Colorado Springs, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat
and most populous city of El Paso County
, Colorado
, United States
. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek
and is located 61 miles (98 km) south of the Colorado State Capitol
in Denver. At 6,035 feet (1839 m) the city stands over one mile (1.6 km) above sea level, though some areas of the city are significantly higher. Colorado Springs is situated near the base of one of the most famous American mountains, Pikes Peak
, in the eastern edge of the Southern Rocky Mountains
.
With a population of 416,427 as of the 2010 Census, it is the second most populous city in the state of Colorado, behind Denver, and the 41st most populous city in the United States, while the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area
had an estimated population of 645,613 in 2010. The city covers 186.1 square miles (482 km²), making it Colorado's largest city in area. Colorado Springs was selected as the No. 1 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money
magazine in 2006, and placed number one in Outside
s 2009 list of America's Best Cities.
William Jackson Palmer, a Civil War
General (brevet) and Medal of Honor
recipient, came to the Colorado Territory
as a surveyor with the Kansas Pacific Railroad. He explored the area south of Denver searching for possible railroad routes for the Kansas Pacific to strategically occupy. Palmer favorably viewed the valley in the shadow of Pikes Peak
as an ideal town site. Since he could not persuade the Kansas Pacific to follow the Arkansas River to Pueblo and from there north to Denver, Palmer secured legislation and funding to build the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad south from Denver with the declared intention of reaching Mexico City
, Mexico
. Palmer founded Colorado Springs on July 31, 1871, as the first destination served by his railroad. He had the intention of creating a high-quality resort community, and the infant town was soon nicknamed "Little London" because of the many English tourists and settlers who came, owing partly to Palmer's financial connections in England
who provided the capital for his railroad, and partly to his associate Dr. William Bell
who actively recruited both investors and settlers. The stunning mountain view from anywhere in the valley as well as the nearby Garden of the Gods
made the city's location a natural choice.
Within two years, his flagship resort the Antlers Hotel opened, welcoming US and international travelers as well as health-savvy individuals seeking the high altitude, sunshine, and dry climate, and Palmer's visions of a thriving, quality resort town were coming true. Palmer's Denver & Rio Grande Railroad became a critical regional railroad, faithfully serving the city and propelling the railroad south toward Pueblo. He maintained his presence in the city's early days by making many grants or sales of land to civic institutions. Palmer and his wife saw Colorado Springs develop into one of the most popular travel destinations in the late 19th century United States.
The town of Palmer Lake
, the Palmer Divide
, and other more minor features are named after him, and a bronze sculpture of Palmer on a horse is prominently displayed downtown in front of Palmer High School, at the center of a busy intersection. To many residents who lived in Colorado Springs in the years since, Palmer became known as "the man on the iron horse
", a fitting appellation because of his long association with the Rio Grande Railroad.
Colorado Springs' present downtown location, where General Palmer first founded the city, was partly due to Palmer's dislike of nearby rough-and-ready Colorado City (now called Old Colorado City
, and not to be confused with present-day Colorado City
) and its many saloons. Palmer ensured his new planned city stayed alcohol free by buying a huge tract of land to the east of Colorado City. Legally, Colorado Springs stayed dry until the end of Prohibition
in 1933, but practically, alcohol was readily available. Conveniently located druggists advertised whiskey, ale, stout and beer for "medicinal purposes."
In its earliest days of 1859–1860, Colorado City was a major hub for sending mining supplies to South Park
, where a major strike in the Pike's Peak Gold Rush was found. After the Cripple Creek
gold discovery in 1891, ore mills in Colorado City processed much of the gold ore at the Golden Cycle Mill using Palmer's railroads. The affluent, who made money from the gold rush and industry, did not stay in Colorado City but built their large houses in the undeveloped downtown area of Colorado Springs (i.e. Wood Ave). Early pictures show several large stone buildings like Colorado College
, St. Mary's Church, the first Antlers Hotel, the library, and the county courthouse (pictured at right) sitting in large empty plains. This is unique during this period, to anticipate a city's civic infrastructure in stone with wide streets laid out before there was a population to justify the expense.
Colorado City remained the county seat of El Paso County until 1873, when the courthouse moved to Colorado Springs. Colorado City was the location of a 1903 labor strike that spread to Cripple Creek
and eventually led to the Colorado Labor Wars
.
in the nearby Cripple Creek
and Victor
area, and was perhaps the most generous early contributor to those communities and to Colorado Springs.
After he made his fortune he declined to build a mansion as the other gold rush millionaires were doing; instead, in later years, he lived in a house in Colorado Springs he had built when he was a carpenter in pre-gold days.
In Colorado Springs, he funded the Myron Stratton Home for housing itinerant children and the elderly, donated land for City Hall, the Post Office, the Courthouse (which now houses the Pioneer Museum), and a park; he also greatly expanded the city's trolley car system and built the Mining Exchange building, and gave to all three communities in many other ways, great and small.
As Stratton's generosity became known, he was also approached by many people looking for money, and he became reclusive and eccentric in his later years.
also made his mark on Colorado Springs in its early years—though not until two decades after its founding. Penrose started as a ladies-man and an adventurer. After making a fortune in the gold fields of nearby Cripple Creek in the 1890s, he married Julie Villiers Lewis McMillan, and settled down.
Penrose used his wealth to invest in other national mineral concerns and financed construction of the Broadmoor Hotel
, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
, the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
, the Pikes Peak Highway, what is now known as Penrose-St Francis Health Services, and established the El Pomar Foundation, which still oversees many of his contributions in Colorado Springs today.
patients. The healthy waters in Colorado Springs contained so much natural fluoride
that some peoples’ teeth developed Colorado Stain
. In 1909, Dr. Frederick McKay of Colorado Springs discovered the Colorado Stain connection and that a little fluoride added to water would prevent cavities
, according to the permanent health exhibit at the Pioneers Museum. On June 14, 1950 Colorado Springs annexed Roswell which was founded in 1888 by coal miners and became a neighborhood. Other locations such as Austin Bluffs, Broadmoor, Woodman Valley, Pikeview, Papeton, Knob Hill, Ivywild, Stratton Meadows, Stratmoor, Elsmare, Cimarron Hills, Kelker, Stratmoor Hills, La Foret, Skinners,
and Colorado City (now called Old Colorado City
) became part of Colorado Springs. Old Colorado City is located on the west side of Colorado Springs and is a historic district
and on the National Register of Historic Places
. Its old Victorian
brick buildings and main street currently offer several tourist, boutique, and antique shops.
and used as a training base for heavy bombers (the airport and base still share parts of the flightline). Camp Hale was also established in 1942 in west-central Colorado to provide winter and mountain warfare training during World War II (WWII) for training in skiing, rock climbing, and cold weather survival skills. The armed ski corps in the US was based on the Ski warfare tactics of the Finnish army during the Winter War. Military units based in Camp Hale included the 10th Mountain Division (Actual birth place, not Ft Drum NY its current location), the 38th Regimental Combat Team, 99th Infantry Battalion, The Woman's Axillary Army Corp (WAAC), and soldiers from Fort Carson conducting mountain and winter warfare training exercises. Camp Hale held "about 400 of the most incorrigible members of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Corps" and later the camp was used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to secrety train Tibetan Freedom Fighters resisting the Chinese takeover of Tibet in the 1950s and 60s. In July 1965, Camp Hale was deactivated and control of the lands returned to the Forest Service in 1966. Whats left of the camp lay in ruins, foundations of bygone barracks laying strewn about, and its history, not washed away by the hands of time, holds onto its proof of existence with weatherproof metal signs dedicated in its remeberance dotting the side of the 10th Mountain Division Memorial Highway (US Highway 24) near the famous Climax Mine and Leadville, Colorado the Highest incorporated city in the US. The landscape is still breathtaking and many Ski Troopers returned and founded the nations Ski Industry in the 50's and 60's. As for Camp Carson, the Army expanded it in
a venture that increased growth in Colorado Springs and provided a significant area of industry for the city. Camp Carson was named for the Army scout General Christopher "Kit" Carson, who explored the vast western frontier during the 19th century. After World War II the military stepped away from the Springs, Camp Carson was declining and the military was activating and deactivating Peterson Field irregularly. That all changed when the Korean War
erupted. Camp Carson, which had declined to only 600 soldiers, was revitalized along with many other parts of the Springs. In 1951, the United States Air Defense Command moved to Colorado Springs and opened Ent Air Force Base
(named for Major General Uzal Girard Ent
, commander of the Ninth Air Force
during World War II).
After the Korean War, Peterson Field was renamed Peterson Air Force Base and was permanently activated. In 1954 Camp Carson became Fort Carson, Colorado Springs' first Army post
. Later that same year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
selected Colorado Springs, out of 300 other sites around the nation, to be the site of the United States Air Force Academy
. A new and growing Army post, an Air Force Base, and the Air Force's military academy together jump-started Colorado Springs' growth.
The military boom continued and in 1963, NORAD's main facility was built in Cheyenne Mountain
. This placed NORAD directly next to Colorado Springs and permanently secured the city's military presence. During the Cold War the city greatly expanded due to increased revenue from various industries and the prevailing military presence in the city. In the mid 1970s, Ent Air Force Base was shut down and later converted into the United States Olympic Training Center
. Military presence was further increased in 1983 with the founding of Falcon Air Force Base
(later changed to Schriever Air Force Base), a base primarily tasked with missile defense and satellite control. Fort Carson and Peterson are still growing and continue to contribute to the city's growth. Air Force Space Command
is located on Peterson AFB.
