The State of Colorado is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America.
Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the state population was 4,861,515 in 2007, a 13.03% increase since the U.S. Census 2000.
Denver is the capital as well as the most populous city of Colorado. Citizens of Colorado are known as Coloradans.
Geography
The State of Colorado is defined as the geoellipsoidal rectangle that stretches from 37°N to 41°N latitude and from 102°03′W to 109°03′W longitude (25°W to 32°W from the Washington Meridian).
Colorado is one of only three U.S. states (with Wyoming and Utah) that have only lines of latitude and longitude for boundaries.
The summit of Mount Elbert at 4,401.2 meters (14,440 ft) elevation in Lake County is the state’s highest point and the highest point in the entire Rocky Mountains.
Colorado has more than 500 mountain peaks that exceed 4,000 meters (13,123 ft) elevation. Colorado is the only U.S. state that lies entirely above 1,000 meters (3,281 ft) elevation. The point where the Arikaree River flows out of Yuma County, Colorado, and into Cheyenne County, Kansas, is the lowest point in the State of Colorado at 1,010 meters (3,314 ft) elevation. This crossing point holds the distinction of being the highest low point of any U.S. state.
East of the Southern Rocky Mountains are the Colorado Eastern Plains of the High Plains, the section of the Great Plains within Colorado at elevations ranging from 3314 to 6562 feet (1010 to 2000 m).
The states of Kansas and Nebraska border Colorado to the east. The plains are sparsely settled with most population along the South Platte and the Arkansas rivers. Precipitation is meager, averaging from 12 to 18 inches (300 to 450 mm) annually.
There is some irrigated farming, but much of the land is used for dryland farming or ranching. Winter wheat is a typical crop and most small towns in the region boast both a water tower and a grain elevator.
The bulk of Colorado’s population lives along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in the Front Range Urban Corridor.
This region is partially protected from prevailing storms by the high mountains to the west.
To the west lies the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains with notable peaks such as Longs Peak, Mount Evans, Pikes Peak, and the Spanish Peaks near Walsenburg in the south.
This area drains to the east, is forested, and partially urbanized. During the drought of 2002 devastating forest fires swept this area.
The Continental Divide stretches across the crest of the Rocky Mountains. To the west of the Continental Divide is the Western Slope.
Water west of the Continental Divide drains west into the Sea of Cortez via the Colorado River.
Within the interior of the Rocky Mountains are several large parks or high broad basins. In the north, on the east side of the Continental Divide is North Park.
North Park is drained by the North Platte River, which flows north into Wyoming. Just south but on the west side of the Continental Divide is Middle Park, drained by the Colorado River. South Park is the headwaters of the South Platte River.
To the south lies the San Luis Valley, the headwaters of the Rio Grande, which drains into New Mexico.
Across the Sangre de Cristo Range to the east of the San Luis Valley lies the Wet Mountain Valley. These basins, particularly the San Luis Valley, lie along the Rio Grande Rift, a major geological formation, and its branches.
The Rocky Mountains within Colorado contain 51 peaks that are 14,000 feet (4,267 m) or higher elevation, known as fourteeners.
The mountains are timbered with conifers and aspen to the tree line, at an elevation of about 12,140 feet (3,700 m) in southern Colorado to about 10,500 feet (3,200 m) in northern Colorado; above this only alpine vegetation grows. The Colorado Rockies are snow-covered only in the winter; most snow melts by mid-August with the exception of a few small glaciers.
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.
Digital elevation model relief map of Colorado — nearly half of the state is flat, despite stereotypes
Digital elevation model relief map of Colorado — nearly half of the state is flat, despite stereotypes
The Western Slope is generally drained by the Colorado River and its tributaries. Notable to the south are the San Juan Mountains, an extremely rugged mountain range, and to the west of the San Juans, the Colorado Plateau, a high desert bordering Southern Utah.
Grand Junctionis the largest city on the Western Slope.
Grand Junction is served by Interstate Highway I-70.
To the southeast of Grand Junction is Grand Mesa, the worlds largest flat-topped mountain.
Further east are the ski resorts of Aspen, Vail, Crested Butte, and Steamboat Springs. The northwestern corner of Colorado bordering Northern Utah and Western Wyoming is mostly sparsely populated rangeland.
From west to east, the state consists of desert-like basins, turning into plateaus, then alpine mountains, and then the grasslands of the Great Plains.
The famous Pikes Peak is just west of Colorado Springs. Its lone peak is visible from near the Kansas border on clear days.
