Colorado Springs is the most populous city in

El Paso County, Colorado El Paso County is the List of counties in Colorado, most populous county in the U.S state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 730,395, surpassing the city and county of Denver. The county seat is ...

, United States, and its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous city and most extensive city in the state of Colorado, and the 40th-most-populous city in the United States. It is the principal city of the

Colorado Springs metropolitan area The Colorado Springs, CO, Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Office of Management and Budget defined Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) located in the Colorado Springs region of the State of Colorado. The 2020 United States census ...

, which had 755,105 residents in 2020, and the second-most prominent city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. It is located in east-central Colorado on

Fountain Creek Fountain Creek is a creek that originates in Woodland Park in Teller County and flows through El Paso County to its confluence with the Arkansas River near Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado. The creek,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hyd ...

, south of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. At , the city stands over above sea level. It is near the base of

Pikes Peak Pikes Peak is the List of mountain ranges of Colorado#Mountain ranges, highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The Ultra-prominent peak, ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, ...

, which rises above sea level on the eastern edge of the

Southern Rocky Mountains The Southern Rocky Mountains are a major subregion of the Rocky Mountains of North America located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming, the central and western portions of Colorado, the northern portion of New Mexico, and ext ...

. The city is the largest city north of Mexico above in elevation.

History

The

Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute people, a Native American people of the Great Basin * Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah * Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah * Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern ...

Arapaho The Arapaho ( ; , ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho bands formed t ...

and

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

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 Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

, the current city area was designated part of the 1854

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

. In 1859, after the first local settlement was established, it became part of the

Jefferson Territory The Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson was an extralegal and unrecognized United States territory that existed in the Pike's Peak mining region from October 24, 1859, until it yielded to the new Territory of Colorado on Jun ...

on October 24 and of El Paso County on November 28. Colorado City at the

Front Range The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encounter ...

confluence of Fountain and Camp creeks was "formally organized on August13, 1859" during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. It served as the capital of the

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 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

from November 5, 1861, until August 14, 1862, when the capital was moved to Golden, before it was finally moved to

in 1867. So many immigrants from England had settled in Colorado Springs by the early 1870s that Colorado Springs was locally referred to as "Little London". In 1871 the

Colorado Springs Company William Jackson Palmer (September 18, 1836 – March 13, 1909) was an American civil engineer and veteran of the American Civil War. During the Civil War, he was promoted to Brevet (military)#American Civil War, brevet General officer, brigadier g ...

laid out the towns of La Font (later called

Manitou Springs Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to traveler ...

) and Fountain Colony, upstream and downstream respectively, of Colorado City. Within a year, Fountain Colony was renamed Colorado Springs and officially incorporated. The El Paso County seat shifted from Colorado City in 1873 to the Town of Colorado Springs. On December 1, 1880, Colorado Springs expanded northward with two annexations. The second period of annexations was during 188990, and included Seavey's Addition, West Colorado Springs, East End, and another North End addition. In 1891 the Broadmoor Land Company built the Broadmoor suburb, which included the Broadmoor Casino, and by December 12, 1895, the city had "four Mining Exchanges and 275 mining brokers." 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 City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport , simply known as Colorado Springs Airport, is a city-owned public civil-military airport southeast of downtown Colorado Springs, in El Paso County, Colorado, United States., effective May 15, 2025. I ...

land was purchased east of the city. The city's military presence began during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, beginning with Camp Carson (now the 135,000-acre

Fort Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, El Paso, Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo, Fremont County, Colorado, Fremont, and Huerfano County, Colorado, Huerfano counties, Color ...

base) that was established in 1941. During the war, the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

leased land adjacent to the municipal airfield, naming it

Peterson Field Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home t ...

in December 1942. In November 1950,

Ent Air Force Base Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in the Knob Hill neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. A tent city, established in 1943 during construction of the base, was initially commanded by Major General Uzal Girar ...

was selected as the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

headquarters for

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...

