CNBC's "Cities of Success" spotlights Denver and Boulder

CNBC is spotlighting Denver and Boulder in its second episode of a new show about cities that are rapidly growing into major players and driving the U.S. economy while navigating new challenges.

State of play: " Cities of Success " explores how both places have become power centers but stand at a "pivotal moment" in the face of affordable housing shortages, rising homelessness and a migrant crisis .

• The show features interviews with local leaders, including Gov. Jared Polis, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
• Business executives and entrepreneurs, like Buckley Space Force Base Colonel Heidi Dexter and Voyager CEO Dylan Taylor, are also in the mix.

Fun fact: The show's anchor, Carl Quintanilla, lived in the Denver metro area in the 1980s and graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder.

• He also interned for Westword, the Denver Post and CPR, he told us in an interview.

What he's saying: It's "comforting" to return "because so many things are the same — but, of course, so many things are different because the growth has been so amazing," Quintanilla said.

• One of those changes is the pool of talent living in the area.
• "Probably the biggest thing we heard from entrepreneurs is that, 'We used to move here because of the weather and because our founders like to ski. But now we're moving our startups here because that's where the people are who we need to have,'" he noted.

The big picture: In the end, Quintanilla hopes the show becomes a "demonstration to Americans of how creative we have been, are today and will continue to be," despite pressures from "national politics or immigration policy or pandemics or inflation or supply chain" woes, he told us.

How to watch: The hourlong episode premieres Thursday at 8pm MT/10pm ET.