23 Beautiful Colorado Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published February 19, 2021

"Colorado" is Spanish for "colored red," referring to the reddish color of the Colorado River._[5]
Colorado has the highest elevation of any U.S. state._[5]
Colorado's nicknames include Centennial State, Highest State, and the Switzerland of America._[4]
Colorado is the only state in America to turn down the Olympics._[5]
The largest flat-topped mountain in the world is in Grand Mesa, Colorado._[1]

"Mesa" is Spanish for "table"

Katharine Lee Bates wrote the famous "America the Beautiful" after she was inspired by the beauty of Colorado's Pikes Peak._[5]
Loveland, Colorado, is known as "the sweetheart city." It re-mails hundreds of thousands of Valentine's Day letters every year, each affixed with a special Valentine's Day collector stamp._[6]
The Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado is the highest automobile tunnel in the United States, at an elevation of 11,013 feet at the East Portal and 11,158 feet at the West Portal. The tunnel crosses the Continental Divide at an average elevation of 11,112 feet._[4]

A crystal-clear Colorado sky opens above us, a blue so deep it makes you dizzy.

- Neil Hanson, Pilgrim Wheels

Colorado has over 75% of the land in the continental United States that is above 10,000 feet._[5]

Colorado's Frozen Dead Guy Days is a world-renown spectacle (Creative Commons / RickPawl)

Nederland, Colorado, celebrates “Frozen Dead Guy Days,” which commemorates a man who has been frozen cryogenically for decades._[5]
Dove Creek, Colorado, is the "Pinto Bean Capital of the World."_[3]
Coloradoan Frank Marugg invented the tire clamp in 1944._[4]
Mike the Headless Chicken Day celebrates a rooster that lived for 18 months without a head in Colorado._[5]
Each spring, Manitou Springs, Colorado, celebrates the Great Fruitcake Toss. They use GPS to ensure distance accuracy._[4]
Denver International is the second largest airport in the world; it is nearly twice the size of Manhattan._[4]
Doc Holliday suffered tuberclosis and sought treatment at Glenwood Springs, Colorado._[5]

Blue is the symbol of the sky; white represents snow; and yellow symbolizes Colorado's gold-mining history

It's illegal to pick Colorado’s state flower, the Colorado Blue Columbine, on public lands or without consent from a private land owner._[1]
Glenwood Springs, Colorado, is the world's largest natural hot springs pool._[1]
Boulder, Colorado, has more Master Sommeliers per capita than any other city in the United States._[5]
In 1908, Denver, Colorado, became the first place to issue license plates on cars._[4]
Colorado's famous Red Rocks Amphitheater took over 300 million years to form and is world-famous for its natural acoustics. Musicians such as the Beatles, Nat King Cole, U2, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, and John Denver have all performed there._[4]
It is illegal to throw a snowball at a person or a building in Aspen, Colorado._[5]
The highest ski lift in North America is at Colorado’s Breckenridge Ski Resort. It drops off skiers at 13,000 feet._[2]