, the city has a total area of 186.1 square miles (482.1 km²), of which 185.7 square miles (481.1 km²) is land and 0.4 square mile (1.0 km²) (0.21%) is water.
, which includes rain and snow. Snowfall rarely occurs outside the months between October and May with an average snowfall of 42.7 inches (108 cm). Due to unusually low precipitation for several years after flooding in 1999, Colorado Springs enacted lawn water restrictions in 2002. These were lifted in 2005.
January averages 28.1 °F (-2.2 °C), yet the city has relatively mild winters, with large snow accumulations in the downtown area relatively rare, a strong warming sun due to the elevation, and only occasional episodic periods of sub-zero cold snaps and blizzards from October 31 to March/April. Snow often melts very quickly in arid climates as well, which makes the winters mild. Summers are typically very warm with occasional heat waves and generally arid with episodic heavy rainfalls and large hail, with a July average of 69.6 °F (20.9 °C) and highs reaching 90 °F (32 °C) on 16 days per annum. The normal high temperatures during the day are in the mid-80s into the low 90s, with cooler days in the low 80s and upper 70s. Also very hot days can reach the mid to upper 90s relatively often. The summers in Colorado Springs are generally hot and dry, but afternoon thunderstorms are common especially in July and August when the city receives the majority of its annual rainfall.
Colorado Springs is just east of the Southern Rocky Mountains
, which protects the city from extreme weather. The city is made up of the mountains to the west, the mountain divide to the north, high plains further east, and desert land to the south once you leave Fountain
and approach Pueblo
.
The winters in Colorado Springs are normal to mild usually, with winter snow storms occurring, but the snow often melts by the mid-to-late afternoon. The usual high temperatures in the winter are in the mid to upper 40s, with the lows in the mid to upper teens. Winter days into the 50s and 60s are relatively common as well. However, the mountains just west of the city can receive very large amounts of snow.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Colorado Springs was 101 °F (38 °C) on June 7, 1874, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was -32 F on January 20, 1883. Although the coldest average monthly high temperature of the year in Colorado Springs has historically been January, in recent years December has had a colder average monthly high temperature.
Colorado Springs is also one of the most active lightning strike areas in the United States. This natural phenomenon led Nikola Tesla
to select Colorado Springs as the preferred location to build his lab and study electricity.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and most populous city of El Paso County
El Paso County, Colorado
El Paso County is the most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States, now more populous than Denver County. The United States Census Bureau concluded that the county population was 622,371 in 2010. In recent years, the population had come closer to that of Denver...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek
Fountain Creek
Fountain Creek is a stream in El Paso and Pueblo counties, in Colorado in the United States.-Geography:From its source near the city of Woodland Park north of Pikes Peak, the creek flows southeast through the communities of Green Mountain Falls and Chipita Park to the town of Cascade. It...
and is located 61 miles (98 km) south of the Colorado State Capitol
Colorado State Capitol
The Colorado State Capitol Building, located at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado, is the home of the Colorado General Assembly and the offices of the Governor of Colorado and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado. The building is intentionally reminiscent of the United States Capitol. Designed...
in Denver. At 6,035 feet (1839 m) the city stands over one mile (1.6 km) above sea level, though some areas of the city are significantly higher. Colorado Springs is situated near the base of one of the most famous American mountains, Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County in the United States of America....
, in the eastern edge of the Southern Rocky Mountains
Southern Rocky Mountains
The Southern Rocky Mountains are a major subregion of the Rocky Mountains of North America located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming, the central and western portions of Colorado, the northern portion of New Mexico, and extreme eastern portions of Utah...
.
With a population of 416,427 as of the 2010 Census, it is the second most populous city in the state of Colorado, behind Denver, and the 41st most populous city in the United States, while the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area
Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area
The Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area located in the Colorado Springs region of the State of Colorado. The Census Bureau estimates that the population was 647,758 in 2010, a 20.48% increase since 2000. The...
had an estimated population of 645,613 in 2010. The city covers 186.1 square miles (482 km²), making it Colorado's largest city in area. Colorado Springs was selected as the No. 1 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money
Money (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...
magazine in 2006, and placed number one in Outside
Outside (magazine)
Outside is an American magazine focused on the outdoors. The first issue debuted in September 1977 with its mission statement declaring that the publication was "dedicated to covering the people, sports and activities, politics, art, literature, and hardware of the outdoors..."Its founders were...
s 2009 list of America's Best Cities.
General Palmer, city founder
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
General (brevet) and Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient, came to the Colorado Territory
Colorado Territory
The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado....
as a surveyor with the Kansas Pacific Railroad. He explored the area south of Denver searching for possible railroad routes for the Kansas Pacific to strategically occupy. Palmer favorably viewed the valley in the shadow of Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County in the United States of America....
as an ideal town site. Since he could not persuade the Kansas Pacific to follow the Arkansas River to Pueblo and from there north to Denver, Palmer secured legislation and funding to build the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad south from Denver with the declared intention of reaching Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Palmer founded Colorado Springs on July 31, 1871, as the first destination served by his railroad. He had the intention of creating a high-quality resort community, and the infant town was soon nicknamed "Little London" because of the many English tourists and settlers who came, owing partly to Palmer's financial connections in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
who provided the capital for his railroad, and partly to his associate Dr. William Bell
William Bell (city founder)
Dr. William Bell was a physician and the founder of Manitou Springs, Colorado.In 1867, Bell left London for Saint Louis, Missouri to Saratoga Springs, New York to attend a series of lectures on the medical principles of homeopathy...
who actively recruited both investors and settlers. The stunning mountain view from anywhere in the valley as well as the nearby Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods is a public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.-Genesis of the park:Entrance to the park is free according to the wish of Charles Elliott Perkins, whose children donated the land to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909....
made the city's location a natural choice.
Within two years, his flagship resort the Antlers Hotel opened, welcoming US and international travelers as well as health-savvy individuals seeking the high altitude, sunshine, and dry climate, and Palmer's visions of a thriving, quality resort town were coming true. Palmer's Denver & Rio Grande Railroad became a critical regional railroad, faithfully serving the city and propelling the railroad south toward Pueblo. He maintained his presence in the city's early days by making many grants or sales of land to civic institutions. Palmer and his wife saw Colorado Springs develop into one of the most popular travel destinations in the late 19th century United States.
The town of Palmer Lake
Palmer Lake, Colorado
Palmer Lake is a Statutory Town in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,179 at the 2000 census. Palmer Lake was founded by General William Jackson Palmer in 1871. The town was soon incorporated in 1889....
, the Palmer Divide
Palmer Divide
The Palmer Divide is a ridge in central Colorado that separates the Arkansas River basin from the Missouri River basin. It extends from the Front Range of the Rockies in central Colorado, eastward toward the town of Limon....
, and other more minor features are named after him, and a bronze sculpture of Palmer on a horse is prominently displayed downtown in front of Palmer High School, at the center of a busy intersection. To many residents who lived in Colorado Springs in the years since, Palmer became known as "the man on the iron horse
Iron horse
An Iron horse is an iconic literary term originating in the early Victorian culture when horses still powered most machinery, excepting windmills and stationary steam engines, the term was common and popular in both British and North American literary articles.Iron Horse was used admiringly when...
", a fitting appellation because of his long association with the Rio Grande Railroad.
Old Colorado City and the Pikes Peak Gold Rush
Old Colorado City
Old Colorado City, formerly Colorado City, is a national historic district in the city of Colorado Springs. Its approximate boundaries are U.S...
, and not to be confused with present-day Colorado City
Colorado City, Colorado
Colorado City is a census-designated place in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Pueblo Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,193 at the 2010 census...
) and its many saloons. Palmer ensured his new planned city stayed alcohol free by buying a huge tract of land to the east of Colorado City. Legally, Colorado Springs stayed dry until the end of Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
in 1933, but practically, alcohol was readily available. Conveniently located druggists advertised whiskey, ale, stout and beer for "medicinal purposes."
In its earliest days of 1859–1860, Colorado City was a major hub for sending mining supplies to South Park
South Park (Colorado basin)
South Park is a high intermontane grassland basin, approximately 10,000 ft in elevation, in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. It encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles around the headwaters of the South Platte River in Park County approximately 60 mi southwest of Denver...
, where a major strike in the Pike's Peak Gold Rush was found. After the Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek, Colorado
The City of Cripple Creek is a Statutory City that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic...
gold discovery in 1891, ore mills in Colorado City processed much of the gold ore at the Golden Cycle Mill using Palmer's railroads. The affluent, who made money from the gold rush and industry, did not stay in Colorado City but built their large houses in the undeveloped downtown area of Colorado Springs (i.e. Wood Ave). Early pictures show several large stone buildings like Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
, St. Mary's Church, the first Antlers Hotel, the library, and the county courthouse (pictured at right) sitting in large empty plains. This is unique during this period, to anticipate a city's civic infrastructure in stone with wide streets laid out before there was a population to justify the expense.