(ADC). The former WWII Army Air Base, Peterson Field, which had been inactivated at the end of the war, was re-opened in 1951 as a U.S. Air Force base. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was established as a hardened command and control center within the

Cheyenne Mountain Complex The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is a United States Space Force installation and defensive bunker located in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to the city of Colorado Springs, at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, which host ...

during the Cold War. Between 1965 and 1968, the

University of Colorado Colorado Springs The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a Public university, public research university in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is one of four campuses that make up the University of Colorado system. As of Fall 2023, UCCS had over 11 ...

Pikes Peak State College Pikes Peak State College is a public community college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is the largest institution of higher education in the Pikes Peak region. PPSC offers more than 150 programs in liberal arts and sciences transfer and caree ...

and

Colorado Technical University Colorado Technical University (Colorado Tech or CTU) is a private for-profit university with its main campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1965, CTU offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees, primarily in business, managem ...

were established in or near the city. In 1977 most of the former Ent AFB became a US Olympic training center. The

Libertarian Party Libertarian Party may refer to: *Libertarian Party (Argentina) * Liberal Libertarian Party * Libertarian Party of Australia * Libertarian Party of Canada ** British Columbia Libertarian Party **Libertarian Party of Manitoba (now Freedom Party of Ma ...

was founded within the city in the 1970s. On October 1, 1981, the Broadmoor Addition, Cheyenne Canon, Ivywild, Skyway, and Stratton Meadows were annexed after the

Colorado Supreme Court The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the court was established in 1876. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices who are appointed by the Governor of Colorado from a ...

"overturned a district court decision that voided the

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

". Further annexations expanding the city include the Nielson Addition and Vineyard Commerce Park Annexation in September 2008. On June 23, 2012, the

Waldo Canyon fire The Waldo Canyon fire was a forest fire that started approximately northwest of Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 23, 2012, and was declared 100 percent contained on July 10, 2012, after no smoke plumes were visible on a small portion of the ...

began northwest of the city. The fire ended up destroying 347 homes and killing two people in the city. In total, over 32,000 residents had to be evacuated. At the time the fire was the most destructive in state history until it was surpassed by the

Black Forest Fire The Black Forest Fire was a forest fire that began near Highway 83 and Shoup Road in Black Forest, Colorado around 1:00 p.m. on June 11, 2013. As of June 20, 2013, after the fire was 100 percent contained, were burned, at le ...

the following year.

Geography

The city lies in a semi-arid Steppe region,with the

to the west, the

Palmer Divide Named after Colorado Springs founder William Jackson Palmer, the Palmer Divide is a caprock escarpment-style ridge in central Colorado that separates the Arkansas River basin from the South Platte basin. It extends from the Front Range of the ...

to the north, high plains further east, and high desert lands to the south when leaving

Fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

and approaching

Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

. Colorado Springs is or at best one hour and five minutes south of Denver by car using

I-25 Interstate 25 (I-25), also known as the Pan-American Freeway, is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 st ...

. Colorado Springs has the greatest total area of any municipality in Colorado. At the 2020 United States census, the city had a total area of including of water.

Climate

ISS067-E-170859 Colorado Springs through the clouds

Colorado Springs has a cooler, dry-winter monsoon influenced continental climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dwa''/''Cwa''), and its location just east of the Rocky Mountains affords it the rapid warming influence from

chinook winds Chinook winds, or simply Chinooks, are two types of prevailing warm, generally westerly winds in western North America: Coastal Chinooks and interior Chinooks. The coastal Chinooks are persistent seasonal, wet, southwesterly winds blowing in from ...

during winter but also subjects it to drastic day-to-day variability in weather conditions. The city has abundant sunshine year-round, averaging 243 sunny days per year, and receives approximately of annual

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

. 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. This natural phenomenon led

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla (;"Tesla"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; 10 July 1856 – 7 ...

to select Colorado Springs as the preferred location to build his lab and study electricity.

