Where in the World is Colorado

Located in the west-central United States, Colorado boasts the highest average elevation of any state—averaging 6,800 feet above sea level—sharing her borders with Wyoming and Nebraska to the north, Kansas and Nebraska to the east, New Mexico and Oklahoma in the south and Utah to the west. Comprising 104,100 square miles of diverse topography—the eighth largest state in the U.S.—Colorado is home to 4.3 million people with a population density of 41 people per square mile, ranking the state 37th in terms of overall population density, although 45% of Coloradans live in the state’s ten largest cities along a 175-mile corridor in the Front Range, from Fort Collins in the north to Pueblo in the south.

Four Corners to Great Plains

The state also includes the Four Corners Region, which is the only place in the nation where four states meet at a singular point of land. While two-fifths of the state’s eastern region is part of the Great Plains of America, a relatively flat and treeless region extending from the Rocky Mountains eastward through Nebraska and Kansas, the Rocky Mountain region in the middle two-fifths of the state runs north too south, and while many people mistake the region as one continuous range, the Colorado Rockies are made up of five distinct mountain ranges, including the Front Range, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the San Juan Mountains and the Park and Sawatch Ranges. Straddling the Continental Divide, which separates rivers flowing to the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, Colorado boasts many of the highest peaks in the continental United States, including the state’s highest peak at Mount Elbert, rising 14,439 feet above sea level.

Strong Economy

Rich in natural resources such as coal, wind, solar, oil and an abundance of natural gas, Colorado leads the nation in the production of molybdenum concentrates, as well as a major producer of fire clay, gold and Grade-A helium. The state’s leading industries include agriculture, advanced manufacturing and technology, Aerospace, oil & gas, outdoor recreation, tourism and mining. Home to 28 ski resorts and hundreds of miles of varied terrain for all skill levels, in 2022, Colorado welcomed over 90 million visitors into the state’s cities, resorts and four national parks, making the state of Colorado, a scenic jewel in the west-central United States.