pop (2000e) 4 301 000; area 269 585 km²/104 091 sq mi. State in WC USA, divided into 63 counties; the Centennial State; E part included in the Louisiana Purchase, 1803; W part gained from Mexico by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848; settlement expanded after the gold strike of 1858; became a territory, 1861; joined the Union as the 38th state, 1876; contains the Ute Indian reservation (SW); capital, Denver; other chief cities, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Lakewood, Pueblo; rivers include the Colorado, Arkansas, Rio Grande, S Platte; Rocky Mts run NS through the centre, divided into several ranges (Front Range, Sangre de Cristo Mts, Park Range, Sawatch Mts, San Juan Mts); over 50 peaks above 4000 m/13 000 ft; highest point Mt Elbert (4399 m/14 432 ft); forms part of the High Plains in the E, the centre of cattle and sheep ranching; the Colorado Plateau (W) has many canyons cut by the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers; several notable national parks and monuments (Rocky Mountain National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Monument); wheat, hay, corn, sugar-beet, livestock; food processing, printing and publishing, electrical and transportation equipment, defence industries, fabricated metals, chemicals; lumber, stone, clay, and glass products; oil, coal, uranium; world's largest deposits of molybdenum; growing tourist industry.
For other uses, see Colorado (disambiguation). State of Colorado
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| Official language(s) | English | ||||||||||
| Capital | Denver | ||||||||||
| Largest city | Denver | ||||||||||
| Area | Ranked 8th | ||||||||||
| - Total |
104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²) |
||||||||||
| - Width | 280 miles (451 km) | ||||||||||
| - Length | 380 miles (612 km) | ||||||||||
| - % water | 0.36 | ||||||||||
| - Latitude | 37°N to 41°N | ||||||||||
| - Longitude | 102°W to 109°W | ||||||||||
| Population | Ranked 22nd | ||||||||||
| - Total (2000) | 4,301,261 | ||||||||||
| - Density |
41.5/sq mi 16.01/km² (37th) |
||||||||||
| - Median income | $51,022 (10th) | ||||||||||
| Elevation | |||||||||||
| - Highest point |
Mount Elbert 14,433 ft (4,402 m) |
||||||||||
| - Mean | 6,800 ft (2,100 m) | ||||||||||
| - Lowest point |
Arikaree River 3,315 ft (1,011 m) |
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| Admission to Union | August 1, 1876 (38th) | ||||||||||
| Governor | Bill Owens (R) | ||||||||||
| U.S. Senators |
Wayne Allard (R) Ken Salazar (D) |
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| Time zone | Mountain: UTC-7/DST-6 | ||||||||||
| Abbreviations | CO US-CO | ||||||||||
| Web site | www.colorado.gov | ||||||||||
Colorado is a state in the western United States.
Geography
Colorado is one of only three states (the others are Wyoming and Utah) that have only lines of latitude and longitude for borders.
East of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains are the Colorado Eastern Plains, the section of the Great Plains within Colorado at elevations ranging from 3,500 to 7,000 feet (1,000 to 2,000 m). The mountains are timbered with conifers and aspen to the tree-line, at an elevation of about 12,000 feet (4,000 m) in southern Colorado to about 10,500 feet (3,200 m) in northern Colorado; The Colorado Mineral Belt, stretching from the San Juan Mountains in the southwest to Boulder and Central City on the front range, contains most of the historic gold- and silver-mining districts of Colorado.
See also: List of Colorado counties, List of Colorado rivers, and List of Colorado National ParksClimate
The climate of Colorado is best described as being cool and dry compared to the rest of the United States. A main climatic division in Colorado occurs where the Rocky Mountains begin with the Front Range cities and the plains to the east, the Mountains and valleys to the west, and the foothills as a transitional zone in between the two.
History
| Colorado state insignia | |
|---|---|
| Common to nearly all states | |
| Motto | Nil sine numine (Latin, "Nothing without Providence") |
| Slogan | none |
| Bird | Lark Bunting |
| Animal | Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep |
| Fish | Greenback cutthroat trout |
| Insect | Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly |
| Flower | Rocky Mountain Columbine |
| Tree | Colorado Spruce or Blue Spruce |
| Song | "Where the Columbines Grow" |
| Quarter |
Released in 2006 |
| Less common | |
| Grass | Blue grama |
| Dance | Square dance |
| Fossil | Stegosaurus |
| Gemstone | Aquamarine |
| Mineral | Rhodochrosite |
| Rock | Yule Marble |
| Tartan | to be added |
The word "Colorado" was selected by Congress in 1861 as the name for the Colorado Territory that is today a state. It is named after the Colorado River (Río Colorado), itself named after its reddish-brown color.
The territory that ultimately became Colorado was added to the United States by the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and the 1848 Mexican Cession.
