85 Interesting Facts About Colorado

Facts About Colorado

1. The state was named after the Colorado River. In Spanish, Colorado means “colored red.”
2. Louis Ballast was the first to trademark the word “cheeseburger” at the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado.
3. It is claimed that outdoor Christmas lights were invented in Denver in 1907 when merchants replaced street lights along the 16th Street Mall in LoDo (Lower Downtown) with Christmas ones.
4. Every year, the post office in Loveland, Colorado receives over 100,000 Valentine’s Day cards from around the world, which it stamps with love poems and then sends back to whoever sent them.
5. The state’s population is 5.85 million, making Colorado the 21st most populous state in the nation, sitting between Wisconsin and Minnesota in terms of population.
6. Colorado is also at the western edge of the Great Plains and the NorthEastern portion of the Colorado Plateau.
7. Mesa Verde is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Colorado.
8. The Rocky Mountains are home to golden eagles, great horned owls, bighorn sheep, beavers, mountain lions, black bears, mountain goats, and the endangered boreal toad. 
9. Across Colorado, selling automobiles on Sundays is not permitted.
10. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado is one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world.
11. The Summit of Mount Elbert (14,440 feet) in Lake County is the highest point in Colorado. It is also the highest summit of the Rocky Mountains.
12. Colorado has stricter vehicle emission regulations than many other states in the U.S. This Colorado fact draws our attention to the state’s interest in limiting pollution.
13. The United States’ only federal supermax prison is in Florence, Colorado, and is sometimes called the “Alcatraz of the Rockies.” It houses El Chapo, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and other notorious inmates.
14. Norma O. Walker became the mayor of Aurora in 1965. She became the first female mayor of a city in the U.S. that had over 60,000 residents.
15. Leadville, Colorado is the highest incorporated city in the U.S. The city sits at 10,151 feet above sea level – about twice as high as The Mile High City.
16.  The largest flat-topped mountain in the world – the Grand Mesa – is located in western Colorado. It has an area of 500 miles.
17. The Denver Mint produced 15.4 billion coins in fiscal year 2000, more than ever produced by a ility. The mint celebrated its 100th anniversary of coin production in 2006.
18. 75% of the land in the US with an altitude over 10,000 feet is in Colorado
19. Colorado’s lowest point is the highest low point of any other state in the nation, 3,317 ft / 1,011 m, at the Arikaree River.
20. The Rio Grande, one of the longest rivers in North America, originates in Colorado.

21. Boulder, Colorado is a gateway to the Rocky Mountains and home to the University of Colorado, the state’s largest university. Estes Park is an even closer “gateway” to the Rockies – see all kinds of fun things to do in Estes Park, Colorado here!
22. At 104,157 m² (269,837 km²), Colorado is the 8th largest state in the US, sitting between Nevada and Oregon in terms of size.
23. It is considered one of the Mountain States (along with Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming), sitting at the southern end of the Rocky Mountains.
24. The Colorado National Monument near Great Junction is one of the state’s most famous attractions. It protects iconic, towering stone monuments including the Kissing Monument and Independence Monument.
25. It’s also illegal to kiss a woman while she’s asleep in Logan County, Colorado.
26. Centennial, Colorado, shares its name with the nickname for the entire state, “The Centennial State.” Centennial is home to the popular 17-mile House Farm Park with a preserved 19th-century farmhouse. 
27. Colorado entered statehood in 1876, exactly after 100 years of the nation’s independence (1776)
28. One of Colorado’s richest women died penniless and alone
29. The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep is the official state animal
30. Boulder, Colorado earned the title Happiest City in the U.S. This recognition comes courtesy of the Today Show and National Geographic. 
31. Lead carbonate ores rich in silver were discovered in 1879 near the present site of Leadville, resulting in the Colorado silver boom.
32. The Royal Gorge Bridge, above the Arkansas River, was for more than 70 years, the world’s highest suspension bridge. The Bridge has a deck height of 955 ft, measured from the deck to the surface of the river below.
33. It’s permitted in Boulder to challenge, taunt, or insult police officers unless they tell you to stop.
34. Legend has it that the teddy bear was invented by maids at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Spring when they patched together pieces of fabric to give to President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt when he returned from bear hunting empty-handed.  
35. The state has also been dubbed “Colorful Colorado” for its vivid landscape of high plains, mountains, mesas, forests, rivers, canyons, plateaus, and deserts.
36. Colorado was traditionally inhabited by numerous Native American peoples, including the Ancestral Puebloans, Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Shoshone, and Ute. Their descendants today make up 1.1% of the population.
37. The state is bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas to the east, Oklahoma to the southeast, New Mexico to the south, and Utah to the west. A small section of its border in the southeast is only 33.7 mi (54.3 km) from the Texas border.
38. Rocky Mountain National Park has the highest paved road in the US, Mount Evans Road, which rises to a height of 14,130 ft (4307 m).
39. The state’s all-time highest temperature was 115°F (46.1°C) at John Martin Reservoir on July 20, 2019, while the lowest was -61°F (-51.7°C) at Maybell on February 1, 1985.
40. The Colorado Trail is over 500 miles long
41. The state is nicknamed the “Centennial State” because it joined the Union after a century of the United States Declaration of Independence. 

