In fact, it’s the highest lowest elevation point in any state. 20. Colfax Avenue in Denver is the longest continuous street in America. Incidentally, Fairbanks was expelled for cutting the wires on the school piano. New 6 Minutes Ago Condo/Townhouse For Sale. Colorado Facts: ADVERTISEMENTS. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and is also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. In Spanish, Colorado means “colored red.” [1,6] 3. 3. The Colorado Hairstreak is a very pretty purple butterfly, and in 1996, a bunch of 4th graders were successful in lobbying for it to be the official insect of Colorado. 49. Denver is nicknamed the Mile High City because its official elevation is exactly one mile (1,609 meters or 5,280 feet) above sea level, making it the highest major city in the United States. 25. Live in Boulder and own a llama? Flowing out of Yuma County and into Kansas, the Arikaree River is 3,317 feet. It is located in east central Colorado, on Fountain Creek, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Denver. Want to drive over the highest suspension bridge in the United States? As far as we know, humans have been inhabiting Colorado for more than 14,000 years. Interesting Facts About Colorado Springs When it comes to destinations in Colorado, Denver is the first thought that pops into many people’s minds. During World War II, a special unit of the army trained in Colorado to prepare for combat in high, snowy altitudes. Just like driving and driving, drinking and riding a horse in Boulder is not allowed. 57. 16. Approximately 75% of all land in the United States over 10,000 feet are in Colorado. It was built and is operated solely for the tourist trade. 1-5 Colorado Facts 1. 64. A few miles west of Denver is the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, an open-air music venue noted for being built into a rock structure that helps amplifies sound. It is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world. Vacayholics provides some facts about this river. His Lieutenant Governor Jesse F. McDonald took over. It’s possible that the first rodeo in the world to ever rodeo was in Deer Trail. In modern period, the word Coloradan is more common to use by the people. Interesting facts about Colorado! It’s also the official dinosaur of the state because the first Stegosaurus fossil was found near Morrison in 1876. 22. The 8th state is 6th in alphabetical order (after California), and we were able to dig up dozens of cool facts about the state that is literally a mile high.Read on for tons of interesting and fun facts about Colorado, and stay tuned for more in our series. 19. Dr. But there are other lesser known facts about The Centennial State that many might not know about. It's been estimated that Dr. Stanley Biber performed 65 percent of the world's sex change operations from 1969 to 2003. Three governors were in office! Lay on your back and it’s literally possible to be located in four states at the exact same time! They include Hattie McDaniel (Oscar winner for Gone with the Wind and the first Black person to win an Academy Award), Oscar nominee Don Cheadle (who also has a Grammy award for his contribution to the Miles Ahead soundtrack), Foxy Brown and Jackie Brown star Pam Grier, influential silent film comedian Harold Lloyd, as well as his contemporary Douglas Fairbanks. He was named the poet laureate of the state in 1974, and his 1975 Rocky Mountain Christmas special at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver was watched by 65 million people — the biggest audience that an ABC music program had at the time. 47. Button Rock Preserve. October 8, 2018 by Savannah. The most famous of the Rocky Mountains is Pike's Peak, discovered by U.S. Army Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike in 1806.. 21. 12. 45. Posted by: Karen Booher on December 16th, 2020. Here are 40 Interesting Colorado facts. 59. If you are a Colorado native, you probably already know a lot about the Centennial State’s rich history thanks school history classes… but did you know that Colorado is home to one of the best-preserved dinosaur track sites in the world? Weed! Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America with its elevation at (3,179 meters) 10,430 feet, and grew exponentially in population in 1877 when the rush for silver began. The railway is the highest in North America by a considerable margin. 65. Denver has the largest city park system in the nation with 205 parks in city limits and 8,090 hectares (20,000 acres) of parks in the nearby mountains. Because Teddy Roosevelt formed such a great relationship with the staff at the Hotel Colorado, a whole bunch of maids created one to present to him. It has an area of about 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) and stretches for about 40 miles (64 km) east of Grand Junction between the Colorado River and the Gunnison River, its tributary to the south. For Country Music Month in October 1978, the music director for 740 KSSS Colorado Springs successfully petitioned governor Richard Lamm to temporarily change the state song to Merle Haggard’s “Colorado.”