Seasonal climate

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. Snowfall is usually moderate and remains on the ground briefly because of direct sun, with the city receiving per season, although the mountains to the west often receive in excess of triple that amount; March is the snowiest month in the region, both by total accumulation and number of days with measurable snowfall. In addition, 8 of the top 10 heaviest 24-hour snowfalls have occurred from March to May. Summers are warm, with July, the warmest month, averaging , and 18 days of + highs annually. Due to the high elevation and aridity, nights are usually relatively cool and rarely does the low remain above . Dry weather generally prevails, but brief afternoon thunderstorms are common, especially in July and August when the city receives the majority of its annual rainfall, due to the North American monsoon. 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.

Climate data

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, the population of the city of Colorado Springs was 478,961 ( 40th most populous U.S. city), the population of the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area was 755,105 ( 79th most populous MSA), and the population of the Front Range Urban Corridor was 5,055,344.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, 78.8% of the population of the city was

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

(non-Hispanic Whites were 70.7% of the population, compared with 86.6% in 1970), 16.1%

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

of any race (compared with 7.4% in 1970), 6.3% Black or African American, 3.0% Asian, 1.0% descended from

indigenous peoples of the Americas In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

, 0.3% descended from indigenous Hawaiians and other Pacific islanders, 5.5% of some other race, and 5.1% of

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...

s made up 14.6% of the city's population, compared with 9.1% in 1990. The median age in the city was 35 years.

Economy

Colorado Springs's economy is driven primarily by the military, the high-tech industry, and tourism, in that order. The city is experiencing slight growth in the service sectors. As of April 2025, the unemployment rate in Colorado Springs was 4.6%. The state's unemployment rate was 4.8% compared to 4.2% for the nation.

Military

, there are nearly 45,000 active-duty troops in the Colorado Springs area. There are more than 100,000 veterans and thousands of reservists. The military and defense contractors supply more than 40% of the Pikes Peak region's economy. Colorado Springs is home to the

Peterson Space Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to ...

Schriever Space Force Base Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs, Col ...

Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station (CMSFS) is located in Cheyenne Mountain on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to Colorado Springs, The Cheyenne Mountain Complex, an underground facili ...

, U.S. Space Command, and Space Operations Command— the largest contingent of space service military installations. They are responsible for intelligence gathering, space operations, and cyber missions. Peterson Space Force Base is responsible for the

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ; , CDAAN), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a Combined operations, combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air ...

(NORAD) and the

United States Northern Command The United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for Civil authority, non-military authorities in t ...

(USNORTHCOM) headquarters, Space Operations Command, and Space Deltas 2, 3, and 7. Located at Peterson is the 302nd Airlift Wing, an Air Force Reserve unit, that transports passengers and cargo and fights wildfires. Schriever Space Force Base is responsible for Joint Task Force-Space Defense and Space Deltas 6, 8, and 9. The NORAD and USNORTHCOM Alternate Command Center is located at the

. Within the mountain complex, the

has been operated by

Space Operations Command Space Operations Command (SpOC) is the United States Space Force's space warfare, space operations, cyber warfare, cyber operations, and military intelligence, intelligence field command. Headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado ...

. On January 13, 2021, the Air Force announced a new permanent home for Space Command, moving it from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama in 2026, but the decision could be reversed by Congress. Army divisions are trained and stationed at

. The

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

was established after World War II, on land donated by the City of Colorado Springs.

Defense industry

The defense industry forms a significant part of the Colorado Springs economy, with some of the city's largest employers being defense contractors. Some defense corporations have left or downsized city campuses, but slight growth has been recorded. Significant defense corporations in the city include

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and Arms industry, defense company. With 97,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $40 billion, it is one of the world's largest Arms industry ...

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales and fifth largest in the Unit ...

L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies, Inc. is an American technology company, defense contractor, and information technology service (economics), services provider that produces products for command and control systems, wireless equipment, tactical radios, avi ...

, SAIC,

ITT ITT may refer to: Communication *Tank phone, Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional typ ...