42. During a study conducted on the water of Colorado Springs, it was found that it was the presence of fluoride in the water that caused the residents to have fewer cavities. Thus, fluorides were used commercially for maintaining healthy teeth.
43. Tom Groves and Henry Lytton found the largest piece of gold discovered in Colorado in 1887. The nugget was nicknamed “Tom’s Baby” because he wrapped it in a blanket and carried it around Breckenridge. 
44. Grand Mesa, in Grand Junction, Colorado, is the largest flat-top mountain in the world. It covers hundreds of square miles and is a great spot for hiking and exploring.
45. Colorado is one of the three states in the U.S. which has its boundaries solely defined by lines of latitudes and longitudes. The other two states are Utah and Wyoming.
46. Western Union, the ski gear company Spyder, and the restaurant chains Smashburger and Red Robin are currently headquartered in Colorado.
47. Glenwood Hot Springs Resort in Glenwood Springs, Colorado has the largest hot spring pool in the world. In the past, the area’s many hot springs were sacred to the indigenous Ute people.
48. In 2017 and 2018, US NEWS named Colorado Springs the #2 and #1 best place to live in the USA. The city is known for its amazing parks, including the Garden of the gods, waterfalls, caves, and festivals. There are also lots of great things to do with kids in Colorado Springs.
49. In Boulder, drinking and riding a horse is against the law.
50. The Latin state motto of Colorado is “Nil sine numine” which translates to both “Nothing without providence” and “Nothing without the deity”. The state motto originates from the Latin poem Aeneid, which was written by the ancient Roman poet Virgil.
51. Denver sits at the point where the north-south Highway 25 meets the east-west Highway 70.
52. Colorado is home to the oldest ski resort in the country: Howelsen Hill. It has sent more skiers to the Olympics than anywhere else in America.
53. Crocs were invented by three people in the city of Boulder in 2002.
54. It is the only U.S. state that lies entirely above 1000 meters in elevation. Thus, it is also the nation’s highest state.
55. Great Sand Dunes National Park is home to the tallest dunes in North America. Great Sand Dunes is also one of the most complex dune systems in the world, making it a truly special national park!
56. Colorado became a state in 1876, 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, earning it the nickname “The Centennial State.” Along with the Centennial State, Colorado is also referred to as “Colorful Colorado” thanks to its brilliant scenery and striking red rocks.
57. Colorado Springs has several mineral springs that were touted for their healing and refreshing properties.
58. The capital city of Colorado is Denver, which also happens to be its most populous city. Denver is also known as the “Mile High City” because it sits at 5,280 feet above sea level—exactly one mile.
59. Colorado’s economy is based on mining (coal, natural gas, oil, uranium, and gold), manufacturing, tourism, and agriculture. The state produces more than 2 billion potatoes per year.

60. Two other major cities in Colorado are Colorado Springs (population 491,000) and Aurora (401,000).
61. The 2nd American to orbit the Earth and one of the original seven US astronauts was Scott Carpenter, who was born in Boulder, Colorado.
62. Called the “Mile High City”, Denver really is a mile high. It is the third highest capital in the US, after Santa Fe (New Mexico) and Cheyenne (Wyoming).
63. Colorado is home to the largest flattop mountain in the world: the Grand Mesa. The mountain stands at more than 10,000 feet above sea level and spans hundreds of square miles.
64. The root beer float was invented by Frank J. Wisner, owner of Colorado’s Cripple Creek Brewing, in 1893. He was supposedly inspired by Colorado’s snowy peaks.
65. The population of Colorado is over 5.8 million people
66. The Spanish were the first European visitors who arrived in Colorado in the 1500s.
67. Colorado is also home to the United States Air Force Academy.
68. Denver International Airport has a total land area of 33,531 acres, making it the largest airport in size in the country. 
69.  Rocky Mountain National Park Has the Highest Paved Road of Any National Park
70. The Ponderosa Pine tree, common in Colorado, has bark that smells of vanilla and butterscotch.
71. Colfax Avenue is the nation’s longest commercial street, continuing 26.5 mi (42.6 km) through the cities of Aurora, Denver, Lakewood, and Golden. It is often described as “America’s longest street”, which it is not.
72. Denver usually gets its first snow on October 18. 
73. The most famous food in Colorado is Palisade peaches. The first settler planted the peach tree in 1982. Since then, the state exports such food products within the US and beyond the borders. 
74. The first Native American to serve in the US Senate, representing Colorado, was Ben Nighthorse Campbell, from 1993 to 2005.
75. Colorado is one of the three states that are rectangular in shape, along with Utah and Wyoming.
76. Colorado’s state flower is the white and lavender columbine, while the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep is Colorado’s state animal (which is also the provincial mammal of Alberta, Canada).
77. The largest flat-top mountain in the world is Grand Mesa
78. Almost 70% of the state’s population resides on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains.
79. The Family Dog Denver concert venue opened in 1967, igniting Colorado’s status as a major concert destination. Bands and musicians including The Doors, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Chuck Berry played there.
80. The oldest ski resort in North America, Howelsen Hill Ski Area, was opened in 1915. It started as a ski jump training area and grew into a downhill ski area in the 1930s.

81. Colorado is known for Rocky Mountain Oysters, which are actually bull testicles. They’re often deep-fried and served up as an appetizer to people who want to try the dish for the novelty of it.
82. The first shredded wheat was manufactured in Colorado. Henry Perky was the pioneer of the machine that manufactured shredded wheat.
83. The two-letter abbreviation of Colorado is CO.
84. Denver is the state capital and the largest city in the state of Colorado. With a population of 733,000, it is the 19th largest city in the US, similar to Seattle or Washington DC in size.
85. Colorado is the only state in history to decline the offer to host the Olympics after trying to win the bid for decades.