Colorado
Colorado (/ˌkɒləˈrædoʊ, -ˈrɑːdoʊ/ ⓘ KOL-ə-RAD-oh, -RAH-doh,[8][9] other variants[10]) is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Colorado borders Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas to the east, Oklahoma to the southeast, New Mexico to the south, Utah to the west, and meets Arizona to the southwest at the Four Corners. Colorado is noted for its landscape of mountains, forests, high plains, mesas, canyons, plateaus, rivers, and desert lands. Colorado is one of the Mountain States and is often considered to be part of the southwestern United States. The high plains of Colorado may be considered a part of the midwestern United States. It 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. Colorado is the eighth most extensive and 21st most populous U.S. state. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population of Colorado at 5,877,610 as of July 1, 2023, a 1.80% increase since the 2020 United States census.[11]
For the river, see Colorado River. For the physiographic region, see Colorado Plateau. For other uses, see Colorado (disambiguation).
Colorado
August 1, 1876[3] (38th)
Jared Polis (D)
Dianne Primavera (D)
Michael Bennet (D)
John Hickenlooper (D)
5 Democrats
2 Republicans
1 Vacant (list)
104,094[4] sq mi (269,601 km2)
103,718 sq mi (268,875 km2)
376 sq mi (962 km2) 0.36%
280 mi (451 km)
380 mi (612 km)
6,800 ft (2,070 m)
14,440 ft (4,401.2 m)
3,317 ft (1,011 m)
5,877,610
56.25/sq mi (21.72/km2)
$75,200[7]
Coloradan
37°N to 41°N
102.0467°W to 109.0467°W
Western tiger salamander
Ambystoma mavortium
Lark bunting
Calamospiza melanocoryus
Claret cup cactus
Echinocereus triglochidiatus
Greenback cutthroat trout
Oncorhynchus clarki somias
Rocky Mountain columbine
Aquilegia coerulea
Blue grama grass
Bouteloua gracilis
Colorado Hairstreak
Hypaurotis crysalus
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
Ovis canadensis
Colorado shelter pets
Canis lupus familiaris
and Felis catus
Western painted turtle
Chrysemys picta bellii
Colorado blue spruce
Picea pungens
Square dance
Chorea quadra
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus armatus
Pack burro racing (summer)
Skiing & snowboarding (winter)
The region has been inhabited by Native Americans and their ancestors for at least 13,500 years and possibly much longer. The eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major migration route for early peoples who spread throughout the Americas. In 1848, much of the Nuevo México region was annexed to the United States with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The Pike's Peak Gold Rush of 1858–1862 created an influx of settlers. On February 28, 1861, U.S. President James Buchanan signed an act creating the Territory of Colorado,[2] and on August 1, 1876, President Ulysses S. Grant signed Proclamation 230 admitting Colorado to the Union as the 38th state.[3] The Spanish adjective "colorado" means "colored red" or "ruddy". Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because it became a state one century (and four weeks) after the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Denver is the capital, the most populous city, and the center of the Front Range Urban Corridor. Colorado Springs is the second most populous city. Residents of the state are known as Coloradans, although the antiquated "Coloradoan" is occasionally used.[12][13] Major parts of the economy include government and defense, mining, agriculture, tourism, and increasingly other kinds of manufacturing. With increasing temperatures and decreasing water availability, Colorado's agriculture, forestry, and tourism economies are expected to be heavily affected by climate change.[14]
The major military installations in Colorado include:
Former military posts in Colorado include: