Happy Colorado Day!

Colorado became a state on August 1, 1876. Because that year coincided with the country's 100th birthday, Colorado is known as the Centennial State. The state motto is 'Nil Sine Numine,' which means 'nothing without providence.' 


How about the term Rocky Mountain High? Well, Colorado has the highest mean altitude and the most (54) fourteeners (mountains with an elevation of at least14,000 feet) of any state. It is also home to the tallest sand dunes in America, located at Great Sand Dunes National Park--46,000 acres of 8,000 foot tall dunes.

Great Sand Dunes

Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in the country, crosses the Continental Divide at an elevation of 12,183 feet. The views are spectacular, but if you're a white-knuckle mountain driver, think about sitting this one out.

View from Trail Ridge Road

Official state...
Animal: Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
Bird: Lark Bunting
Flower: White and Lavender Columbine
Tree: Blue Spruce
Fossil: Stegosaurus
Gemstone: Aquamarine
Fish: Greenback Cutthroat Trout
Insect: Hairstreak Butterfly

Ruins at Mesa Verde

Colorado occupies 103,642 square miles of the United States. The population estimate for 2011 is 5,116,796, which averages to just over 49 people per square mile. (It's quite a bit higher than that in my neck of the woods.)


In 1893, A trip up Pikes Peak inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write the song America the Beautiful. Colorado is beautiful in every season, and despite this summer's fires, floods, and mudslides, she still looks pretty darn good at 136.