The Colorado Portal

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 estimated that the population of the State of Colorado was 5,829,926 on July 1, 2022, an increase of 1.15% 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 now exceeds five million, many rugged portions of the state remain pristine wilderness.

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State of Colorado

Class 2. John Hickenlooper (D) (2021–)
Class 3. Michael Bennet (D) (2009–)
1. Diana DeGette (D) (1997–)
2. Joe Neguse (D) (2019–)
3. Lauren Boebert (R) (2021–2025)
4. vacant
5. Doug Lamborn (R) (2007–2025)
6. Jason Crow (D) (2019–)
7. Brittany Pettersen (D) (2023-)
8. Yadira Caraveo (D) (2023–)

State Symbols

State flag: Flag of the State of Colorado                State seal: Great Seal of the State of Colorado
State motto: NIL SINE NUMINE (Latin: Nothing without providence)
State nickname: The Centennial State
State slogan: Colorful Colorado
State amphibian: Western Tiger Salamander
(Ambystoma mavortium)
State bird: Lark Bunting
(Calamospiza melanocoryus Stejneger)
State cactus: Claret Cup Cactus
(Echinocereus triglochidiatus)
State fish: Greenback Cutthroat Trout
(Oncorhynchus clarki somias)
State flower: Rocky Mountain Columbine
(Aquilegia caerulea)
State grass: Blue Grama
(Bouteloua gracilis)
State insect: Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly
(Hypaurotis cysaluswas)
State mammal: Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
(Ovis canadensis)
State pets: Colorado shelter pets
(Canis lupus familiaris & Felis catus)
State reptile: Western Painted Turtle
(Chrysemys picta bellii)
State tree: Colorado Blue Spruce
(Picea pungens)
State fossil: Stegosaurus
(Stegosaurus armatus)
State gemstone: Aquamarine
State mineral: Rhodochrosite
State rock: Yule Marble
State soil: Seitz soil
State folk dance: Square Dance
State ship: USS Colorado (SSN-788)
State songs: Where the Columbines Grow & Rocky Mountain High
State sport: Pack Burro Racing
State highway route marker:
Route marker for Colorado State Highway 5
State tartan:
Colorado State Tartan
Commemorative U.S. coin:
Commemorative U.S. stamp:
Colorado Statehood stamp

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The Colorado River at Horseshoe Bend, Arizona, a few miles below Glen Canyon Dam

The Colorado River (Spanish: Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The 1,450-mile-long (2,330 km) river, the 5th longest in the United States, drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states. The name Colorado derives from the Spanish language for "colored reddish" due to its heavy silt load. Starting in the central Rocky Mountains of Colorado, it flows generally southwest across the Colorado Plateau and through the Grand Canyon before reaching Lake Mead on the Arizona–Nevada border, where it turns south toward the international border. After entering Mexico, the Colorado approaches the mostly dry Colorado River Delta at the tip of the Gulf of California between Baja California and Sonora.

Known for its dramatic canyons, whitewater rapids, and eleven U.S. National Parks, the Colorado River and its tributaries are a vital source of water for 40 million people. An extensive system of dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts divert almost its entire flow for agricultural irrigation and urban water supply. Its large flow and steep gradient are used to generate hydroelectricity, meeting peaking power demands in much of the Intermountain West. Intensive water consumption has dried up the lower 100 miles (160 km) of the river, which has rarely reached the sea since the 1960s. (Full article...)

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Henry Moore Teller
Henry Moore Teller
Henry Moore Teller (May 23, 1830 – February 23, 1914) was an American politician from Colorado, serving as a U.S. senator between 1876–1882 and 1885–1909, also serving as Secretary of the Interior between 1882 and 1885. He strongly opposed the Dawes Act, intended to break up communal Native American lands and force assimilation of the people, accurately stating that it was directed at forcing the Indians to give up their land so that it could be sold to white settlers. Among his most prominent achievements was authoring the Teller Amendment which definitively stated that, following the Spanish–American War, the United States would not annex Cuba, rather that the purpose of their involvement would be to help it gain independence from Spain. (Full article...)

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Official seal of the University of Colorado

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado system. CU Boulder is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity.

The university consists of nine colleges and schools and offers over 150 academic programs, enrolling more than 35,000 students as of January 2022. In 2021, the university attracted the support of over $634 million for research and spent $536 million on research and development according to the National Science Foundation, ranking it 50th in the nation. (Full article...)
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National Parks in Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park

The 23 national parks in Colorado:

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A view of log cabins and a dirt road at Buckskin Joe in 1864

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