Colorado City remained the county seat of El Paso County until 1873, when the courthouse moved to Colorado Springs. Colorado City was the location of a 1903 labor strike that spread to Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek, Colorado
The City of Cripple Creek is a Statutory City that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic...
and eventually led to the Colorado Labor Wars
Colorado Labor Wars
Colorado's most significant battles between labor and capital occurred primarily between miners and mine operators. In these battles the state government, with one clear exception, always took the side of the mine operators....
.
W. S. Stratton, early benefactor
In 1891, Winfield Scott Stratton discovered and developed one of the richest gold mines on earthStratton's Independence Mine and Mill
Stratton's Independence Mine and Mill is a historic mining site near Victor, Colorado on the south slope of Battle Mountain.-Production output:...
in the nearby Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek, Colorado
The City of Cripple Creek is a Statutory City that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic...
and Victor
Victor, Colorado
Victor is a Statutory City in Teller County, Colorado, United States. The population was 445 at the 2000 census.Victor is in the heart of Colorado's gold country, home to two of the major gold mines in the Cripple Creek mining district...
area, and was perhaps the most generous early contributor to those communities and to Colorado Springs.
After he made his fortune he declined to build a mansion as the other gold rush millionaires were doing; instead, in later years, he lived in a house in Colorado Springs he had built when he was a carpenter in pre-gold days.
As Stratton's generosity became known, he was also approached by many people looking for money, and he became reclusive and eccentric in his later years.
Spencer Penrose, early benefactor
Spencer PenroseSpencer Penrose
Spencer Penrose was a philanthropist in and around Colorado Springs at the turn of the 20th century. He was born into a prominent Philadelphia family of Cornish descent and was brother to Boies Penrose and Richard Penrose...
also made his mark on Colorado Springs in its early years—though not until two decades after its founding. Penrose started as a ladies-man and an adventurer. After making a fortune in the gold fields of nearby Cripple Creek in the 1890s, he married Julie Villiers Lewis McMillan, and settled down.
Penrose used his wealth to invest in other national mineral concerns and financed construction of the Broadmoor Hotel
Broadmoor Hotel
The Broadmoor is a 5-star/5-diamond luxury hotel and resort, located in southwestern Colorado Springs, Colorado. Built in the early 20th century as the "Grand Dame of the Rockies", it was one of the finest resort destinations along the Rocky Mountains during the age of railroads. It continues to be...
, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a mountainside zoo, located southwest of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado on Cheyenne Mountain in the United States at an elevation of above sea level. The Zoo sits on out of a footprint. It is located west of the Broadmoor Hotel Resort along the slopes of Cheyenne...
, the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun
Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, also known as Will Rogers Shrine or 5EP2175, is the tomb which holds the ashes of Spencer Penrose , a philanthropist who contributed many of the most prominent landmarks in Colorado Springs, including the neighboring Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Broadmoor Hotel...
, the Pikes Peak Highway, what is now known as Penrose-St Francis Health Services, and established the El Pomar Foundation, which still oversees many of his contributions in Colorado Springs today.
End of the Colorado Gold Rush and the start of health tourism
The flow of gold and silver ebbed as the decades passed, and Colorado City's economic fortunes faded with it; the miners and those who processed the ore left or retired. Because of the healthy natural scenic beauty, mineral waters, and extremely dry climate, Colorado Springs became a tourist attraction and popular recuperation destination for tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
patients. The healthy waters in Colorado Springs contained so much natural fluoride
Fluoride
Fluoride is the anion F−, the reduced form of fluorine when as an ion and when bonded to another element. Both organofluorine compounds and inorganic fluorine containing compounds are called fluorides. Fluoride, like other halides, is a monovalent ion . Its compounds often have properties that are...
that some peoples’ teeth developed Colorado Stain
Dental fluorosis
Dental fluorosis is a developmental disturbance of dental enamel caused by excessive exposure to high concentrations of fluoride during tooth development. The risk of fluoride overexposure occurs between the ages of 3 months and 8 years. In its mild forms , fluorosis often appears as unnoticeable,...
. In 1909, Dr. Frederick McKay of Colorado Springs discovered the Colorado Stain connection and that a little fluoride added to water would prevent cavities
Dental caries
Dental caries, also known as tooth decay or a cavity, is an irreversible infection usually bacterial in origin that causes demineralization of the hard tissues and destruction of the organic matter of the tooth, usually by production of acid by hydrolysis of the food debris accumulated on the...
, according to the permanent health exhibit at the Pioneers Museum. On June 14, 1950 Colorado Springs annexed Roswell which was founded in 1888 by coal miners and became a neighborhood. Other locations such as Austin Bluffs, Broadmoor, Woodman Valley, Pikeview, Papeton, Knob Hill, Ivywild, Stratton Meadows, Stratmoor, Elsmare, Cimarron Hills, Kelker, Stratmoor Hills, La Foret, Skinners,
and Colorado City (now called Old Colorado City
Old Colorado City
Old Colorado City, formerly Colorado City, is a national historic district in the city of Colorado Springs. Its approximate boundaries are U.S...
) became part of Colorado Springs. Old Colorado City is located on the west side of Colorado Springs and is a historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
and on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Its old Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
brick buildings and main street currently offer several tourist, boutique, and antique shops.
Latter 20th century military boom
Colorado Springs saw its first military bases in 1942 shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked. For several years the city had been trying to attract a military installation to boost its flagging economy. In 1941, the city purchased 25000 acres (101.2 km²) of what is now Fort Carson to try to lure a prospective Army installation. The U.S. Army established Camp Carson near the southern borders of the city in order to train and house troops in preparation for World War II. It was also during this time that the Army began using Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. It was renamed Peterson FieldPeterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located at Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States and it provides runways for the adjacent City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport under a shared joint civil-military airport arrangement...
and used as a training base for heavy bombers (the airport and base still share parts of the flightline). Camp Hale was also established in 1942 in west-central Colorado to provide winter and mountain warfare training during World War II (WWII) for training in skiing, rock climbing, and cold weather survival skills. The armed ski corps in the US was based on the Ski warfare tactics of the Finnish army during the Winter War. Military units based in Camp Hale included the 10th Mountain Division (Actual birth place, not Ft Drum NY its current location), the 38th Regimental Combat Team, 99th Infantry Battalion, The Woman's Axillary Army Corp (WAAC), and soldiers from Fort Carson conducting mountain and winter warfare training exercises. Camp Hale held "about 400 of the most incorrigible members of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Corps" and later the camp was used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to secrety train Tibetan Freedom Fighters resisting the Chinese takeover of Tibet in the 1950s and 60s. In July 1965, Camp Hale was deactivated and control of the lands returned to the Forest Service in 1966. Whats left of the camp lay in ruins, foundations of bygone barracks laying strewn about, and its history, not washed away by the hands of time, holds onto its proof of existence with weatherproof metal signs dedicated in its remeberance dotting the side of the 10th Mountain Division Memorial Highway (US Highway 24) near the famous Climax Mine and Leadville, Colorado the Highest incorporated city in the US. The landscape is still breathtaking and many Ski Troopers returned and founded the nations Ski Industry in the 50's and 60's. As for Camp Carson, the Army expanded it in
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
erupted. Camp Carson, which had declined to only 600 soldiers, was revitalized along with many other parts of the Springs. In 1951, the United States Air Defense Command moved to Colorado Springs and opened Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base
Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force facility opened in 1951 on the site of a closed sanatorium in conjunction with the move of the United States Air Force's Air Defense Command, later Aerospace Defense Command , to Colorado Springs, Colorado...
(named for Major General Uzal Girard Ent
Uzal Girard Ent
Uzal Girard Ent was an American Army Air Force officer who served as the commander of the Ninth and the Second Air Forces during World War II.-Biography:Ent was born on March 3, 1900, in Northumberland, Pennsylvania...
, commander of the Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
during World War II).
After the Korean War, Peterson Field was renamed Peterson Air Force Base and was permanently activated. In 1954 Camp Carson became Fort Carson, Colorado Springs' first Army post
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
. Later that same year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
selected Colorado Springs, out of 300 other sites around the nation, to be the site of the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
. A new and growing Army post, an Air Force Base, and the Air Force's military academy together jump-started Colorado Springs' growth.
The military boom continued and in 1963, NORAD's main facility was built in Cheyenne Mountain
Cheyenne Mountain
Cheyenne Mountain is a mountain located just outside the southwest side of Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., and is home to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and its Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, formerly known as the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center .Throughout the Cold War and...
. This placed NORAD directly next to Colorado Springs and permanently secured the city's military presence. During the Cold War the city greatly expanded due to increased revenue from various industries and the prevailing military presence in the city. In the mid 1970s, Ent Air Force Base was shut down and later converted into the United States Olympic Training Center
United States Olympic Training Center
The United States Olympic Training Centers are three campuses created by the United States Olympic Committee as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Lake Placid, New York; and Chula Vista, California. There is a U.S. Olympic...
. Military presence was further increased in 1983 with the founding of Falcon Air Force Base
Schriever Air Force Base
Schriever Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located approximately 10 miles east of Peterson AFB near Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States.-Overview:...
(later changed to Schriever Air Force Base), a base primarily tasked with missile defense and satellite control. Fort Carson and Peterson are still growing and continue to contribute to the city's growth. Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
is located on Peterson AFB.
Geography
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 186.1 square miles (482.1 km²), of which 185.7 square miles (481.1 km²) is land and 0.4 square mile (1.0 km²) (0.21%) is water.
