Colorado Details

Colorado is famously known as the “Centennial State” and is particularly famous for its magnificent scenery of mountains, rivers, lakes and plains. Colorado has the highest mean elevation of any state. It has more than 1000 Rocky Mountain peaks which are over 10,000 ft high and 54 others are over 14,000 ft. The state’s highest point is the summit of Mount Elbert which towers at 14,440 ft (4,401 m) elevation. It is also the highest point in the entire Rocky Mountains. Its lowest point is the Arkansas River which has an elevation of 3,350 ft (1,022 m).

Historically speaking, Colorado’s earliest inhabitants were Native Americans known as the Basket Makers. These people settled in the area long before the beginning of the Christian era. Cliff dwellers came next and settled, building communities in canyon walls. Spanish explorers led by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado later arrived and claimed the Colorado sometime in 1706. The Spaniards, however, did not settle in the area which was later claimed by the French via the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso. United States later bought northern part of the Arkansas River and the eastern part of the Rocky Mountains through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Then it began to acquire other parts of Colorado via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

Colorado boasts of more than 22 million acres of park land, monuments, wildlife areas, forests and recreational areas visitors can explore. It offers perfect venue for a plethora of activities such as camping, fishing, golfing, hunting and mountain biking. Other activities that any one can engage in while in Colorado include rock climbing, sightseeing tours, skiing and snowboarding and whitewater rafting.

Colorado became the 38th state of the US on August 1, 1876. Its capital and largest city is Denver. Other large cities of the state include Colorado Springs, Aurora, Lakewood, Fort Collins, Thornton, Westminster and Arvada. Its people are called Coloradan or Coloradoan.