Colorado is a state in the Rocky Mountains region of the United States of America. The highest peaks of the United States portion of the Rockies are here, as are the highest peaks of the "Basin and Range" province and a number of other natural marvels.

Regions

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There is no universally agreed-upon breakdown of regions in Colorado. You'll often see a very simple structure comprised of the Eastern Slope (meaning everything east of the crest of the Rockies), Western Slope (everything west of the range crest), and anomalous Denver. The breakdown below is a bit more complex, partly for reasons of style and partly because the simple east/west/Denver formulation lumps areas together that are really very disparate. It's also roughly what's used by the Colorado Department of Tourism.

Denver area - most populous part of the state, with the large city of Denver and suburbs

Eastern Plains (Colorado) - least populous part of the state, agricultural country

Front Range - follows the northern part of the Rockies, with such well-known attractions as Rocky Mountain National Park

Northwestern Colorado - spectacular canyon-and-mesa country reminiscent of neighboring Utah

South Central Colorado - high country in the southern part of the Rockies and also the San Juan Mountains, with a broad, pleasant valley between them

Southwestern Colorado - more canyon-and-mesa country best known for the archaeological wonders of Mesa Verde National Park

Cities

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Thornton

Aspen

Boulder

Colorado Springs

Denver (Metro)

Fort Collins

Golden

Loveland

Pueblo

Winter Park

Grand Junction

Gunnison

Leadville

Other destinations

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Buena Vista

Durango

Evergreen

Glenwood Springs

Salida (Colorado)

Estes Park

Paonia

Creede

Ski Resorts

Arapahoe Basin

Aspen

Beaver Creek

Breckenridge

Copper Mountain

Keystone

Silverton

Ski Loveland

SolVista

Steamboat Springs

Sunlight Mountain

Telluride

Vail

Winter Park

National Parks, Monuments, Etc

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Colorado National Monument

Curecanti National Recreation Area

Dinosaur National Monument

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Mesa Verde National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

Understand

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Geography
Colorado is split down the middle north to south by the Rocky Mountains. To the east is a region of high prairie, dry and wide open. To the west are rugged mountains arranged in various groups or ranges. (Interestingly, the largest single range in the state, the San Juan Mountains of the southwestern quarter, aren't technically part of the Rockies.) Meandering through the mountains is an imaginary line called the Continental Divide. This marks the flow of precipitation. Rain falling on the west of the Divide makes its way to the Pacific Ocean. Rain on the east makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. What may be surprising to visitors, however, is that, despite stereotypes, comparatively little of the state is actually mountainous. Perhaps a third of it is covered by hills or mountains, and even less is actually home to the soaring, jagged peaks for which the state is known.

Colorado has 54 mountain peaks above 14,000 ft of elevation. The highest peak, Mount Elbert, rises to 14,433 ft above sea level. Tourism is a major industry, with skiing, hiking/camping, hunting, and fishing as large sources of income for the state economy.

Colorado's population was 4,301,261 in the 2000 census, and the state's population is growing, particularly in the large towns along the Front Range where the prairie and mountains meet....