Colorado is also one of only four states in the United States to share a common border (Four Corners), along with Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. At this intersection, it is possible to stand in four states at once.
Climate
The climate of Colorado is best described as being totally complex compared to the rest of the United States. While that is generally true throughout much of the state, the climate of Colorado is complex enough to have a wide range of averages between records throughout every season.
The typical south-north/cooler-warmer variation in other states is generally not applicable at all in Colorado. The location of mountain ranges and surrounding valleys affect local climate greatly. As a general rule, with an increase in elevation come a decrease in temperature and an increase in precipitation.
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
The region that is today the State of Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans for more than 13 millennia.
The region was acquired by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803 and the Mexican Cession in 1848.
The region was divided among the Territory of New Mexico organized in 1850, the Territory of Utah organized in 1850, the Territory of Kansas organized in 1854, and the Territory of Nebraska organized in 1854.
On 1851-04-09, Hispanic settlers from Taos, New Mexico, settled San Luis, then in the Territory of New Mexico, but now Colorado’s first European settlement. Gold was discovered along the South Platte River in western Kansas Territory in July of 1858, precipitating the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush.
The Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson was organized on 1859-10-24, but the new territory failed to secure federal sanction. The election of Abraham Lincoln on 1860-11-06, led to the secession of six slave states and the approach of civil war.
The Republican led U.S. Congress admitted the eastern portion of the Territory of Kansas to the Union as the free State of Kansas on 1861-01-29, leaving the western portion of the territory, and its gold fields, unorganized.
Thirty days later on 1861-02-28, outgoing U.S. President James Buchanan signed an act of Congress organizing the free Territory of Colorado.
(The boundaries of the new territory were the same as the State of Colorado today.) The name Colorado was chosen because it was commonly believed that the Colorado River originated in the territory. Early Spanish explorers had named the Rio Colorado for the reddish-brown silt the river carried from the mountains.
(In fact, the Colorado River did not flow through Colorado until House Joint Resolution 460 of the 66th United States Congress changed the name of the Grand River to the Colorado River on 1921-07-25.)
On 1876-08-01 (28 days after Centennial of the United States), U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a proclamation admitting the State of Colorado to the Union as the 38th state and earning it the moniker the “Centennial State”.
Colorado women were granted the right to vote beginning on 1893-11-07. By the 1930 U.S. Census, the population of Colorado exceeded one million residents, and by the 2000 Census, the population exceeded 4.3 million.
Three different ships have been named USS Colorado in honor of the state.
Economy
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that the total state product in 2006 was $230 billion. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $34,561, putting Colorado eighth in the nation.
To see a 2004 per capita personal income comparison table on a state basis.
The state’s economy broadened from its mid-19th century roots in mining when irrigated agriculture developed, and by the late 19th century, raising livestock had become important.
Early industry was based on the extraction and processing of minerals and agricultural products. Current agricultural products are cattle, wheat, dairy products, corn, and hay.
The federal government is also a major economic force in the state with many important federal facilities including NORAD, United States Air Force Academy and Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs; NOAA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder; U.S.
Geological Survey and other government agencies at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood; the Denver Mint, Buckley Air Force Base, and 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver; and a federal Supermax Prison and other federal prisons near Cañon City.
In addition to these and other federal agencies, Colorado has abundant National Forest land and four National Parks that contribute to federal ownership of 24,615,788 acres (99,617 km²) of land in Colorado, or 37% of the total area of the state.
Booming state capital Denver is home to “Wall Street of the West”.
Booming state capital Denver is home to “Wall Street of the West”.
In the second half of the 20th century, the industrial and service sectors have expanded greatly.
The state’s economy is diversified and is notable for its concentration of scientific research and high-technology industries. Other industries include food processing, transportation equipment, machinery, chemical products, minerals such as gold and molybdenum, and tourism. Colorado also produces the largest amount of beer of any state.
Denver is an important financial center.
Colorado has a flat 4.63% income tax, regardless of income level.
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.
Colorado’s state sales tax is 2.9% on retail sales. When state revenues exceed state constitutional limits, full-year Colorado residents can claim a sales tax refund on their individual state income tax return. Many counties and cities charge their own rates in addition to the base state rate. There are also certain county and special district taxes that may apply.
Real estate and personal business property are taxable in Colorado. The state’s senior property tax exemption was temporarily suspended by the Colorado Legislature in 2003.
The tax break is scheduled to return for assessment year 2006, payable in 2007.