Capital: Denver
Population: 4,301,261
Governor: Bill Ritter (D, to January 2011)
Entered the Union: August 1, 1876
as the 38th state
Motto: Nil Sine Numine (Nothing Without Providence)
Nickname: The Centennial state
Flower: Rocky Mountain Columbine
Bird: Lark Bunting
Song: "Where the Columbines Grow"
Sports Teams: Colorado Rockies (Baseball); Denver Nuggets (Men's Basketball); Colorado Xplosion (Women's Basketball); Denver Broncos (Football); Colorado Avalanche (Hockey)
Origin of Name: From the Spanish word meaning "ruddy" or "red"
Major Industries: Tourism, Food Products, Printing and Publishing
Historical Sites: Anasazi Heritage Center, Molly Brown House, Buffalo Bill's Grave, Overland Trail Museum, Fort Garland/Pike's Stockade
Points of Interest: Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Dinosaur National Monument
Bordering States: Colorado borders Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
Source: State of Colorado
Population, 2006 estimate: 4,753,377
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 10.5%2
Population, 2000: 4,301,261
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 7.2%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 24.6%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 10.0%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 49.7%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 90.1%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 4.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006: (a) 1.1%
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 2.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): 0.1%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006 : 1.8%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 19.7%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 71.7%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 44.1%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 8.6%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 15.1%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 86.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 32.7%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 638,654
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 24.3
Housing units, 2006: 2,094,898
Homeownership rate, 2000: 67.3%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 25.7%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $166,600
Households, 2000: 1,658,238
Persons per household, 2000: 2.53
Median household income, 2004: $50,105
Per capita money income, 1999: $24,049
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 10.2%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 214,337
Private industries: 188,879
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 1,941
Crop and animal production (Farms): 1,705
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 236
Mining: 10,444
Oil and gas extraction: 7,247
Mining, except oil and gas: 1,461
Support activities for mining: 1,736
Utilities: 2,638
Construction: 13,644
Manufacturing: 14,393
Durable goods: 8,808
Wood product manufacturing: 334
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 912
Primary metal manufacturing: 412
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 1,198
Machinery manufacturing: 744
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 2,507
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 267
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 87
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 807
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 435
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 1,106
Nondurable goods: 5,585
Food product manufacturing: 2,294
Textile and textile product mills: 174
Apparel manufacturing: 143
Paper manufacturing: 209
Printing and related support activities: 716
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 474
Chemical manufacturing: 1,062
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 513
Wholesale trade: 11,674
Retail trade: 13,273
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 5,066
Air transportation: 983
Rail transportation: 581
Water transportation: 1
Truck transportation: 1,441
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 243
Pipeline transportation: 182
Other transportation and support activities: 1,214
Warehousing and storage: 420
Information: 18,164
Publishing including software: 4,867
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 196
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 11,986
Information and data processing services: 1,115
Finance and insurance: 12,851
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 5,835
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 2,095
Insurance carriers and related activities: 4,520
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 401
Real estate and rental and leasing: 28,081
Real estate: 26,190
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 1,891
Professional and technical services: 19,005
Legal services: 2,395
Computer systems design and related services: 4,190
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 12,420
Management of companies and enterprises: 3,354
Administrative and waste services: 6,804
Administrative and support services: 5,695
Waste management and remediation services: 1,108
Educational services: 1,330
Health care and social assistance: 12,347
Ambulatory health care services: 7,248
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 3,923
Social assistance: 1,177
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 2,623
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 960
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 1,663
Accommodation and food services: 6,256
Accommodation: 2,055
Food services and drinking places: 4,201
Other services, except government: 4,990
Government: 25,458
Federal civilian: 4,830
Federal military: 3,468
State and local: 17,160
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Longitude: 102° W to 109° W
Latitude: 37° N to 41° N
Length / Width: Colorado is 380 miles long and 280 miles wide.
Geographic Center: The geographic center of Colorado is located in Park County, 30 miles NW of Pike's Peak.
Borders: Colorado is bordered by Wyoming and Nebraska on the north. To the south is New Mexico and Oklahoma. In the east, Colorado is bordered by Nebraska and Kansas and to the west by Utah. The southwest corner of Colorado meets Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. This spot is known as Four Corners.
Total Area: Colorado covers 104,100 square miles, making it the 8th largest of the 50 states.
Land Area: 103,730 square miles of Colorado are land areas.
Water Area: Only 371 square miles of Colorado are covered by water.
Highest Point: The highest point in Colorado, and in the Rocky Mountains, is Mt. Elbert at 14,440 feet above sea level. Colorado is home to more mountains 14,000 feet or higher than any other state.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in Colorado is the Arkansas River at 3,315 feet above sea level.
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of Colorado is 6,800 feet above sea level. This is the highest mean altitude of any of the 50 states.
Major Rivers: Colorado River, Rio Grande, Arkansas River, South Platte River
Major Lakes: Grand Lake, Blue Mesa Reservoir, John Martin Reservoir
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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