ranking lists are produced through data partnerships with Castle Connolly (healthcare research) and DataJoe Research (legal), yielding proprietary data assets covering 1,200+ physicians across 75+ specialties and a tiered Black Diamond recognition system for real estate producers based on sales volume.
Revenue is generated through four streams: print and digital magazine subscriptions (priced at $19.95/year), advertising and sponsorship sold to local and national advertisers, paid directory listings for professional service providers across four verticals, and event ticketing and award nominations through 5280 Scene. The company serves two primary customer sets: Denver metro consumers seeking curated local recommendations, and healthcare, dental, legal, and real estate professionals seeking recognition-based marketing channels in the Denver market. The company employs 101–250 people and is privately held with no disclosed outside investment.
5280 Magazine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 5280 Magazine
- Legal name
- 5280 Elevated, Inc.
- Website
- https://5280.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- 5280 Magazine is a Denver-based regional publisher of a monthly lifestyle magazine and digital content covering restaurants, health, real estate, culture, adventure, and Colorado news, serving Denver metro consumers through subscriptions and local advertisers and professionals through paid directories (Top Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Real Estate Producers) and events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
5280 Magazine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regional Lifestyle Magazine Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Health, Fitness & Wellness Magazines (MPAJAEAD), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)
Keywords
Where 5280 Magazine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
5280 Magazine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: The primary revenue model includes print and digital magazine subscriptions sold directly to consumers. The website promotes subscription offers including 1 year for $19.95, with physical magazine issues available via newsstand and direct mail.
- Advertising & Sponsorship: The magazine and website generate revenue through advertising sold to local and national brands. The website notes participation in affiliate marketing programs and clear labeling of sponsored content vs. editorial.
- Directory Products & Listings: Paid directory listings for professional service providers including doctors, dentists, lawyers, and real estate agents. These directories (directory.5280.com) serve as lead-generation products for B2B professional clients.
- Awards & Event Tickets: Revenue from events such as 5280 Top of the Town, Top Lawyers nominations, and Top Real Estate Producer programs. The 5280 Scene promotions page sells tickets to Top of the Town events and collects nominations for annual awards.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Magazine Subscription - 1 Year |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Top Real Estate Producers Nomination Program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
5280 Magazine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
5280 Magazine is a Denver-focused regional lifestyle magazine published monthly in print and digital formats, covering restaurants, events, health, real estate, culture, news, and outdoor adventure across the Denver metro area and Colorado. The publication also operates searchable online directories of doctors, dentists, lawyers, and real estate professionals, produces annual ranked editorial lists, and hosts signature community events including Top of the Town.
Product overview
5280 Magazine is a Denver-based lifestyle publication offering a print and digital magazine subscription alongside a suite of editorial directories and events. The core offering is the monthly 5280 Magazine covering restaurants, events, health, real estate, culture, and adventure content. The company operates complementary directories for doctors, dentists, lawyers, and real estate professionals (5280 Directories), produces annual ranked lists (Top Doctors, Top Dentists, Top Real Estate Producers), and hosts events through its 5280 Scene sub-brand including the Top of the Town event. Special issues like 5280 Health extend the brand into specific verticals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 5280 Magazine
Quantifiable outcome
- Top Doctors list covers 1,200+ physicians across 75+ medical specialties in the Denver metro area
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use 5280 Magazine
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
5280 Magazine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
5280 Magazine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- OpenTableminorOpenTable is the presenting sponsor of Denver Restaurant Week 2026, an annual culinary celebration featuring 330+ Denver restaurants. 5280 covers the event as editorial content.
- DataJoe ResearchcoreDataJoe Research conducted the independent research and compilation for 5280 magazine's Denver's Top Lawyers 2026 list, including license verification and disciplinary record review. This is a key research partnership supporting the magazine's annual peer-voted legal directory.
- Castle ConnollycoreCastle Connolly, a healthcare research and information company with 30+ years of experience, partnered with 5280 for the third consecutive year to produce the Top Doctors list. Castle Connolly's physician-led research team vets professionals through peer nomination, professional qualification review, and outcomes data analysis.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
5280 Magazine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Boston Magazine: Metro Boston city magazine covering dining, culture, real estate, and lifestyle. Operates a similar model with a print magazine, proprietary Top Doctors/Top Lawyers lists, directories, and events. Closest comparable by revenue mix and editorial positioning.
- Philadelphia Magazine: City magazine serving Greater Philadelphia with dining, health, real estate, and culture coverage. Operates comparable Top Doctors lists, directories, and city-focused editorial lists in a similar mid-tier metro market.
- Chicago Magazine: Chicago's flagship city magazine covering dining, culture, real estate, and news. Operates Top Doctors lists, awards events, and a multi-channel lifestyle brand analogous to 5280's Denver playbook.
- Los Angeles Magazine: City magazine covering LA's dining, culture, health, and lifestyle. Comparable diversified model with Top Doctors directories and a city-focused editorial brand, though operating in a much larger metro.
- Seattle Met: Pacific Northwest city magazine covering dining, outdoors, culture, and lifestyle. Closely analogous mid-tier city magazine with similar directory products (Top Doctors) and event-driven monetization.
- Atlanta Magazine: City magazine for the Atlanta metro covering dining, culture, and lifestyle, with a Top Doctors directory product. Operates a similar mid-tier metro franchise model to 5280.
- Portland Monthly: City magazine serving Portland with comparable coverage of dining, culture, outdoors, and health. Operates annual Top Doctors lists and a regional lifestyle brand similar in size and scope to 5280.
- Cincinnati Magazine: Mid-tier Midwest city magazine covering dining, culture, and lifestyle. Comparable in scale and business model, with directory products and annual awards for top local professionals.
Broad incumbents
- Texas Monthly: Statewide lifestyle magazine with a substantially larger audience and broader geographic reach than 5280. Comparable business model (subscriptions, events, directories) but operates at a meaningfully larger scale and is recognized nationally for editorial quality.
Regional players
- Aspen Magazine: Colorado-based lifestyle publication focused on Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley. Geographic peer within the same state but serves a different (mountain resort) sub-market rather than the Denver metro.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
5280 Magazine social profiles
Digital presence5280 Magazine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
5280 Magazine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
5280 Magazine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
5280 Magazine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 5280 Magazine
What does 5280 Magazine do?
5280 Magazine is a Denver-focused regional lifestyle magazine published monthly in print and digital formats, covering restaurants, events, health, real estate, culture, news, and outdoor adventure across the Denver metro area and Colorado. The publication also operates searchable online directories of doctors, dentists, lawyers, and real estate professionals, produces annual ranked editorial lists, and hosts signature community events including Top of the Town.
Is 5280 Magazine a public or private company?
5280 Magazine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 5280 Magazine founded?
5280 Magazine was founded in 1993. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is 5280 Magazine based?
5280 Magazine is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does 5280 Magazine make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are advertising & Sponsorship, directory Products & Listings and awards & Event Tickets.
Who are 5280 Magazine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Boston Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, Chicago Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, Seattle Met, Atlanta Magazine, Portland Monthly and Cincinnati Magazine. Texas Monthly is listed as a broad incumbent. Aspen Magazine is listed as a regional player.
Does 5280 Magazine have an API?
No public API is recorded for 5280 Magazine.
What industry is 5280 Magazine in?
5280 Magazine's product category is Regional Lifestyle Magazine Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAA, Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines, with a secondary code of MPAJAEAD, Health, Fitness & Wellness Magazines. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.