Colorado
Colorado | |
|---|---|
| Nicknames: | |
| Motto(s): Nil sine numine (English: Nothing without providence) | |
| Anthem: Where the Columbines Grow and Rocky Mountain High | |
Location of Colorado within the United States | |
| Country | United States |
| Before statehood | Territory of Colorado |
| Admitted to the Union | August 1, 1876 (38th) |
| Capital (and largest city) | Denver |
| Largest county or equivalent | El Paso |
| Largest metro and urban areas | Denver |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Jared Polis (D) |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Dianne Primavera (D) |
| Legislature | General Assembly |
| • Upper house | Senate |
| • Lower house | House of Representatives |
| Judiciary | Supreme Court (list) |
| U.S. senators | Michael Bennet (D) John Hickenlooper (D) |
| U.S. House delegation | 4 Democrats 4 Republicans (list) |
| Area | |
• Total | 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km2) |
| • Land | 103,718 sq mi (268,875 km2) |
| • Water | 376 sq mi (962 km2) 0.36% |
| • Rank | 8th |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 280 mi (451 km) |
| • Width | 380 mi (612 km) |
| Elevation | 6,800 ft (2,070 m) |
| Highest elevation | 14,440 ft (4,401.2 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 3,317 ft (1,011 m) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 5,957,493 |
| • Rank | 21st |
| • Density | 56.25/sq mi (21.72/km2) |
| • Rank | 37th |
| • Median household income | $92,900 (2023) |
| • Income rank | 9th |
| Demonym | Coloradan |
| Language | |
| • Official language | English |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| USPS abbreviation | CO |
| ISO 3166 code | US-CO |
| Latitude | 37°N to 41°N |
| Longitude | 102.0467°W to 109.0467°W |
| Website | colorado |
Colorado is a state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas to the east, and Oklahoma to the southeast. Colorado is noted for its landscape of mountains, forests, high plains, mesas, canyons, plateaus, rivers, and desert lands. 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-largest U.S. state by area and the 21st by population. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population of Colorado to be 5,957,493 as of July 1, 2024, a 3.2% increase from the 2020 United States census.
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, and on August 1, 1876, President Ulysses S. Grant signed Proclamation 230, admitting Colorado to the Union as the 38th state. The Spanish adjective "colorado" means "colored red" or "ruddy". Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because it became a state 100 years (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 of the state. Residents of the state are known as Coloradans, although the antiquated "Coloradoan" is occasionally used. Major parts of the economy include government and defense, mining, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing. With increasing temperatures and decreasing water availability, Colorado's agriculture forestry and tourism economies are expected to be heavily affected by climate change.