I am not a Colorado native, but I have lived here for most of my life. I recently met a fellow transplant. It got me thinking about our amazing state, and all it has to offer. I thought it would be fun to have a corner dedicated to all things Colorado... everything from places you HAVE to see, to MUST DO activities, to fun facts that every Coloradoan, native or transplant, should know!
We plan to share lots of Colorado info with you, but in honor of Colorado's birthday, we figured we'd kick things off with some fun facts about our great state. (Mom Tip: Keep these handy for school projects!) How many did you already know?
FUN FACTS THAT EVERY COLORADOAN SHOULD KNOW! (And be able to whip out at parties!)
- Colorado is often called the Centennial State. A more famous nickname is The Mile High City.
- Denver is... you guessed it... one mile (5280 feet) above sea level. In fact, the 13th step on the west side of the Colorado State Capital Building is EXACTLY one mile above sea level.
- Did you know that Colorado has a state fossil? Yup we do. It's the stegosaurus!
- Our state bird is the lark bunting.
- Our state animal is the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep.
- Our state flower is the Rocky Mountain Columbine.
- Our state tree is the Colorado Blue Spruce.
- Our state insect (yes, we have a state insect) is the Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly.
- Rocky Mountain High, by John Denver, was officially recognized as our second state song in 2007. Our original state song is "Where The Columbines Grow" by A.J. Flynn. It was considered controversial because it never even mentions Colorado.
- Katherine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" on top of Pikes Peak in 1893.
- The highest point in Colorado is Mt. Elbert. It's 14,433 feet high! Have you climbed it?
- Colfax Avenue in Denver is the longest continuous street in America.