. 55 Interesting facts about Colorado. Want to drive across Colorado? 1. The area that would eventually become known as Colorado was first explored by Europeans in the late 1500s. **This post contains affiliate links. 2. 67. Get Colorado facts, maps, and pictures in this U.S. state profile from National Geographic Kids. The official Colorado motto is the Latin phrase Nil sine numine, which can be interpreted in several ways. The very first Chipotle opened in Denver in 1993 and it’s been fast-casual history ever since. Facts about Colorado 4: religions. James H. Peabody (who ran against Adams) immediately replaced him, but on the condition that he resign immediately. 8. We arrived during a 100-year flood (fact, but not really a fun fact though). $600,000. 2018 Photo Credit: Juliette from The Art of Home Education. then an Englishman cowboy named Emilnie Gardenshire and his horse Montana Blizzard, Title 12, Article 6, Part 3 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, was invented in 1944 by a guy named Frank Marugg, surgeon general Stanley Biber was asked by a patient, U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, He visited Colorado often during the early 1900s, 66 Awesome and Interesting Facts & Trivia About Connecticut. The Colorado River is a majestic creation. Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, considered one of the best records in the history of indie rock, was recorded at the now-defunct Pet Sounds Recording Studio in Denver. Bandleader and composer Glenn Miller was born in Iowa, but moved to Fort Morgan as a teenager and was a high school football star. 30. You’re not allowed to “mutilate, deface, disfigure or injure” rocks in Colorado state parks. Nikola Tesla conducted high-voltage electrical power experiments out of his laboratory in Colorado Springs between 1899 and 1900. Colorado is the only U.S. state that lies entirely above 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) elevation. Residents of the state are known as Coloradans, although the term “Coloradoan” has been used archaically and lives on in the title of the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper. 54. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) is a 91.4 cm (3 feet) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates 72.7 km (45.2 miles) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. Doctors believed that the mineral waters of nearby Manitou’s springs had healing effects and that the dry climate and mountain air were helpful to TB. As of 1 January 2018, the population of Colorado was estimated to be 5,684,203. 58. They won the bid for the 1976 Winter Olympics, but voters turned it down because to be honest, hosting the Olympics is a true pain-in-the-ass for any city. With these facts about Colorado, let us learn more about its history, geography, people, economy and more. Colorado is the only state in history to turn down the Olympics - … The 8th state is 6th in alphabetical order (after California), and we were able to dig up dozens of cool facts about the state that is literally a mile high. 68. First, Alva Adams was forced to resign due to election improprieties when he somehow got 717 votes even though there were only 100 registered voters. 36. The official nickname is the Centennial State because it joined the Union in 1876 — exactly 100 years after the Declaration of Independence. Facts about Colorado, including the capital, number of electoral votes, state symbols, popular tourist attractions, famous people, sports teams, fun facts, and more. This point, which holds the distinction of being the highest low elevation point of any state, is higher than the high elevation points of 18 states and the District of Columbia. On August 1, 1876, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a proclamation admitting Colorado to the Union as the 38th state. Not at the same time, of course. Colorado has an official cactus, and it’s the Claret cut cactus. 12 Things You Didn’t Know About The History Of Colorado. The western tiger salamander is the official amphibian of Colorado. 15. Naturally, many of the Colorado facts you’ll read ahead will have something to do with being so high above sea level. Colorado is also known for being one of the Rocky Mountain states, part of the 3,000-mile stretch from British Columbia, Canada all the way down to New Mexico. 