25 Colorado facts

  1. Colorado is a state of the United States of America that encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains.
  2. Denver is the capital and the most populous city of Colorado.
  3. Total Area: 8th among states, 269,618 sq km (104,100 sq mi)
  4. With an average elevation of about 2070 m (6800 ft), Colorado is the highest of all the states.
  5. Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because it was admitted to the Union as the 38th state in 1876, the centennial year of the United States Declaration of Independence.
  6. In 1858 a party of prospectors led by William Green Russell discovered gold in what is now downtown Denver
  7. Colorado is one of only three U.S. states with no natural borders, the others being neighboring Wyoming and Utah.
  8. The world's largest flat-top mountain is in Grand Mesa.
  9. The name Colorado was chosen because it was commonly believed that the Colorado River originated in the territory. 
  10. Early Spanish explorers named the Colorado River the "Rio Colorado" for the red-brown silt that the river carried from the mountains. 
  11. Colorado is noted for its vivid landscape of mountains, plains, mesas, and canyons.
  12. Millions of pronghorn and bison roamed the high plains of Colorado before the species were hunted nearly to extinction.
  13. The 30 highest major summits of the Rocky Mountains of North America all lie within the state.
  14. The United States federal government owns more than 1/3 of the land in Colorado.
  15. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the state population was 5,024,748 on July 1, 2009, an increase of 16.82% since the U.S. Census 2000.
  16. The highest paved road in North America is the Road to Mt. Evans off of I-70 from Idaho Springs. The Road climbs up to 14,258 Ft. above sea level.
  17. Residents of the state are properly known as "Coloradans", although the archaic term "Coloradoan" is still used
  18. Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States at 10,430 feet elevation.
  19. The 13th step of the state capital building in Denver is exactly 1 mile high above sea level.
  20. Colorado has the highest mean altitude of all the states.
  21. Katherine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" after being inspired by the view from Pikes Peak.
  22. The world's largest natural hot springs pool is located in Glenwood Springs.
  23. The highest suspension bridge in the world is over the Royal Gorge near Canon City. The Royal Gorge Bridge spans the Arkansas River at a height of 1,053 feet.
  24. The largest of the hundreds of natural lakes in Colorado is Grand Lake, which is almost one full square mile! There are also nearly 2000 larger man-made lakes in Colorado.
  25. Colorado earns its nickname “Mother of Rivers” because more major rivers have their source in Colorado than in any other state.
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