Colorado Springs

Sister cities

• Bishkek
• Smolensk
• Bankstown
• Nuevo Casas Grandes
• Fujiyoshida
• Kaohsiung
• Palmas

History

The Ute, Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples were the first recorded inhabiting the area which would become Colorado Springs. Part of the territory included in the United States' 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the current city area was designated part of the 1854 Kansas Territory. In 1859, after the first local settlement was established, it became part of the Jefferson Territory on October 24 and of El Paso County on November 28. Colorado City at the Front Range confluence of Fountain and Camp creeks was "formally organized on August13, 1859" during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. The Colorado City, Kansas Territory, post office operated from March 24, 1860, until it closed as the Colorado City, Colorado, post office on June 30, 1917. Colorado City served as the capital of the Colorado Territory from November 5, 1861, until August 14, 1862, when the capital was moved to Golden. In 1871 the Colorado Springs Company laid out the towns of La Font (later called Manitou Springs) and Fountain Colony, upstream and downstream respectively, of Colorado City. Later that year, the Fountain Colony was renamed Colorado Springs. The Colorado Springs, Colorado Territory, post office opened on December 1, 1871. The town of Colorado Springs was incorporated on June 19, 1886. By 1898, the city was designated into quadrants by the north-south Cascade Avenue and the east-west Washington/Pikes Peak avenues. From 1899 to 1901 Tesla Experimental Station operated on Knob Hill, and aircraft flights to the Broadmoor's neighboring fields began in 1919. Alexander Airport north of the city opened in 1925, and in 1927 the original Colorado Springs Municipal Airport land was purchased east of the city. The city's military presence began during World War II, beginning with Camp Carson (now the 135,000-acre Fort…

Geography

The city lies in a semi-arid Steppe region, with the Southern Rocky Mountains to the west, the Palmer Divide to the north, high plains further east, and high desert lands to the south when leaving Fountain and approaching Pueblo. Colorado Springs has the greatest total area of any municipality in Colorado. During the 2020 United States census, the city had a total area of including of water. The city has abundant sunshine year-round, averaging 243 sunny days per year, and receives approximately of annual precipitation. 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 but permanently reinstated in December 2019. Colorado Springs is one of the most active lightning strike areas in the United States. December is typically the coldest month, averaging . Historically, January had been the coldest month, but, in recent years, December has had both lower daily maxima and minima. Typically, there are 5.2 nights with sub- lows and 23.6 days where the high does not rise above freezing. The first autumn freeze and the last freeze in the spring, on average, occur on October 2 and May 6, respectively; the average window for measurable snowfall (≥) is October 21 through April 25. Extreme temperatures range from on June 26, 2012, and most recently on June 21, 2016, down to on February 1, 1951, and December 9, 1919.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  32,394
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  23,744
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  23,344
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  22,489
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,434
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  20,506
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,578
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  16,137

Largest nearby schools

• Doherty High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,832 students · 22.3:1 ratio
• Pine Creek High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,815 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Liberty High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,647 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• Banning Lewis Ranch Academy
  Other · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,600 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Vista Ridge High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,587 students · 22.7:1 ratio
• Rampart High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,454 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Palmer High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,384 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Air Academy High School
  High · USAF ACADEMY · 1,329 students · 15.8:1 ratio