Climate
Colorado Springs features a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The city receives approximately 16.2 inches (41 cm) of annual precipitationPrecipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
, which includes rain and snow. Snowfall rarely occurs outside the months between October and May with an average snowfall of 42.7 inches (108 cm). Due to unusually low precipitation for several years after flooding in 1999, Colorado Springs enacted lawn water restrictions in 2002. These were lifted in 2005.
January averages 28.1 °F (-2.2 °C), yet the city has relatively mild winters, with large snow accumulations in the downtown area relatively rare, a strong warming sun due to the elevation, and only occasional episodic periods of sub-zero cold snaps and blizzards from October 31 to March/April. Snow often melts very quickly in arid climates as well, which makes the winters mild. Summers are typically very warm with occasional heat waves and generally arid with episodic heavy rainfalls and large hail, with a July average of 69.6 °F (20.9 °C) and highs reaching 90 °F (32 °C) on 16 days per annum. The normal high temperatures during the day are in the mid-80s into the low 90s, with cooler days in the low 80s and upper 70s. Also very hot days can reach the mid to upper 90s relatively often. The summers in Colorado Springs are generally hot and dry, but afternoon thunderstorms are common especially in July and August when the city receives the majority of its annual rainfall.
Colorado Springs is just east of the Southern Rocky Mountains
Southern Rocky Mountains
The Southern Rocky Mountains are a major subregion of the Rocky Mountains of North America located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming, the central and western portions of Colorado, the northern portion of New Mexico, and extreme eastern portions of Utah...
, which protects the city from extreme weather. The city is made up of the mountains to the west, the mountain divide to the north, high plains further east, and desert land to the south once you leave Fountain
Fountain, Colorado
The city of Fountain is a Home Rule Municipality located in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Fountain is located just ten miles south of Colorado Springs and just east of Fort Carson. Fountain and the Colorado Springs suburbs Security and Widefield make up the "Fountain Valley" community....
and approach Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
.
The winters in Colorado Springs are normal to mild usually, with winter snow storms occurring, but the snow often melts by the mid-to-late afternoon. The usual high temperatures in the winter are in the mid to upper 40s, with the lows in the mid to upper teens. Winter days into the 50s and 60s are relatively common as well. However, the mountains just west of the city can receive very large amounts of snow.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Colorado Springs was 101 °F (38 °C) on June 7, 1874, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was -32 F on January 20, 1883. Although the coldest average monthly high temperature of the year in Colorado Springs has historically been January, in recent years December has had a colder average monthly high temperature.
Colorado Springs is also one of the most active lightning strike areas in the United States. This natural phenomenon led Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
to select Colorado Springs as the preferred location to build his lab and study electricity.
Demographics
As of the April 2010 census, the population of Colorado Springs was 416,427 (47th most populous U.S. city), and the estimated population of the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical AreaColorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area
The Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area located in the Colorado Springs region of the State of Colorado. The Census Bureau estimates that the population was 647,758 in 2010, a 20.48% increase since 2000. The...
was 617,714 in 2008 (84th most populous MSA
United States metropolitan area
In the United States a metropolitan statistical area is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are not legally incorporated as a city or town would be, nor are they legal administrative divisions like...
), and the population of the Front Range Urban Corridor
Front Range Urban Corridor
The Front Range Urban Corridor is an oblong region of urban population located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. The corridor derives its name from the Front Range, the mountain range that defines the west central boundary of the...
in Colorado was an estimated 4,166,855.
April 2010 census:
- WhiteNon-Hispanic WhitesNon-Hispanic Whites or White, Not Hispanic or Latino are people in the United States, as defined by the Census Bureau, who are of the White race and are not of Hispanic or Latino origin/ethnicity. Hence the designation is exclusive in the sense that it defines who is not included as opposed to who is...
: 70.7% - Black or African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
: 6.3% - Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
: 0.5% - AsianAsian AmericanAsian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
: 3.0% - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific IslanderPacific Islander AmericanPacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...
: 0.2% - Some other race: 5.2%
- Two or more racesMultiracial AmericanMultiracial Americans, US residents who identify themselves as of "two or more races", were numbered at around 9 million, or 2.9% of the population, in the census of 2010. However there is considerable evidence that the real number is far higher. Prior to the mid-20th century many people hid their...
: 4.6% - Hispanic or LatinoHispanic and Latino AmericansHispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
(of any race): 16.1%; Mexican AmericanMexican AmericanMexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
s made up 14.5% of the city's population.
Source:
As of the census of 2000 (limited only to the city limits and not including the very diverse Fort Carson area which many view as being a part of the Colorado Springs metropolitan area), there were 360,890 people, 141,516 households, and 93,117 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,942.9 people per square mile (750.2/km²). There were 148,690 housing units at an average density of 800.5 per square mile (309.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.66% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 6.56% African American, 0.88% Native American, 2.82% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 5.01% from other races, and 3.85% from two or more races. 12.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 141,516 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.(Note: City statistics do not include the demographic influence of five local military bases).
The median income for a household in the city was $45,081, and the median income for a family was $53,478. Males had a median income of $36,786 versus $26,427 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,496. About 6.1% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Current issues
In order to combat the nearly $38 million budget shortfall projected in 2010 caused by current economic conditions resulting in decreased sales taxes, a proposal to increase property taxes by $10 million over five years was approved for the November 2009 ballot by the city council on August 25, 2009. Issue 2C was voted down on November 3, 2009. An attempt to reform the city's Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) was considered but not put on the ballot. As a result the city reduced fire and police jobs, stopped paving roads, eliminated evening and weekend bus service, reduced public trash control, turned off city street lights, and asked residents to mow the grass in their neighborhood parks.Economy
Colorado Springs' economy is driven primarily by the military, the high-tech industry, and tourism, in that order. The city is currently experiencing some growth mainly in the service sectors.Defense industry
The defense industry plays a major role in the Colorado Springs economy, with some of the city's largest employers coming from the sector. A large segment of this industry is dedicated to the development and operation of various projects for missile defense. With its close ties to defense, the aerospace industry has also influenced the Colorado Springs economy. Although some defense corporations have left or downsized city campuses, a slight growth trend is still recorded.Significant defense corporations in the city include Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, General Dynamics
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
, Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation is a Florida-based international communications equipment company that produces wireless equipment, electronic systems, and both terrestrial and spaceborne antennas for use in the government, defense, and commercial sectors. It is also the largest private-sector employer in...
, SAIC, ITT
ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
, L-3 Communications
L-3 Communications
L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. is a company that supplies command and control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and products, avionics, ocean products, training devices and services, instrumentation, space, and navigation products. Its customers include...
, Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, and Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
.
High-tech industry
A large percentage of Colorado Springs' economy is still based on manufacturing high techHigh tech
High tech is technology that is at the cutting edge: the most advanced technology currently available. It is often used in reference to micro-electronics, rather than other technologies. The adjective form is hyphenated: high-tech or high-technology...
and complex electronic equipment. The high tech sector in the Colorado Springs area has decreased its overall presence over the past six years (from around 21,000 down to around 8,000), with notable reductions in information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and complex electronic equipment. Due to a slowing in tourism, the high tech sector still remains second to the military in terms of total revenue generated and employment. Current trends project the high tech employment ratio will continue to decrease in the near future.
High tech corporations with connections to the city include:
- Verizon BusinessVerizon BusinessVerizon Business is one of three operating units of Verizon Communications It was created in 2006 when Verizon Communications closed on its merger with MCI, Inc..Verizon Business has over 30,000 employees with 321 offices in 75 countries...
– Software development – Formerly WorldCom and MCIMCI Inc.MCI, Inc. is an American telecommunications subsidiary of Verizon Communications that is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia...
, has a fairly large engineering presence. At its peak during the mid-to-late 1990s, with over 5,000 employees and currently has nearly 1300 employees in 2008. - Hewlett-PackardHewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
– Computing – large sales, support, and SANStorage area networkA storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...
storage engineering center. The location was built by Digital Equipment CorporationDigital Equipment CorporationDigital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
, renamed CompaqCompaqCompaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
in the 1998 acquisition of Digital, and finally renamed Hewlett-Packard after the 2002 merger. Nearly 1000 positions will be transferred out of the Springs - SNIAStorage Networking Industry AssociationAn association of producers and consumers of storage networking products, whose goal is to further storage networking technology and applications.The Storage Networking Industry Association, or SNIA, was incorporated in December, 1997, and is a registered 501 non-profit trade association...
– Computing – home of the SNIA Technology Center - Agilent – Test and Measurement Manufacturing – In 1999, Agilent was spun off from HPHewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
as an independent, publicly traded company. - Intel– 2009 idled with 250 employees, down from 1000 employees in 2007 2011, facility now used for the centralized unemployment and social services complex.
- LSI CorporationLSI CorporationLSI Corporation is an electronics company based in Milpitas, California that designs semiconductors and software that accelerate storage and networking in datacenters and mobile networks.-History:...
– Designs semiconductors and software that accelerate storage and networking in datacenters and mobile networks. - AtmelAtmelAtmel Corporation is a manufacturer of semiconductors, founded in 1984. Its focus is on system-level solutions built around flash microcontrollers...