42. Once upon a time in the late 1960s, surgeon general Stanley Biber was asked by a patient if he could do a sex-change operation. The lovely Rocky Mountain columbine is the state flower, and it’s actually illegal to pick one on public land. With more than 4,300 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, it is the largest archaeological preserve in the U.S. Mesa Verde (Spanish for “green table”) is best known for structures such as Cliff Palace, thought to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America. The Colorado Avalanche of the NHL also play in Denver. Park Theatre in Estes Park is the oldest movie house in the western United States that is still in operation. According to Title 12, Article 6, Part 3 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, you cannot buy a car on Sundays in Colorado. Among the more interesting legends about Colorado Springs’ beginnings is that it became a haven for those recovering from tuberculosis. Residents there are known as Denverites, while the people in Colorado are referred to as Coloradans or more accurately Coloradoans. Prominent professional athletes born in Colorado include well-mustachioed Hall-of-Fame relief pitcher Goose Gossage (Colorado Springs), three-time Indianapolis 500 winning driver Bobby Unser (Colorado Springs), snowboarding Olympic medalist Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs), and two-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher Roy Halladay (Denver), who was elected posthumously to the Hall of Fame in 2019. The human history of Colorado extends back more than 13,000 years. It’s basically a two-block long pool by the Hotel Colorado. In 1983, it was the site of U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky. Interesting Facts about Denver. [15] 2. It’s illegal. Me too…until I discovered these 12 interesting tidbits of Colorado history that I never learned in school: DENVER – It’s a well-known fact that Colorado is one of the best states in the country! 14. 10 Most Fascinating Facts About Pueblo, Colorado. Trinidad, Colorado is known as the "Sex Change Capital of the World." Colorado once turned down an opportunity to host the Olympics. Denver is known for being the Mile High City. The dune is rising to a maximum height of 229 meters (750 feet) from the floor. 60. 37. 32. In fact, if you climb up the stairs of the state capital building in Denver, you will be exactly one mile above sea level when you reach the 13th step. Catch a ride on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway in Manitou Springs, which climbs 14,115 feet above seal level. Innsbruck, Austria ended up hosting the Winter Olympics in 1976. 44. 25 Interesting Facts About Denver, Colorado In the early part of 1858, no one living in the area that makes up the city of Denver today. The state is famous for its breathtaking landscape of mountains and picturesque nature-loving experiences. When considering interesting facts about Colorado and its history, the best place to start would be how it was founded. In Aspen, it is illegal to throw a snowball at a building or at someone else. The actual birthplace of the cheeseburger is debatable, but the trademark was awarded in 1935 to Louis Ballast, who owned the Humpty-Dumpty Barrel Drive-in Denver. 15 Cool Facts About Colorado. Fact 1 Colorado is often referred to as the “Centennial State”. Serious cinephiles and movie snobs look forward to the Aspen Filmfest every year, which has been an annual event since its inception in 1979. Sign up! In addition to the famous U2 performance, other artists that have recorded and released live material from the venue include Dave Matthews Band, Stevie Nicks, The Moody Blues, Widespread Panic, Steve Martin, Incubus, and, um, John Tesh. 4. 10 Fun Facts about Boulder, Colorado. That’s the official fish of the state. Colorado Food Facts. Mountains, plains, and desert are all gorgeously represented within the state. Colorado contains 75% of the land area of the U.S. with an altitude over 10,000 feet. Listed by Redfin Corporation MLS#8364102. Colorado has an official mammal, and it’s the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. The state’s lowest elevation is 1,011 meters (3,317 feet) at the point on the eastern boundary of Yuma County where the Arikaree River flows into the state of Kansas. Ever the handyman, he even made his own violin. The badass Stegosaurus was named the official Colorado state fossil in 1982. New 6 Minutes Ago House For Sale. 11. It is not only beautiful, but has also been useful for the development of the people living near it. Food for thought and candy for your brain! Want to get updates in your inbox whenever we post something new? The big-ass parking boot you get on your tire for not paying your parking tickets was invented in 1944 by a guy named Frank Marugg — who was actually a violinist who played with the Denver Symphony. Other musical acts with Colorado roots include Earth, Wind & Fire, The Apples in Stereo, Judy Collins, The String Cheese Incident, Christine Front Drive, and The Fray. Five years ago, we took the plunge and traveled with our family to Boulder, Colorado. More well-known actresses who have Colorado roots include five-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams (who was raised in Castle Rock), Supergirl star Melissa Benoist (who was born in Littleton), Elvira performer Cassandra Peterson (who is from Colorado Springs), comedian Kristen Schaal (born in Longmont), and Mary Jo Catlett (born in Denver), who does the voice of Mrs. Here are seven facts about the only state in history to turn down the Olympics.