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

, and Bluestaq. The

Space Foundation The Space Foundation is an American nonprofit organization, the mission of which is to advocate for all sectors of the global space industry through space awareness activities, educational programs, and major industry events. It was founded in ...

is based in Colorado Springs.

High-tech industry

A large percentage of Colorado Springs's economy is still based on manufacturing

high-tech High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or ...

and complex electronic equipment. The high-tech sector in the Colorado Springs area has decreased its overall presence from 2000 to 2006 (from around 21,000 to around 8,000), with notable reductions in information technology and complex electronic equipment. Current trends project the high-tech employment ratio will continue to decrease.SCEF – Southern Colorado Economic Forum
High-tech corporations offering fibre-optics to the premises connections within the city include:

Lumen Technologies Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink, Inc.) is an American telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, which offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice and managed services through ...

Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...

and other providers as of 2023.

Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...

still has some sales, support, and SAN storage engineering center for the computer industry.

Storage Networking Industry Association The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) is an American trade association, incorporated in December 1997. It is a registered 501(c)(6) non-profit organization. SNIA has more than 185 unique members, 2,000 active contributing members, an ...

is the home of the SNIA Technology Center.

Keysight Technologies Keysight Technologies, Inc. is an American company that manufactures electronics test and measurement equipment and software. The name is a blend of ''key'' and ''insight''. The company was formed as a spin-off of Agilent Technologies, which inh ...

, spun off in 2014 from

Agilent Agilent Technologies, Inc. is an American global company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, that provides instruments, software, services, and consumables for laboratories. Agilent was established in 1999 as a spin-off from Hewlett-Packar ...

, which was itself spun off from HP in 1999 as an independent, publicly traded company, has its

oscilloscope An oscilloscope (formerly known as an oscillograph, informally scope or O-scope) is a type of electronic test instrument that graphically displays varying voltages of one or more signals as a function of time. Their main purpose is capturing i ...

research and development division based in Colorado Springs.

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...

had 250 employees in 2009. The Intel facility is now used for the centralized unemployment offices, social services, El Paso county offices, and a bitcoin mining facility.

Microchip Technology Microchip Technology Incorporated is a publicly listed American semiconductor corporation that manufactures microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog, and Flash-IP integrated circuits. Its corporate headquarters is located in Chandler, Arizona. ...

(formerly Atmel), is a chip fabrication organization. The

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

facility was sold to Sanmina-SCI in 1996.

Arts and culture

Tourism

Almost immediately following the arrival of railroads beginning in 1871, the city's location at the base of

and the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

made it a popular tourism destination. Tourism is the third largest employer in the Pikes Peak region, accounting for more than 16,000 jobs. In 2018, 23 million day and overnight visitors came to the area, contributing $2.4 billion in revenue. Garden of the Gods 03

Colorado Springs has more than 55 attractions and activities in the area, including

Garden of the Gods Garden of the Gods (Arapaho: ''Ho3o’uu Niitko’usi’i'') is a public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. of the park was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. Name The area now known as Garden of the ...

park,

, the

ANA Ana or ANA may refer to: People * Ana (given name), a list of people with the name * Ana people or Atakpame people, an ethnic group of West Africa * ana (gamer), Anathan Pham, an Australian professional ''Dota 2'' player known as ana Places * A ...

Money Museum,

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a zoological park A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. ...

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) 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 ...

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...

Old Colorado City Old Colorado City, formerly Colorado City, is a former town and a neighborhood within the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Its commercial district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was founded during the Pik ...

, The National Museum of World War II Aviation, and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. In 2020, the

United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum The United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum (USOPM) is a historical and cultural sports museum located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, first opened on July 30, 2020. The museum is part of the City for Champions development project ...

opened; the Flying W Ranch Chuckwagon Dinner & Western Show reopened in 2020. A new Pikes Peak Summit Complex opened at the summit in 2021. The

Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway (also known as the Pikes Peak Cog Railway) is a cog railway that climbs one of the most iconic mountains in the United States, Pikes Peak in Colorado. The base station is in Manitou Springs, Colo ...

also reopened in 2021. The downtown Colorado Springs Visitor Information Center offers free area information to leisure and business travelers. The

Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR) is a certified nonprofit arts organization located in downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado and serving El Paso and Teller counties. In February 2014, Andy Vick replaced Christina McGrath as COPPe ...