– Chip fabrication. Formerly HoneywellHoneywellHoneywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
. Recently laid off 245 workers. - Cypress SemiconductorCypress SemiconductorCypress Semiconductor Corporation is a Silicon Valley-based semiconductor design and manufacturing company founded by T. J. Rodgers and others from Advanced Micro Devices. It was formed in 1982 with backing by Sevin Rosen and went public in 1986. The company initially focused on the design and...
Colorado Design Center – Chip fabrication R&D site - Sanmina-SCI Closing facility around December 2007 to January 2008 (800 jobs).
- Apple Inc. Facility sold to Sanmina-SCI in 1996.
Top employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | Percentage of County Employment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Carson | 10.18% |
| 2 | Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located at Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States and it provides runways for the adjacent City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport under a shared joint civil-military airport arrangement... |
4.95% |
| 3 | United States Air Force Academy United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States... |
2.77% |
| 4 | Schriever Air Force Base Schriever Air Force Base Schriever Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located approximately 10 miles east of Peterson AFB near Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States.-Overview:... |
2.55% |
| 5 | Memorial Health System | 1.99% |
| 6 | Colorado Springs School District 11 Colorado Springs School District 11 The Colorado Springs School District 11 is the central school district of Colorado Springs, Colorado.- History :The first school in Colorado Springs was organized by Mary Mellen "Queen" Palmer, wife of city founder William Jackson Palmer, in late 1871. Classes were first held in a home on the... |
1.65% |
| 7 | Penrose-St. Francis Health Services | 1.25% |
| 8 | Academy School District 20 Academy School District 20 Academy School District 20 is the northern school district of Colorado Springs, Colorado.-Elementary:*Academy Endeavour Elementary*Academy International Elementary*Antelope Trails Elementary*Chinook Trail Elementary*Discovery Canyon Campus... |
1.12% |
| 9 | City of Colorado Springs | 0.98% |
| 10 | The Broadmoor | 0.85% |
Military Installations
The United States Military plays a very important role in the city. Colorado Springs is home to both ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
bases. All these military installations border the city, to the north, south and east, excluding Schriever Air Force Base, which is located east of the city in El Paso County.
Fort Carson
Fort Carson is the city's largest military base, and until mid-2006 was home to the 3d Armored Cavalry RegimentU.S. 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment
The 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood, TX.The Regiment has a history in the United States Army that dates back to 19 May 1845, when it was Constituted in the Regular Army as the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen at Jefferson Barracks,...
, which relocated to Fort Hood, Texas. As of 2009, Fort Carson is the home station of the 4th Infantry Division
U.S. 4th Infantry Division
The 4th Infantry Division is a modular division of the United States Army based at Fort Carson, Colorado, with four brigade combat teams. It is a very technically advanced combat division in the U.S. Army....
, which nearly doubles the base's population. Fort Carson is host to various training grounds for infantry, armor, and aviation units (specifically the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior). Fort Carson is also the headquarters of the second and third battalions of the 10th Special Forces Group.
Peterson Air Force Base
National Missile Defense
National missile defense is a generic term for a type of missile defense intended to shield an entire country against incoming missiles, such as intercontinental ballistic missile or other ballistic missiles. Interception might be by anti-ballistic missiles or directed-energy weapons such as lasers...
operations here, with Peterson Air Force Base set to operate large sections of the program. Peterson AFB is currently the headquarters of the majority of Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
and the operations half of Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT).
Peterson is also headquarters for the United States Northern Command
United States Northern Command
United States Northern Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States military. Created on 1 October 2002 in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks, its mission is to protect the United States homeland and support local, state, and federal authorities...
(USNORTHCOM), one of the Unified Combatant Command
Unified Combatant Command
A Unified Combatant Command is a United States Department of Defense command that is composed of forces from at least two Military Departments and has a broad and continuing mission. These commands are established to provide effective command and control of U.S. military forces, regardless of...
s. USNORTHCOM directs all branches of the U.S. military operations in their area of responsibility which includes the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, and Mexico. In the event of national emergencies the President or Secretary of Defense can call upon USNORTHCOM for any required military assistance. Service members from every branch of the US Military
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
are stationed at the command.
Schriever Air Force Base (formerly Falcon AFB)
Schriever Air Force Base is home to the 50th Space Wing50th Space Wing
The 50th Space Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force under the major command of Air Force Space Command . It was activated on 30 January 1992, replacing the 2d Space Wing, which was deactivated on the same date.-Overview:...
, which controls warning, navigational, communications and spy
Spy satellite
A spy satellite is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications....
satellites. It is also the home of the Space Warfare Center and the home for the 576th Flight Test Squadron. It is the location of the Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
(GPS) master control station and GPS Operations Center and the US Naval Observatory Alternate Master Clock, used to synchronize GPS satellite time. Schriever is also developing parts of national missile defense and runs parts of the annual wargames used by the nation's military.
NORAD and Cheyenne Mountain Air Station
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, NORAD caused some anxiety for the residents in and around Colorado Springs, who believed the installation would be a primary target during a nuclear attack. Although NORAD still operates today, it is primarily tasked with the tracking of ICBMs, and the military has recently decided to place Cheyenne Mountain's NORAD/NORTHCOM operations on warm standby and move operations to nearby Peterson Air Force Base.
United States Air Force Academy
The north end of the city is home to the vast United States Air Force Academy grounds, where cadets train to become officers in the Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. The campus is famous for its unique chapel and draws visitors year round. The Air Force sports programs belong to the Mountain West Conference.
Crime
In 2009, Colorado Springs reported 15 murders, 342 rapes, 525 robberies, 1,084 assaults, 3,305 burglaries, 10,340 larceny thefts, and 1,048 auto thefts. Colorado Springs also has gangs, mostly on the east, southeast, and south sides of the city. The East Side CripsCrips
The Crips are a primarily, but not exclusively, African American gang. They were founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969 mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams...
(Dog City Crips) are on the east and southeast sides. The Ruthless Ass-Gangsters, another Crip gang, are located in the Prospect Lake area on the east side. The Watergate Crip Gang is another well known Crip set on the Southeast side of town. The Sureños
Sureños
Sureños are a group of Mexican American street gangs with origins in the oldest barrios of Southern California. Although they are based in California, the influence of the Sureños has spread to many parts of the US and other countries as well such as Germany and Japan...
are on the south side of the city. A large gang called the South Side Varrio (Sureños) is located in the Meadows Park neighborhood on the south side. A large population of Bloods are also in Colorado Springs, on the east side and southeast side of the city. A known Blood gang in the city is the Neighborhood 45 Bloods on the southeast side. Another gang in Colorado Springs is the East Dale Street Locos, which are on the east side of the city. Because Referendum 2C for higher funding was not passed, the police have reduced some drug/gang surveillance, and prioritize some police calls, with property crimes having lower priority than others. Colorado Springs is also home to one of the chapters of the Sons of Silence
Sons of Silence
Sons of Silence Motorcycle Club is a one-percenter motorcycle club that was founded in Niwot, Colorado in the United States in 1966. The first chapter outside of Colorado was the Iowa chapter which was founded in 1968...
Motorcycle Club, which has a history of criminal violence within its ranks.
Tourism
With the city located at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and its many trails and parks, Colorado Springs is a popular destination for tourists seeking scenery, rock formations and other unique geological features, like Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods park, Seven FallsSeven Falls
Seven Falls is a series of seven cascading waterfalls in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The sum of the height of the seven falls is 181 feet and there are a total of 224 steps on the staircase from the base of the falls to the peak. In the late 19th century, some of the associated property was...
, and Cave Of The Winds
Cave of the Winds (Colorado)
Cave of the Winds is a cave in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado. It is located just west of Colorado Springs on US Highway 24, near the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Tours of the complex of caves are given daily.-Silent Splendor:...
.
Colorado Springs has a variety of cultural, educational, and historical attractions including the Cheyenne Mountain Heritage Center, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame & Museum of the American Cowboy, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is an arts center located just north of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. Located on the same city block are the American Numismatic Association and part of the campus of Colorado College....
, the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, the American Numismatic Association
American Numismatic Association
The American Numismatic Association was founded in 1891 by Dr. George F. Heath in Chicago, Illinois. The ANA was formed to advance the knowledge of numismatics along educational, historical and scientific lines, as well as enhance interest in the hobby.The ANA national headquarters and museum is...
Money Museum, Peterson Air and Space Museum
Peterson Air and Space Museum
Peterson Air and Space Museum is located inside Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Access to the museum is limited due to security concerns, so tour groups should contact the museum curator...
, and the United States Air Force Academy.
The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR), located in downtown Colorado Springs, acts as an umbrella resource to support and advocate for the arts throughout the Pikes Peak Region. COPPeR operates a website called PeakRadar where organizations can post events happening around the city to boost community involvement and cultural awareness.
Olympic sports
United States Olympic Training Center
The United States Olympic Training Centers are three campuses created by the United States Olympic Committee as training facilities for its Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Lake Placid, New York; and Chula Vista, California. There is a U.S. Olympic...
and the headquarters of the United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
. In addition, a number of
United States national federations for individual Olympic sports have their headquarters in Colorado Springs, including:
- United States Bobsled and Skeleton FederationUnited States Bobsled and Skeleton FederationThe United States Bobsled & Skeleton Federation is the official national governing body for bobsled and skeleton in the United States...
