The natural beauty of Colorado is unexcelled: towering mountain peaks, deep canyons, great rivers and lakes, waterfalls, mysterious caves, and hundreds of thousands of acres of protected forests. Located in the west central United States, it straddles the Continental Divide. Its most prominent feature is the Rocky Mountains, sometimes referred to as America's Switzerland. West of the Rockies is the Colorado Plateau; to the east the High Plains. Colorado is the eighth largest state in area, and with an average elevation of 6,800 feet, it is the highest. A mecca for tourists, the mountains are rich in gold, silver, and other minerals. Principal cities are Denver, state capital, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Builder, Grand Junction, Greeley, and Fort Collins. The estimated population now exceeds 4.3 million. Heading the list of the state's many colleges and universities are University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and the United States Air Force Academy.

If the altitude doesn't take your breath away the wide array of attractions will, beginning with the unforgettable glaciated peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park. Mesa Verde National Park, designated a World Cultural Heritage Site, contains remnants of the aboriginal pueblo builders known as Anasazi. Gunnison National Park features a narrow gorge carved through the rock by Gunnison River. Vail, Breckenridge, and Keystone are North America's most popular ski resorts and suit ever level of ability and daring. There are 40 state parks for camping, fishing, boating, hiking. Vegas styled casinos can be found in the historic towns of Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek, and the Southern Ute Reservation. Dozens of ghost towns, relics of the booming mining days, are scattered through the mountains of western Colorado. Glenwood, Steamboat Springs, and about 40 other health restoring hot springs and spas are located in the region noted for volcanic activity. The state is a treasure house of national monuments, including the Great Sand Dunes National Monument and the Dinosaur National Monument.

Other points of interest are the 70,000-acre Colorado State Forest; Pike's Stockade; Ute Indian Museum; Denver Museum of Nature and Science; the Fine Arts Center, the Garden of the Gods, and the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun in Colorado Springs; Buffalo Bill's Museum and the Colorado Railroad Museum; Georgetown Loop Historic Mining Park; Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs; the Zoo, the Ocean Journey aquarium, and the U.S. Mint in Denver. Cultural attractions include the Denver Center of Performing Arts; Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra; Central City's Historic Opera House; the Diamond Circle Melodrama Group in Durango; the Creede Repertory Theatre; and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. The state's professional sports include the NFL Broncos, NBA Nuggets, the Rockies major league baseball club; and the NHL Avalanche.

Though mining was responsible for Colorado's initial growth, the economy expanded with the development of irrigated agriculture. Today's diversified economy is based on tourism, finance, aerospace, high-tech industries, scientific research, food processing, sheep and cattle raising; natural gas, coal, and minerals. The state is served by a network of highways and tunnels; more than 300 airports, including the Denver International Airport; Amtrak and such scenic trains as the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Georgetown Loop Railroad.

The area was once the site of a Cliff Dwelling Civilization in the Mesa Verde region. The Cliff Dwellers were succeeded by the Ute Indians in about 1500 and today these Native Americans remain Colorado's oldest continuous residents. In late 1600s the area was appropriated by French explorers and the Spanish who arrived in search of gold and silver. Eastern Colorado was acquired by the United States through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. By 1850 the remainder of Colorado was ceded to the U.S. by Mexico and by purchase from Texas. Colorado Territory was established within the present state boundaries by Congress in 1861. Colorado was admitted to the Union as the 38th state in 1876, during the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Hence, its nickname as the Centennial State.

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