Colorado

Colorado is a Rocky Mountain state in the western United States, celebrated for its high peaks, ski resorts and outdoor lifestyle. Its capital and largest city is Denver, the Mile High City. Nicknamed the Centennial State, it joined the Union in its centennial year of 1876.

Colorado is the highest state on average, with more than fifty peaks rising above 14,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. The eastern third is high plains, while the west holds plateaus and canyons. The headwaters of major rivers, including the Colorado, rise here. The climate is dry and sunny with cold, snowy mountain winters.

Colorado culture revolves around the outdoors, with skiing, hiking, climbing and cycling central to daily life. Denver and Boulder are hubs of craft brewing, aerospace and a booming tech scene, and the state has a strong environmental and wellness ethos.

Home to the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho, Colorado boomed with the gold and silver rushes of the mid-19th century and became the 38th state in 1876. Mining gave way to agriculture, energy, tourism and technology in the modern era.