- United States Fencing AssociationUnited States Fencing AssociationThe United States Fencing Association is the national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States.The USFA was founded in 1891 as the Amateur Fencers League of America by a group of New York fencers seeking independence from the Amateur Athletic Union...
- United States Figure Skating AssociationUnited States Figure Skating AssociationU.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating on ice in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic Committee "USOC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and is the United States member of the International Skating...
- USA BasketballUSA BasketballUSA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
- USA BoxingUSA BoxingUSA Boxing is the national governing body for Olympic-style amateur boxing. It is overseen by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Amateur Boxing Association , who sets its rules....
- USA CyclingUSA CyclingUSA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in the United States. It covers the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, BMX and collegiate racing...
- USA JudoUSA JudoUSA Judo is a non-profit organization which represents from all areas of U.S. judo practitioners, including athletes, coaches, referees and others. The organization is managed by a staff of six at the USA Judo National Office which is located at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs,...
- USA HockeyUSA HockeyUSA Hockey is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has...
- USA SwimmingUSA SwimmingUSA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams which officially represent the United States, as well as the overall organization and operation of the sport within the...
- USA ShootingUSA ShootingUSA Shooting, a 501 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in April 1995. The NRA had served as the NGB for one hundred years prior to this change in administration...
- USA Table TennisUSA Table TennisUSA Table Tennis, colloquially known as USATT, is the non-profit governing body for table tennis in the United States and is responsible for cataloging and sanctioning tournaments within the United States. It was founded in 1933 as the United States Table Tennis Association. In addition to...
- USA TriathlonUSA TriathlonUSA Triathlon is the national governing body for the multisport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon is a member federation of the U.S...
- USA VolleyballUSA VolleyballUSA Volleyball is a non-profit organization which serves as the national governing body of volleyball in the United States of America ....
- USA WrestlingUSA WrestlingUSA Wrestling is the organization that currently governs freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States...
The city has a particularly long association with the sport of figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
, having hosted the U.S. Figure Skating Championships 6 times and the World Figure Skating Championships
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
5 times. It is home to the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame
World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame serves as a repository for the sport of figure skating. The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame is where the greatest names in the history of the sport are honored...
and the Broadmoor Skating Club
Broadmoor Skating Club
The Broadmoor Skating Club is a figure skating club based in Colorado Springs, Colorado that has long been a major training center for the sport of figure skating. Founded in 1939, it was originally known as the Pikes Peak Skating Club, and was based in the Broadmoor World Arena on the grounds of...
, a notable training center for the sport. In recent years, the World Arena has hosted skating events such as Skate America
Skate America
Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly...
and the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The International Skating Union established it in 1999 to provide skaters representing non-European countries with a similar competition to the much older European Figure Skating Championships and a chance...
.
Local teams
Colorado Springs Sky Sox
The Colorado Springs Sky Sox are a minor league baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team's colors are red and blue. The team plays in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Colorado Rockies...
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
; Pacific Coast League
Security Service Field
Security Service Field, formerly known as Sky Sox Stadium, is a professional baseball stadium on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The stadium is the home of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the AAA-level affiliate of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team...
Colorado Springs Blizzard
Colorado Springs Blizzard were an American soccer team, founded in 2004. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2006, when the team left the league and the franchise was terminated.The Blizzard played...
United Soccer Leagues
The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
; USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
Security Service Field
Security Service Field, formerly known as Sky Sox Stadium, is a professional baseball stadium on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The stadium is the home of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the AAA-level affiliate of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team...
Premier Arena Soccer League
The Premier Arena Soccer League is an Indoor Soccer league with amateur and semi-professional teams. PASL-Premier currently has 38 teams in 6 divisions across the USA and Mexico. PASL-Premier is the official developmental league of the Professional Arena Soccer League .Teams play in regional...
; National Premier Soccer League (National Division III)
Security Service Field
Security Service Field, formerly known as Sky Sox Stadium, is a professional baseball stadium on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The stadium is the home of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the AAA-level affiliate of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team...
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Colorado Cricket League
The Colorado Cricket League is a non-profit, eight-clubs with 9 teams cricket organization based in the state of Colorado. The league was formalized in 1985.-History:...
- The local colleges feature many sports teams. Notable among them are the following nationally competitive NCAA Division I teams: United States Air Force AcademyUnited States Air Force AcademyThe United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
(Fighting Falcons) Football, Basketball and Hockey, Colorado CollegeColorado CollegeThe Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
(Tigers) Hockey, and Women's Soccer.
- Colorado Springs hosted the 1962 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships (together with Denver).
- This nullifies a popular Canadian claim that the 2008 IIHF World Championships in Quebec CityQuebec CityQuebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
and Halifax marked the first time this event was organized on the American continent. However, the 2008 event was the first World Championship on the American continent in which NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
players were eligible to compete.
- This nullifies a popular Canadian claim that the 2008 IIHF World Championships in Quebec City
Other
- Colorado Springs was the original headquarters of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) from its founding in 1992 until 2005, when the organization was moved to PuebloPueblo, ColoradoPueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
; the PBR used to hold an annual Built Ford Tough SeriesBuilt Ford Tough SeriesThe Built Ford Tough Series is the "major league" tour of the PBR competitions. It is a 30-city event series culminating in the PBR World Finals every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The top 45 riders of the PBR compete in the BFTS with the rankings determined by points and money won...
event at the World Arena from 2001 until 2005 when the organization made the move to Pueblo.
Religious institutions
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
and Christian organizations in recent years. At one time Colorado Springs was counted to be the national headquarters for 81 different religious organizations, earning the city the tongue-in-cheek nickname "the Evangelical Vatican" and "The Christian Mecca". Religious groups with regional or international headquarters in Colorado Springs include: the Association of Christian Schools International
Association of Christian Schools International
The Association of Christian Schools International is an association of evangelical Protestant Christian schools.-Purposes:ACSI, a protestant association for Christian schools, impacts nearly 23,000 schools and transforms the lives of more than 3.9 million students worldwide...
, the Christian and Missionary Alliance
Christian and Missionary Alliance
The Christian and Missionary Alliance is an evangelical Protestant denomination within Christianity.Founded by Rev. Albert Benjamin Simpson in 1887, the Christian & Missionary Alliance did not start off as a denomination, but rather began as two distinct parachurch organizations: The Christian...
, Compassion International
Compassion International
Compassion International is a Christian child sponsorship organization dedicated to the long-term development of children living in poverty around the world. Compassion International, headquartered in Colorado Springs, functions in 26 countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Haiti, Kenya, and...
, Every Home for Christ, Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
, HCJB
HCJB
HCJB, "The Voice of the Andes", was the first radio station with daily programming in the South American country of Ecuador and the first Christian missionary radio station in the world. The station was founded in 1931 by Clarence W. Jones, Reuben Larson, and D. Stuart Clark.- History :Radio...
, the International Bible Society
International Bible Society
Biblica, formerly named named IBS-STL Biblica, formerly named named IBS-STL Biblica, formerly named named IBS-STL (from a merger of International Bible Society (IBS) and Send the Light (STL), has its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is a nonprofit Christian organization that...
, The Navigators
The Navigators (organization)
The Navigators is a worldwide Christian para-church organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Its main purpose is the discipling of Christians with a particular emphasis on enabling them to share their faith with others....
, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs
Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs is a Roman Catholic diocese in Colorado. The diocese was founded on November 10, 1983.The bishops who have served the diocese are:*Richard Charles Patrick Hanifen...
, WAY-FM Media Group, Andrew Wommack Ministries, and Young Life
Young Life
YoungLife is a worldwide, non-profit, Evangelical Christian organization. YoungLife consists of many branches of ministry , but most commonly the name "YoungLife" refers to the outreach arm of the organization directed toward high school students...
. The city is also home to one mosque, the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs.
Transportation
Today, Colorado Springs has many features of a modern urban area, such as parks, bike trails, and urban open-area spaces. However, it is not exempt from problems that typically plague cities that experience tremendous growth like overcrowded roads and highways, crime, sprawl, and government budget issues. Many of the problems are indirectly or directly caused by the city's difficulty in coping with the large population growth experienced in the last 20 years and the annexing of the Banning Lewis Ranch area for 175,000 future residents.Colorado Springs is served by a bus system called Mountain Metro (short for Mountain Metropolitan Transit
Mountain Metropolitan Transit
Mountain Metropolitan Transit is the public transportation operator for the metro area of Colorado Springs, Colorado. In addition to 18 local routes, commuter bus service to the city of Denver, and Woodland Park is also provided....
). Mountain Metro also operates the Front Range Express (FREX)
Front Range Express (FREX)
Front Range Express is a commuter bus service operating between the cities of Colorado Springs, Denver, Greenwood Village, Monument, and formerly Castle Rock in Colorado. FREX operates on Interstate 25 except when exiting to make stops at each city...
service, which connects Colorado Springs to Denver and several other metropolitan areas during weekdays. Although the transit system serves much of the city and its nearest suburbs, it lacks service to many important areas and has only limited hours of operation.
Colorado Springs is served by the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. In the state of Colorado, only Denver International
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
has more passenger traffic. The airport has experienced a higher recovery rate in the post-9/11 era than the rest of the country and is in the process of expanding its maintenance facilities, taxiways, and runways to accommodate future growth. In 2005 it served approximately two million passengers.
