You may have heard your friends, family, or even strangers raving about the great state of Colorado. If you want to know where Colorado is located, how to find it on a map, and just what else it has to offer, we have got the post for you!
Where Is Colorado Located?
Geographically, Colorado is an incredibly interesting state. First of all, it is a perfect rectangle and is one of the very few states whose lines hold such a perfect shape. This square can be found in the western half of the continental US in the center of the continent.
It is bordered by six states: New Mexico to the south, Nebraska and Kansas to the southeast, Wyoming and Oklahoma to the north, and Utah to the west.
It also is home to an interesting landmark as it is one of the four states that make up the Four Corners. The corner borders of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah all meet at a perfect cross and this spot has been visited by tourists for hundreds of years.
The Rocky Mountains flow through the entire state from the northern border all the way through the southern line and are certainly one of the state’s most glorious features. We are going to discuss everything the Rockies have to offer in a moment, but first, let’s find Colorado on a US map.
Where Is Colorado Located On A US Map?
If you are trying to find Colorado on a US map, the easiest way is to simply start from the bottom, find the Mexican border, move up one state into New Mexico, and then one more to the rectangular state of Colorado.
The state encompasses 104,100 square miles of land, making it the eighth largest state in the country. Because of this large mass, it is usually visible on most maps as at least an outline, so if you can learn the shape and follow the directions above, you can easily find Colorado!
Interesting Facts About Colorado
You might not believe it, but over 86.9 million people visited the state of Colorado in 2019, and over 200,000 people packed up and moved there!
There are quite a few reasons for this mass immigration including the residents’ healthy lifestyles, a strong economy, beautiful and abundant nature, several metropolitan cities, and even great beer and legal marijuana have factored into some people’s decision to visit or move to the Centennial State.
Healthy Lifestyle
Colorado ranks on several lists as one of the healthiest states in the country. It even has the lowest obesity rate of any other state. These statistics are largely due to the fact the Colorado residents spend a great deal of their time outside.
As we will learn in the following sections, Colorado has an unbelievable amount of outdoor space available for almost every sport and activity you could think of, and Coloradans really take advantage of it!
Strong Economy
With young entrepreneurs and tech geniuses moving to Colorado, the economy is doing exceptionally well. Software development and biochemistry are two of the state’s leading industries, as well as tourism, agriculture, and even aerospace!
Colorado is also home to the United States Airforce Academy housing hundreds of cadets and thousands of both active and retired military personnel.
The cities of Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins are each growing substantially each year, and with the influx of companies opening their offices in these active and fun cities, jobs are abounding.
Although this may not seem like an important factor if you are considering just taking a visit to Colorado, it has in fact made for several new businesses both small and large that benefit tourists and tourism itself.
Beautiful & Abundant Nature
Colorado hosts some of the most popular and gorgeous ski resorts in the world located in the sprawling Rocky Mountains. It also offers crystal clear lakes, mountain biking, natural hot springs, extensive hiking trails, whitewater rafting, beautiful campsites, and litter-free rivers filled with fish!
Statistically, Colorado typically has 300 sunny days per year! This means no matter when you go, you are sure to catch some rays and be able to enjoy all of these unmissable outdoor activities.
America’s national parks are famous throughout the country and the globe for their unmatched beauty, and there are four in the state of Colorado. While visiting this majestic state, you can visit the Rocky Mountain National Park, The Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, and Black Canyon National Park. They each offer a variety of different flora and fauna and jaw-dropping landscapes.
Beer & Bud
If you are a craft beer fan, you simply must visit Colorado. There are more than 400 breweries throughout the state, and they are usually accompanied by a fun taproom to have a drink with friends or even an informative tour of the facility itself.
Legalized marijuana is often a draw for those arriving from states in which it is still illegal. All over the state, you can find dispensaries that sell hundreds of strains of the medicinal plant. Anyone over the age of 18 with a form of ID can go in and purchase from the immense selection.
Denver: The Capital of Colorado
Denver is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and from reading about Colorado, maybe now you understand why!
From Denver, it only takes a few hours in a car to go almost any direction and find another bustling city, to ski on the most impressive mountains in the world, to fish, swim, hike, or do pretty much any outdoor activity you could think of, all while living in an exciting, albeit expensive, city!
Denver is a contemporary city with quaint neighborhoods, interesting museums, amazing cuisine, top-notch craft beer, and more! To top it all off, Denver International Airport is a major hub for several airlines around the country.
If you haven’t been to Colorado yet, it might just be time to go.
