Colorado at a Glance

 

Colorado is renowned for its rugged, natural beauty, from the jagged peaks of the Rockies to the canyons and mesas of the desert. Its capital, Denver, is also the state’s most populous city, and the greater metropolitan area is home to nearly three million residents. Craft breweries and wineries have gained prominence throughout the state, and Bon Appétit magazine named Boulder “America’s Foodiest Town” in 2010. Several cities, including Boulder, Denver, and Aspen, host annual film festivals. Colorado is home to some of the nation’s most popular winter sports attractions, like Telluride, Snowmass, and Breckenridge. Water sports, particularly whitewater rafting, are big draws in Buena Vista and other locations along the Colorado River. Intrepid hikers can take in the 14,000-foot summit of Pikes Peak on foot, while the rest of us can enjoy the view via a cog railway ride or scenic drive up the Pikes Peak Highway. The state offers numerous archaeological and historical sites, from Dinosaur National Monument and the Pueblo ruins at Mesa Verde to gold mine tours. If you prefer indoor fun, there’s the Downtown Aquarium in Denver, the Larkridge shopping complexes in Thornton, and more than 30 casinos operating in the state, like Sky Ute resort in Ignacio.

 

Top Cities in Colorado

Why You’ll Love Living in Colorado

 

Colorado’s state economy is quite healthy, and its business and finance sector has boomed over the last two decades. In 2010, CNBC named the state third-best in the nation on their list of “Top State for Business.” Denver’s financial district bears the unofficial nickname “Wall Street of the West.” The federal government is a significant employer, maintaining several military bases, laboratories, and other agencies throughout Colorado. Energy is another major employment sector, with seven gas fields and two oil fields. The state’s top employers include Denver International Airport, University of Colorado, Lockheed Martin, and Western Union. Legal marijuana commercialization has given the state’s economy a significant boost, generating $76 million in tax revenue in 2014 alone. Tourism also provides the state with significant revenue, providing about 155,000 jobs annually. Colorado’s median household income of $58,000 is slightly higher than the national average, while unemployment and poverty levels for the state are lower than the US mean. The cost of living in Colorado is just six percent higher than that figure for the nation.

 

Colorado has several of the nation’s hottest housing markets. Fortune named Colorado Springs one of the markets to watch for increased activity in the near future. On an index of fastest-selling housing markets, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Boulder ranked in the top 20. Denver’s market, in particular, is experiencing a boom due to the city’s low unemployment and abundance of tech sector jobs. It has seen an influx of young professionals in the last two years that has led to record-breaking quarters for home sales. The median home price for the state is about $237,000. Among the state’s largest cities, that figure is $246,000 for Denver, $213,000 for Colorado Springs, and $179,000 for Aurora.

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