Major highways
In 2004, the voters of Colorado Springs and El Paso County established the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority and adopted a 1% sales tax dedicated to improving the region's transportation infrastructure. Together with state funding for the Colorado Springs Metro Interstate Expansion (COSMIX)(2007 completion) and the I-25 interchange with Highway 16 (2008 completion), significant progress has been made since 2003 in addressing the transportation needs of the area. Currently the City is trying to overcome a $23.3 million budget gap created by falling sales taxes and rising expenses.Colorado Springs is primarily served by the interstate highways I-25 and U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 24 is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is west of Clarkston, Michigan, at an intersection with I-75 and its western terminus is near...
.
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Interstate 25 runs north-south from New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
through Colorado Springs to DenverDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
on its way northward towards Wyoming. I-25 in El Paso County running through Colorado Springs is known as Ronald Reagan Highway.
US 24 traverses through eastern Colorado from Limon through several towns such as MathesonMatheson, ColoradoMatheson is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Elbert County, Colorado, United States. The Matheson Post Office has the ZIP Code 80830.Established in the mid 1880's by Duncan Matheson a native of Scotland.Mr...
, SimlaSimla, ColoradoThe Town of Simla is a Statutory Town in Elbert County, Colorado, United States. The population was estimated to be 728 in 2007.-History:Simla was founded in 1909, by a man with the name of Altman. Simla was named because the daughter of a railroad official was reading a book about India when she...
, RamahRamah, ColoradoThe town of Ramah is a Statutory Town in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 220, as estimated in 2007.-Geography:Ramah is located at ....
, CalhanCalhan, ColoradoThe town of Calhan is a Statutory Town in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Calhan straddles U.S. Route 24. The population was 896 at the 2000 census...
, PeytonPeyton, ColoradoPeyton is a census-designated place and a U.S. Post Office in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 250. The nearby unincorporated area of Falcon also uses zip code 80831...
and FalconFalcon, ColoradoFalcon is an unincorporated exurb in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It lies along US 24 about 14 miles northeast of Colorado Springs. A railroad hub in the early 20th century, the town spent several decades as a quiet ranching community until it experienced rapid residential growth...
until it reaches the city and leaves the city through the mountains on its way to Minturn, COMinturn, ColoradoMinturn is a Home Rule Municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,068 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Minturn is located at ....
.
SH 21Colorado State Highway 21State Highway 21 is an expressway in El Paso County, in eastern Colorado Springs. Highway 21 constitutes the portion in Colorado Springs of a road known as the Powers Boulevard. Powers Blvd/SH 21 is perhaps the third busiest and important road after I-25 and US 24.The southern terminus of this...
is a major east side expressway which begins near Black ForestBlack Forest, ColoradoBlack Forest is a census-designated place near Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. The population was 13,116 at the 2010 census. Black Forest is named such for the high density of Ponderosa Pines located in a generally small area...
and ends in Security-WidefieldSecurity-Widefield, ColoradoSecurity-Widefield is a census-designated place in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 29,845 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Security-Widefield is located at ....
, also known more widely as Powers Boulevard.
SH 83Colorado State Highway 83State Highway 83 is a state highway that runs from SH 21 interchange in north Colorado Springs to SH 2 at Leetsdale Dr. / Colorado Blvd. in Denver.-Route description:...
runs north-south from Denver to Colorado Springs.
SH 94Colorado State Highway 94State Highway 94 is an long east–west Colorado state highway that goes east beginning from US 24 just east of Colorado Springs and ending at U.S. Highway 40/U.S. Highway 287 in rural Cheyenne County west of Wild Horse. The highway serves Schriever Air Force Base and the towns of Ellicott,...
runs east-west from western Cheyenne CountyCheyenne County, ColoradoCheyenne County is the fifth least densely populated of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 2,231 at U.S. Census 2000...
to Colorado Springs.
SH 115Colorado State Highway 115State Highway 115 is a state highway that runs from US 50 interchange in northern Cañon City to Interstate 25/ Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs.-Route description:...
begins from the US 50 interchange in Cañon CityCañon City, ColoradoThe City of Cañon City is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Fremont County, State of Colorado. The United States Census Bureau estimated that the city population was 16,000 in 2005. Cañon City is noted for being the location of nine state and four ...
to US 85 (Nevada Avenue) in the city.
US 85U.S. Route 85U.S. Route 85 is a north–south United States highway that runs for in the Mountain - Northern Plains states of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, connecting with Mexican Federal Highway 45...
US 85 enters the city at FountainFountain, ColoradoThe city of Fountain is a Home Rule Municipality located in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Fountain is located just ten miles south of Colorado Springs and just east of Fort Carson. Fountain and the Colorado Springs suburbs Security and Widefield make up the "Fountain Valley" community....
and is signed as Nevada Avenue until it leaves the city at exit 153.
US 87 US 87 remains concurrent with I-25 throughout Colorado.
In addition, there were plans to develop a "Front Range Toll Road", a privately owned turnpike
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
, which would begin south of Pueblo and end around Fort Collins. This toll road would allow rail and truck traffic to avoid the more highly traveled parts of I-25 along the Front Range. Initially, the project had support but has since been highly contested because of the need to condemn the land of many private citizens, through the use of eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
, to make room for the corridor.
Concerns and Improvements
In order to combat congestion the Colorado Department of Transportation widened the Interstate 25 corridor throughout the city from four lanes (two in each direction) to six lanes. Ultimately, the plan is to make the interstate eight lanes through the city when funding becomes available. This plan is similar in nature to Denver's T-Rex expansion plan.
Two grade separated interchanges were built in order to alleviate congestion at some of the city's worst intersections. Both the intersection at Powers and Woodmen and the intersection at Austin Bluffs and Union were converted into grade separated interchanges. A third interchange is being built at the intersection of Woodmen Road and Academy Boulevard and will be complete by 2011.
In early 2010, the city of Colorado Springs approved an expansion of the northernmost part of Powers Boulevard in order to create an Interstate 25 bypass commonly referred to as the Copper Ridge Expansion. The project developers also have hopes of increasing business at the future I-25 Powers Boulevard connection by building a 2.8 million sq. ft. shopping mall on the East side of the Powers exit. Developers hope to have the project finished by 2013, but have a deadline of 2018.
Colorado Springs is part of a consortium of cities trying to build the Front Range Commuter Rail
Front Range Commuter Rail
The Front Range Commuter Rail is a non-profit corporation whose goal is to bring a high-speed commuter rail corridor to the Front Range of Colorado, USA, with extensions to neighboring Wyoming and New Mexico. The group is affiliated with an intergovernmental agreement called the Rocky Mountain Rail...
.
Walkability
A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Colorado Springs 34th most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities.Education
- Colorado CollegeColorado CollegeThe Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
, founded in 1874 - IntelliTec CollegeIntelliTec College-Overview:IntelliTec College is for-profit technical career training school with locations in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Grand Junction. Started in 1965, the college has been in operation for more than forty years.-Academics:...
, founded in 1969 - The Colorado School for the Deaf and BlindColorado School for the Deaf and BlindThe Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind is a K-12 residential school, located on Knob Hill, one mile east of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, near the famous laboratory of Nikola Tesla. The school was founded in 1874 as The Colorado Institute for the Education of Mutes by Jonathan R...
, also founded in 1874 - The United States Air Force AcademyUnited States Air Force AcademyThe United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
, established on its present site in 1958 - The University of Colorado at Colorado SpringsUniversity of Colorado at Colorado SpringsThe University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a campus of the University of Colorado system, the state university system of Colorado....
(UCCS), established on its present Cragmor grounds in 1965 - Pikes Peak Community CollegePikes Peak Community CollegePikes Peak Community College is a community college located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is the largest institution of higher education in the Pikes Peak region. PPCC offers more than 150 programs in liberal arts and sciences transfer and career technical education...
- Nazarene Bible CollegeNazarene Bible CollegeNazarene Bible College is a Bible College located on in Colorado Springs, Colorado founded in 1964, chartered in 1967, and approved by the Colorado Department of Education to grant degrees in 1970.NBC has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio...
- Remington CollegeRemington CollegeRemington College is an affiliated group of privately owned non-profit post-secondary educational institutions. Remington Colleges, Inc. operates 20 campuses in several US states. Some of the affiliated institutions have been in operation since the 1940s. It is a for-profit college...
, acquired in December 1998 and offering degree and diploma programs - Colorado Technical UniversityColorado Technical UniversityColorado Technical University is a for-profit university in the United States. Founded in 1965, CTU offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in a number of subjects, focused primarily in the business, management, and technology disciplines...
, established in 1965 - Colorado State University–Pueblo, Citadel Campus
- DeVry UniversityDeVry UniversityDeVry University and DeVry Institute of Technology are divisions of DeVry Inc , a proprietary, for-profit higher education organization that is also the parent organization for Keller Graduate School of Management, Ross University, American University of the Caribbean, Apollo College, Western...
- Regis UniversityRegis UniversityRegis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
, Jesuit University - University of the RockiesUniversity of the RockiesUniversity of the Rockies is a private, for-profit graduate school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As of February 2011, the university offers three different Master of Arts degrees: Master of Arts in Human Services, Master of Arts in Organizational Development and Leadership, and Master of...