(COPPeR), also downtown, supports and advocates for the arts throughout the Pikes Peak Region. It operates the PeakRadar website to communicate city events.

Annual cultural events

Colorado Springs Hot Air Balloon Competition

Colorado Springs is home to the annual Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off, a

hot air balloon festival Hot air balloon festivals are held annually in many places throughout the year, allowing hot air balloons operators to gather- as well as for the general public- to participate in various activities.They can include races; evening "night glows", ...

that takes place over Labor Day weekend at the city's Memorial Park. Other annual events include: a

comic book convention A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events h ...

and

science fiction convention Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction subgenre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of ex ...

called GalaxyFest in February, a

pride parade A pride parade (also known as pride event, pride festival, pride march, or pride protest) is an event celebrating lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...

called PrideFest in July, the Greek Festival, the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon, and the Steers & Beers Whiskey and Beer Festival in August, and the Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival in nearby

and Arts Month in October. The Colorado Springs Festival of Lights Parade is held the first Saturday in December. The parade is held on Tejon Street in Downtown Colorado Springs.

Breweries

In 2017, Colorado had the third-most craft breweries at 348. Breweries and microbreweries have become popular in Colorado Springs, which hosts over 30 of them.

Religious institutions

Although houses of worship of almost every major world religion are within the city, Colorado Springs has in particular attracted a large influx of

Evangelical Christians Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian g ...

and Christian organizations in recent years. At one time Colorado Springs was the national headquarters for 81 different religious organizations, earning the city the tongue-in-cheek nicknames "the Evangelical Vatican" and "The Christian Mecca". Religious groups with regional or international headquarters in Colorado Springs include: *

Association of Christian Schools International The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), founded in 1978, is an international organization of evangelical Christian schools. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It offers tiers of oversight, from school accredit ...

Biblica Biblica, formerly International Bible Society, was founded in 1809 and is the worldwide copyright holder of the New International Version of the Bible (NIV), licensing commercial rights to Zondervan in the United States and to Hodder & Stoughton ...

*Children's HopeChest *Community Bible Study *

Compassion International Compassion International is an American child sponsorship and Christian humanitarian aid organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that aims to positively influence the long-term development of children globally who live in pover ...

* David C. Cook/

Integrity Music Integrity Music is part of the David C. Cook nonprofit group. Founded as a direct-to-consumer music club in 1987 as ''Integrity Music'', Integrity was at the forefront of contemporary worship music's widespread popularity of praise and worshi ...

*Development Associates International *Engineering Ministries International *

Family Talk ''Family Talk'' is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1993 and features performances of six of Abrams compositions by Abrams, Jack Walrath, Patience Higgins, Brad Jones, Warren Smith and Reggie Nichols ...

Focus on the Family Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is an American Christian fundamentalism, Evangelical Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of Evangel ...

*Global Action *

HCJB HCJB, "The Voice of the Andes", was the first radio station with daily programming in 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. ...

*Hope & Home * The Navigators *One Child Matters *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs The Diocese of Colorado Springs () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in central Colorado in the United States. St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the diocese in Colorado Springs. The Diocese of Color ...

* VisionTrust *

WayFM Network The WayFM Network is a national, non-profit radio broadcasting network in the United States, primarily playing Christian adult contemporary music. While WayFM is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, it operates stations in 12 states (), with co ...

Young Life Young Life is a global Christian parachurch organization reaching out to middle school, high school, and college-aged young people based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Young Life's mission statement is "Introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and ...