Demographics
The state's capital and largest city is Denver, Colorado;
| Demographics of Colorado (csv) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By race | White | Black | AIAN | Asian | NHPI |
| AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | |||||
| 2000 (total population) | 92.23% | 4.55% | 1.91% | 2.84% | 0.25% |
| 2000 (hispanic only) | 16.20% | 0.37% | 0.64% | 0.14% | 0.05% |
| 2005 (total population) | 91.91% | 4.74% | 1.83% | 3.19% | 0.26% |
| 2005 (hispanic only) | 18.46% | 0.48% | 0.61% | 0.18% | 0.06% |
| Growth 2000-2005 (total population) | 8.09% | 13.03% | 3.85% | 22.08% | 15.47% |
| Growth 2000-2005 (non-hispanic only) | 4.78% | 10.67% | 3.75% | 21.14% | 11.70% |
| Growth 2000-2005 (hispanic only) | 23.60% | 39.64% | 4.05% | 40.04% | 29.23% |
|
Colorado has one of the highest proportions of Hispanic residents of any U.S. state; |
Religion
Christian – 75% Protestant – 48% Baptist – 9% Methodist – 5% Lutheran – 5% Episcopal – 3% Presbyterian – 3% Other Protestant or general Protestant – 23% Roman Catholic – 24% Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) – 2% Other Christian – 1% Jewish – 2% Other Religions – 1% Non-Religious/Atheist/Agnostic – 22%Colorado - specifically the city of Colorado Springs— serves as the headquarters of numerous Christian groups, most of them Protestant.
The federal government is also a major economic force in the state with many important federal facilities including NORAD and the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs; Unlike most states, which calculate taxes based on federal adjusted gross income, Colorado taxes are based on taxable income - income after federal exemptions and federal itemized (or standard) deductions.
Transportation
| Interstate 25 Interstate 70 Interstate 76 U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 24 | U.S. Route 34 U.S. Route 36 U.S. Route 40 U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 85 U.S. Route 87 U.S. Route 285 |
License Plate Numbering
"$" is a symbol or picture
123-ABC (Most Common) 123456A (Temporary Plates) ABC-123 A1B2345 ABC1234 $123456A 12345AB A1B2345 $123A45 (Fleet Vehicles) $12345 (Handicap Plate - Symbol is a Wheelchair) A1B234 $12A34 (Collector Plates - Symbol is a classic car) 1234-AA 1A2-345 1AB-234Law and government
Presidential elections results| Year | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 51.69% 1,101,255 | 47.02% 1,001,732 |
| 2000 | 50.75% 883,745 | 42.39% 738,227 |
| 1996 | 45.80% 691,848 | 44.43% 671,152 |
| 1992 | 35.87% 562,850 | 40.13% 629,681 |
| 1988 | 53.06% 728,177 | 45.28% 621,453 |
| 1984 | 63.44% 821,818 | 35.12% 454,974 |
| 1980 | 55.07% 652,264 | 31.07% 367,973 |
| 1976 | 54.05% 584,367 | 42.58% 460,353 |
| 1972 | 62.61% 597,198 | 34.59% 329,980 |
| 1968 | 50.46% 409,345 | 41.32% 335,174 |
| 1964 | 38.19% 296,767 | 61.27% 476,024 |
| 1960 | 54.63% 402,242 | 44.91% 330,629 |
Like the majority of the states, Colorado's current constitution provides for three branches of government: the legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Colorado is considered a very independent state politically, having elected 17 Democrats and 12 Republicans to the governorship in the last 100 years. See: List of Colorado Governors
Colorado is made up primarily of transplanted citizens, and this is illustrated by the fact that the state has not had a native-born governor since 1975 (when John David Vanderhoof left office) and -- until Bill Ritter's election in November 2006 -- had not elected one since 1958, in the person of Stephen L.R.
See also : United States presidential election, 2004, in Colorado
Cities and towns
Each grouping represents a U.S. Census metropolitan or micropolitan area, headed by its principal city (or cities).
| Denver-Aurora Arvada Brighton Broomfield Castle Rock Centennial Commerce City Englewood Federal Heights Golden Greenwood Village Lakewood Littleton Northglenn Parker Thornton Westminster Wheat Ridge | Colorado Springs Fountain Fort Collins -Loveland Pueblo Boulder Lafayette Longmont Louisville Nederland Superior Greeley Windsor | Grand Junction Canon City Montrose Durango Fort Morgan Silverthorne Sterling |
Other notable cities (population under 10,000)
Alamosa Aspen Glenwood Springs Leadville Trinidad VailEducation
Colleges and universities in Colorado:
| Adams State College Colorado Christian University Colorado College Colorado School of Mines Colorado State University System Colorado State University Colorado State University - Pueblo Colorado Technical University Denver Seminary Fort Lewis College Heritage College & Wales University Jones International University Mesa State College Metropolitan State College of Denver Naropa University National Technological University | Nazarene Bible College Regis University Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design The Art Institute of Colorado United States Air Force Academy University of Colorado System University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Colorado Springs University of Colorado at Denver University of Colorado Health Sciences Center University of Denver University of Northern Colorado Western State College |
Professional sports teams
As of 2005, Colorado was the least populous state with a franchise in each of the major professional sports leagues.
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