Portal:Colorado

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Colorado is the state of the United States of America that encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the high western edge of the Great Plains. Admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876, Colorado became the 38th U.S. state. Colorado ranks 21st in population, eighth in total area, and first in mean elevation among the 50 U.S. states. Fifty-five of the 124 highest major mountain peaks of North America rise in Colorado. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of the State of Colorado was 5,957,493 on July 1, 2024, an increase of +3.18% since the 2020 United States Census. Denver is the state capital, the most populous city, and the heart of the most populous metropolitan area of the Rocky Mountain Region. Colorado Springs is the state's second most populous city. While the population of the Front Range Urban Corridor exceeds five million, many rugged portions of the state remain pristine wilderness.

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Class 2. John Hickenlooper (D) (2021–)
Class 3. Michael Bennet (D) (2009–)
1. Diana DeGette (D) (1997–)
2. Joe Neguse (D) (2019–)
3. Jeff Hurd (R) (2025-)
4. Lauren Boebert (R) (2025-)
5. Jeff Crank (R) (2025-)
6. Jason Crow (D) (2019–)
7. Brittany Pettersen (D) (2023-)
8. Gabe Evans (R) (2025–)

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Interstate 70 (I-70) is a transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from Cove Fort, Utah, to Baltimore, Maryland. In Colorado, the highway traverses an east–west route across the center of the state. In western Colorado, the highway connects the metropolitan areas of Grand Junction and Denver via a route through the Rocky Mountains. In eastern Colorado, the highway crosses the Great Plains, connecting Denver with metropolitan areas in Kansas and Missouri. Bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles, normally prohibited on Interstate Highways, are allowed on those stretches of I-70 in the Rockies where no other through route exists.

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) lists the construction of I-70 among the engineering marvels undertaken in the Interstate Highway System and cites four major accomplishments: the section through the Dakota Hogback, Eisenhower Tunnel, Vail Pass, and Glenwood Canyon. The Eisenhower Tunnel, with a maximum elevation of 11,158 feet (3,401 m) and length of 1.7 miles (2.7 km), is the longest mountain tunnel and highest point along the Interstate Highway System. The portion through Glenwood Canyon was completed on October 14, 1992. This was one of the final pieces of the Interstate Highway System to open to traffic and is one of the most expensive rural highways per mile built in the country. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) earned the 1993 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for the completion of I-70 through the canyon. (Full article...)

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Robert Williamson Steele
Robert Williamson Steele
Robert Williamson Steele (January 14, 1820 – February 7, 1901) was governor of the extralegal Territory of Jefferson, which existed in the western United States from 1859 to 1861, when it was replaced by the Territory of Colorado.

On September 29, 1859, Steele was nominated for Governor of the proposed Territory of Jefferson. On October 24, 1859 the formation of a provisional government was approved and Steele defeated J.H. St. Matthew for Governor.

Governor Steele opened the first session of the provisional territorial legislature on November 7, 1859, with a proclamation:

Let us then enter upon our duties with a determination of spirit that conquers all difficulties: working for the benefit of the whole commonwealth, encouraging moderation and conservation in all our acts, that we may never be ashamed of having taken an humble part of the organization of a Provisional Government for the Territory of Jefferson.

Steele called for the next session to meet on January 23, 1860.

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Pony Express advertisement

The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company.

During its 18 months of operation beginning in 1860, the Pony Express reduced the time for messages to travel between the east and west US coast to about 10 days. It became the west's most direct means of east–west communication before the first transcontinental telegraph was established (October 24, 1861), and was vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the United States. (Full article...)

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National Parks in Colorado

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A view of Denver, the mile high city
  • The official elevation of City and County of Denver is precisely one mile (5,280 feet = 1,609.344 m) above sea level. When the United States National Geodetic Survey determined that Denver was actually 36.10 inches (917 mm) higher than previously thought, the city merely lowered its elevation reference point on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol by the difference to remain the Mile-High City. Most of Denver is actually more than one mile above sea level.
  • The point where the Arikaree River flows out of the state at 3,317 feet (1,011 m) elevation is the lowest point in Colorado, and the highest low point of any U.S. state.
  • The Town of Holly with a town center elevation of 3,392 feet (1,034 m) is the lowest municipality in Colorado.
  • The City of Wray with a city center elevation of 3,566 feet (1,087 m) is the lowest incorporated city in Colorado.
  • Denver is only the third highest U.S. state capital after Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
  • Denver is the highest U.S. city with a population of at least 600,000.
  • Colorado Springs is the highest U.S. city with a population of at least 100,000.
  • The mean elevation of Colorado is 6,800 feet (2,070 m), highest of all 50 U.S. states.
  • The City of Leadville with a city center elevation of 10,152 feet (3,094 m) is the highest incorporated city in the United States.
  • The Town of Alma with a town center elevation of 10,578 feet (3,224 m) is the highest incorporated town in the United States.

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