Marijuana

Although Colorado voters approved

Colorado Amendment 64 Colorado Amendment 64 was a successful popular initiative ballot measure to amend the Constitution of the State of Colorado, outlining a statewide drug policy for cannabis. The measure passed on November 6, 2012, and along with a similar mea ...

, a constitutional amendment in 2012 legalizing retail sales of marijuana for recreational purposes, the Colorado Springs city council voted not to permit retail shops in the city, as was allowed in the amendment. Medical marijuana outlets continue to operate in Colorado Springs. In 2015, there were 91 medical marijuana clinics in the city, which reported sales of $59.6 million in 2014, up 11 percent from the previous year but without

recreational Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or plea ...

marijuana shops. On April 26, 2016, Colorado Springs city council decided to extend the current six-month moratorium to eighteen months with no new licenses to be granted until May 2017. A scholarly paper suggested the city would give up $25.4 million in tax revenue and fees if the city continued to thwart the industry from opening within the city limits. As of March 1, 2018, there were 131 medical marijuana centers and no recreational cannabis stores. As of 2019 Colorado Springs is still one of seven towns that have only allowed for medical marijuana.

In popular culture

Colorado Springs has been the subject of or setting for many books, films and television shows, and is 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 Woman'', ''

Homicide Hunter ''Homicide Hunter'' (also known as ''Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda'') is an American crime documentary television series which aired on the Investigation Discovery (ID) television network for nine seasons, totalling 144 episodes. The series show ...

'' and the ''

Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...

'' series ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrig ...

'', as well as the films ''

WarGames ''WarGames'' is a 1983 American techno-thriller film directed by John Badham, written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes, and starring Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood and Ally Sheedy. Broderick plays David Lightman, a ...

'', ''

The Prestige ''The Prestige'' is a 1995 epistolary science fantasy mystery novel by Christopher Priest. It tells the story of a prolonged feud between two stage magicians in late 1800s England. Its main structure is that of a collection of diaries that ...

'', and ''

BlacKkKlansman ''BlacKkKlansman'' is a 2018 American biographical film, biographical Crime film, crime comedy-drama film directed by Spike Lee and written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Lee, loosely based on the 2014 memoir ''Black K ...

''. In a North Korean propaganda video released in April 2013, Colorado Springs was singled out as one of four targets for a missile strike. The video failed to pinpoint Colorado Springs on the map, instead showing a spot somewhere in Louisiana.

Sports

Olympic sports

US Olympic Committee Headquarters by David Shankbone

Colorado Springs, dubbed Olympic City USA, is home to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and the headquarters of the

United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado ...

and the

United States Anti-Doping Agency The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

. Further, over 50 national sports organizations (non-Olympic) headquarter in Colorado Springs. These include the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Sports Incubator, a various non-Olympic Sports (such as USA Ultimate), and more. Colorado Springs and Denver hosted the

1962 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1962 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 29th edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Colorado Springs and Denver, United States from 8 to 18 March 1962. This was the first World Championship hosted in No ...

. The city has a long association with the sport of

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...

, having hosted the

U.S. Figure Skating Championships The U.S. Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition organized by U.S. Figure Skating to crown the national champions of the United States. The first U.S. Championships were held in 1914 in New Haven, Connecticut, a ...

six times and the

World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). The first World Championships were held in 1896 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and they have been held e ...

five times. It is home to the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame and the

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 b ...

, a notable training center for the sport. In recent years, the

Broadmoor World Arena The Broadmoor World Arena was a ice skating, skating rink and ice hockey, hockey arena located at The Broadmoor Resort & Spa in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Originally an outdoor equestrian center and riding academy, the building was enclosed and ...

has hosted skating events such as

Skate America Skate America is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by U.S. Figure Skating. The first Skate America was in held in 1979 in Lake Placid, New York, as a test event fo ...

and the

Four Continents Figure Skating Championships The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The ISU e ...