The city's public schools are divided into several districts:
- Widefield School District 3Widefield School District 3-Timeline :* 1874 Widefield School District 3 founded to include three communities: Widefield, Drennan and Truckton* 1912 Widefield School opened near Highway 85/87* 1942 Camp Carson opened west of Widefield...
On the south end - Academy School District 20Academy School District 20Academy School District 20 is the northern school district of Colorado Springs, Colorado.-Elementary:*Academy Endeavour Elementary*Academy International Elementary*Antelope Trails Elementary*Chinook Trail Elementary*Discovery Canyon Campus...
On the north end - Colorado Springs School District 11Colorado Springs School District 11The Colorado Springs School District 11 is the central school district of Colorado Springs, Colorado.- History :The first school in Colorado Springs was organized by Mary Mellen "Queen" Palmer, wife of city founder William Jackson Palmer, in late 1871. Classes were first held in a home on the...
In the center of the city - Falcon School District 49Falcon School District 49The Falcon School District 49 is located to the east of Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is the largest district geographically within the state of Colorado, as well as one of the fastest growing.-Elementary:*Evans International Elementary School...
On the east side - Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 On the far south end
- Harrison School District 2Harrison School District 2The Harrison School District 2 is the southern school district of Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.-Elementary:*Bricker Elementary School *Centennial Elementary School...
In the south central area - James Irwin Charter Schools In the east central area
- Cheyenne Mountain School District 12Cheyenne Mountain School District 12The Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 is the southwestern school district of Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.-Elementary:*Skyway Park Elementary*Gold Camp Elementary*Broadmoor Elementary*Cheyenne Mountain Elementary*Pinon Valley Elementary...
In the southwest corner - Colorado School for the Deaf and BlindColorado School for the Deaf and BlindThe Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind is a K-12 residential school, located on Knob Hill, one mile east of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, near the famous laboratory of Nikola Tesla. The school was founded in 1874 as The Colorado Institute for the Education of Mutes by Jonathan R...
Private schools:
- The Colorado Springs SchoolThe Colorado Springs SchoolThe Colorado Springs School is a private, nonprofit, college preparatory school serving pre-kindergarten to 12th grade in Colorado Springs....
- Colorado Springs Christian SchoolsColorado Springs Christian SchoolsColorado Springs Christian School is a PreKindergarten-12 school in Colorado Springs, Colorado.Its mission statement is: "To provide an excellent education from a Christ-centered, biblical perspective for lifelong service."-Notable alumni:...
- Evangelical Christian Academy
- Fountain Valley School of Colorado
- Hilltop Baptist SchoolHilltop Baptist SchoolHilltop Baptist School is a private Christian school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The school is a ministry of Hilltop Baptist Church and belongs to theSouthern Baptist Association of Christian Schools .-History:...
- Springs Adventist Academy
- St. Mary's High School
- The Colorado Springs SchoolThe Colorado Springs SchoolThe Colorado Springs School is a private, nonprofit, college preparatory school serving pre-kindergarten to 12th grade in Colorado Springs....
- Divine Redeemer Catholic School
- Pauline Memorial Catholic School
- Corpus Christi Catholic School
- Pikes Peak Christian SchoolPikes Peak Christian SchoolPikes Peak Christian School is a coeducational private school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. PPCS serves students two years old through the twelfth grade.-Mission:...
Sister cities
Sister cities of Colorado Springs include:- Fujiyoshida, JapanFujiyoshida, Yamanashiis a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū.-Geography:It is considered a high-elevation city in Japan, at 2,140 to 2,800 feet above sea level. The city is also located between two of the five Fuji Lakes.-Geology:Fujiyoshida was founded on...
(1962) - Kaohsiung, TaiwanKaohsiungKaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
(1983) - Smolensk, RussiaSmolenskSmolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
(1993) - Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (1994)
- Nuevo Casas Grandes, MexicoNuevo Casas GrandesNuevo Casas Grandes, also known as Nueva Casas Grandes, is a city and seat of the Nuevo Casas Grandes Municipality in northern Mexico. It is located in the northwestern part of the state of Chihuahua, on the Casas Grandes or San Miguel river, situated in a wide, fertile valley on the 4,000-foot...
(1996) - Bankstown, AustraliaBankstown, New South WalesBankstown is a suburb of south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bankstown is located 20 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Bankstown.-History:Prior to European...
(1999)
Colorado Springs' sister city organization began when Colorado Springs became partners with Fujiyoshida. The torii gate erected to commemorate the relationship stands at the corner of Bijou Street and Nevada Avenue, and is one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. The torii gate
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
, crisscrossed bridge and shrine, located in the median between Platte and Bijou Streets in downtown Colorado Springs, were a gift to Colorado Springs, erected in 1966 by the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs to celebrate the friendship between the two communities. A plaque near the torii gate states that "the purpose of the sister city relationship is to promote understanding between the people of our two countries and cities". The Fujiyoshida Student exchange program has become an annual event.
To strengthen relations between the two cities, the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony regularly invites the Taiko drummers from the city to participate in a joint concert in the Pikes Peak Center. The orchestra played in Bankstown, Australia, in 2002 and again in June 2006 as part of their tours to Australia and New Zealand.
Also, in 2006 and 2010, the Bankstown TAP (Talent Advancement Program), performed with the Youth Symphony, and the Colorado Springs Children's Chorale, as a part of the annual In Harmony program.
A notable similarity between Colorado Springs and its sister cities are their geographic positions, three of the six cities being located near the base of a major mountain or range.
Notable residents
Colorado Springs has been home to a number of famous artists, including actor Lon Chaney, Sr.Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
, members of the band OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
, science fiction author Robert Heinlein, Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
creator Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
, conductor-composer Manoah Leide-Tedesco
Manoah Leide-Tedesco
Manoah Leide-Tedesco was an Italian-American composer, conductor and violinist.- Biography :Tranquillo Manoah Leide-Tedesco was born in Sinigaglia, Italy, but grew up in Naples...
, and jazz guitarist Johnny Smith
Johnny Smith
Johnny Smith is an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist.-Early years:...
. Several athletes have also resided in Colorado Springs, including Baseball Hall of Fame member Goose Gossage
Goose Gossage
Richard Michael "Goose" Gossage is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During a 22-year baseball career, he pitched from 1972-1994 for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. The nickname "Goose" is a play on his surname...
, NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
and 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo is a freestyle wrestler, Olympic gold medalist, and author. Cejudo became an Olympic gold medalist at just 21 years old, the youngest American wrestler to win a gold medal....
. Additionally many well-known figure skaters, including Olympic champions Hayes Alan Jenkins
Hayes Alan Jenkins
Hayes Alan Jenkins , an American figure skater, led men's skating for 4 years, 1953-56. He won four consecutive World Figure Skating Championships from 1953 to 1956. He also won the gold medal in the 1956 Winter Olympics, after placing 4th in the 1952 Winter Olympics. His brother David Jenkins...
, David Jenkins, and Peggy Fleming
Peggy Fleming
Peggy Gail Fleming is an American figure skater. She is the 1968 Olympic Champion in Ladies' singles and a three-time World Champion...
, have lived and trained in Colorado Springs during their competitive careers. Black Pegasus
Black Pegasus (rapper)
Robert Houston II, also known as Black Pegasus or simply Black-P, is an American rapper/southwestern hip hop artist from Colorado Springs...
, a well known hip hop artist is from Colorado Springs. Award-winning author and lecturer Michael A. O'Donnell, Ph.D. resides here.
In popular culture
Colorado Springs has been the subject or setting for many books, movies and television shows, and is especially a frequent backdrop for political thrillers and military-themed stories because of its many military installations and vital importance to the United States' continental defense. Notable television series using the city as a setting include Dr. Quinn, Medicine WomanDr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
and the Stargate
Stargate
Stargate is a adventure military science fiction franchise, initially conceived by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Stargate. It was originally released on October 28, 1994, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco, and became a hit, grossing nearly...
series Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
and the films WarGames
WarGames
WarGames is a 1983 American Cold War suspense/science-fiction film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy....
and The Prestige
The Prestige (film)
The Prestige is a 2006 mystery thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted from Christopher Priest's 1995 novel of the same name. The story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century...
.
See also
- Citadel Mall (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
- Colorado municipalitiesColorado municipalitiesThe U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...
- Marketplace At Austin BluffsMarketplace At Austin BluffsMarketplace At Austin Bluffs is the proposed new name of a soon to be remolded shopping center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. The structure was formerly built as a mini-mall, with three main anchor stores, consisting of: King Soopers, Hancock Fabrics, and 24 Hour Fitness...
- Pikes Peak Library DistrictPikes Peak Library DistrictPikes Peak Library District is public library system serving a population of 508,000 in El Paso County, Colorado.Pikes Peak Library District has resources for children, teens, adults, and seniors. Library resources are available in multiple languages, large print, audio, and video formats...
- South Central Colorado Urban AreaSouth Central Colorado Urban Areathumb|240px|An enlargeable map of the four-county South Central Colorado Urban AreaThe South Central Colorado Urban Area comprises the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area, the Pueblo Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the Cañon City Micropolitan Statistical Area in the central and south...
External links
- City of Colorado Springs website
- Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
- Colorado Springs Travel Information: Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Early Capitol and Legislative Assembly Locations
- Colorado City Historical Society
- 1905 Magazine Article with historical photos
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
