Colorado is the highest U.S. state, containing 75% of all land in the continental U.S. with an elevation above 10,000 ft/3,050 m. Fifty-four of its mountain peaks are above 14,000 ft/4,340 m. Residents refer to these as "fourteeners." Mountains cover the western two-thirds of Colorado; however, the eastern part of the state is flat, extending into the Great Plains of the central U.S.
There's evidence humans traveled through Colorado as early as 10,000 years ago in pursuit of game. Later, the Anasazi began their pueblo culture around AD 550 in the southwestern part of the state and the surrounding region. They created large and complex buildings on mesas and in cliff-side alcoves, some of which can still be visited at Mesa Verde National Park and Hovenweep National Monument. Their cities were mysteriously abandoned between 1200 and 1400. Other tribes that inhabited Colorado included the Kiowa, Apache and Comanche, who roamed the flat eastern prairie in search of bison. The Ute people of the mountainous west lived a foraging/hunting existence.
The Spanish expedition under Francisco Coronado may have passed through parts of Colorado in 1541. Although Spain claimed much of the territory, its settlement of the land did not go much farther than the explorations of two Franciscan friars in 1776. Most of the territory became part of the U.S. as a result of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Explorers and trappers entered the area over the next several decades, the first being Zebulon Pike, of Pikes Peak fame, who covered the area in 1806.
It wasn't until 1858, when gold fever struck, that Colorado saw a major influx of settlers. A rough-and-tumble period of mining and frontier bloodshed followed. As more white settlers appropriated Native American lands, ranching became an important supplement to mining in the region's economy. In the early 1900s, the Colorado mines were the scenes of bitter and bloody labor struggles. Minerals are still an important part of Colorado's economy, as are ranching and farming, but tourism continues to be one of the most important attributes of the state's economy. Denver has emerged as a major U.S. city, a center of business, aerospace, banking, communications and energy.
Colorado's foremost attractions include skiing, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, white-water rafting, hot-air ballooning, Royal Gorge, all-terrain driving, mountain biking, Denver, dude ranches, Mesa Verde and Rocky Mountain national parks, fossils, hang gliding, wildflowers, archaeological sites, museums, cultural activities, classical music, jazz, brewpubs, and film and theater festivals.
Anyone who's interested in rugged mountain scenery, the history of the Old West, camping, skiing and other outdoor activities will have a great time in Colorado.
The flat, populated plain that extends north and south from Denver is called "the front range" by locals. The first range of foothills between this area and the high country is sometimes called the "hogback."
The drive from Central City to Idaho Springs through Virginia Canyon is on the aptly named Oh-My-God Road. Even today, it's a hair-raising trip.
Molly Brown was a poor girl until her prospector husband struck it rich in Leadville's gold mines. They moved to Denver and proceeded to practically define the term nouveau riche (as the furnishings in the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver make clear). Snubbed by high society and alienated from her husband, Molly Brown became a heroine and celebrity when she survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, earning the nickname "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."
There are more than 20 rivers whose headwaters begin in Colorado. The Continental Divide directs each river's course.
If you're in Denver (or anywhere else on the front range), north means "mountains on your left" and south refers to "mountains on your right." Spend a week in Denver and you'll pick up on this trick.
Boulder has more used-book stores per capita than any other city in the U.S.
Colorado went smoke-free 1 July 2006. The law, passed in March 2006, bans smoking statewide in bars, restaurants, the public areas of hotels and in most workplaces. Casinos were added to the list in early 2008. Smoking is now only allowed in designated areas of airports and a small percentage of hotel rooms.
The U.S. government owns more than one-third of the land in Colorado.
The word "colorado" came from the Spanish word for red, which was applied to the Rio Colorado—red river.
Julesburg (150 mi/240 km northeast of Denver) was the home of the Pony Express. Its heritage has been preserved at the Fort Sedgwick Depot Museum.