Baseball

Colorado Springs is home to a professional baseball team, the

Rocky Mountain Vibes The Rocky Mountain Vibes are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, an MLB Partner League. They are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and play their home games at UCHealth Park. As a result of a contraction of Minor League Ba ...

, who are a member of the Pioneer League, an MLB Partner League.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as ''The Race to the Clouds,'' is an annual invitational automobile and motorcycle hill climb to the summit of

, every year on the last Sunday of June. The highway wasn't completely paved until 2011.

Local professional teams

Local collegiate teams

The local colleges feature many sports teams. Notable among them are several nationally competitive NCAA Division I teams:

(Falcons) Football, Basketball and Hockey and

(Tigers) Hockey, and Women's Soccer.

Rodeo

Colorado Springs was the original headquarters of the

Professional Bull Riders The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is the largest bull riding league in the world, sanctioning hundreds of events every yea ...

(PBR) from its founding in 1992 until 2005, when the organization was moved to

Parks and recreation

The city's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services manage 136 neighborhood parks, eight community parks, seven regional parks, and five sports complexes, totaling . They also manage of trails, of which are park trails and are urban. There are of open space in 48 open-space areas.

Parks

is on Colorado Springs's western edge. It is a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best e ...

, with red/orange sandstone rock formations often viewed against a backdrop of the snow-capped Pikes Peak. This park is free to the public and offers many recreational opportunities, such as hiking, rock climbing, cycling, horseback riding and tours. It offers a variety of annual events, one of the most popular of which is the Starlight Spectacular, a recreational bike ride held every summer to benefit the Trails and Open Space Coalition of Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs has several major city parks, such as Palmer Park, America the Beautiful Park in downtown, Memorial Park, which includes many sports fields, an indoor swimming pool and skating rink, a skateboard bowl and two half-pipes, and

Monument Valley Park Monument Valley Park is a historic, recreational park in Colorado Springs, Colorado through which Monument Creek flows. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing and is on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. Geograp ...

, which has walking and biking paths, an outdoor swimming pool and

pickleball Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played i ...

courts. Monument Valley Park also has Tahama Spring, the original spring in Colorado Springs. Austin Bluffs Park affords a place of recreation in eastern Colorado Springs. El Paso County Regional Parks include Bear Creek Regional Park, Bear Creek Dog Park, Fox Run Regional Park and

Fountain Creek Regional Park and Nature Center Fountain Creek Regional Park and Nature Center is a park and nature center in Fountain, El Paso County, Colorado near Colorado Springs. Overview The park is free with a nature center and nature trails for hiking, leashed pet walking and horseback ...

. Ponderosa pine (''

Pinus ponderosa ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is th ...

''), Gambel oak (''

Quercus gambelii ''Quercus gambelii'', with the common name Gambel oak, is a deciduous small tree or large shrub that is widespread in the foothills and lower mountains of western North America. It is also regionally called scrub oak, oak brush, and white oak. T ...

''), narrowleaf yucca (''

Yucca angustissima ''Yucca angustissima'', the narrowleaf yucca, is a plant in the family Agavaceae, known as the "narrow-leaved yucca." It is native to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, but grown elsewhere as an ornamental. ''Yucca angustissima'' is a low-ly ...

'', syn. ''Yucca glauca'') and prickly pear cactus (''

Opuntia macrorhiza ''Opuntia macrorhiza,'' also called plains pricklypear or prairie pricklypear or western pricklypear, is a common and widespread species of cactus. Description ''O. macrorhiza'' is one of the shorter species of the genus, rarely over 30 ...

'').

Trails

Three trails, the New Santa Fe Regional Trail,

Pikes Peak Greenway Pikes Peak Greenway is a trail in Colorado Springs, Colorado that parallels Monument Creek (Arkansas River), Monument and Fountain Creek (Arkansas River), Fountain Creeks and winds through and alongside parks, like Monument Valley Park, and spor ...

and Fountain Creek Regional Trail, form a continuous path from

Palmer Lake Palmer Lake is a Statutory Town in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,636 at the 2020 census. Palmer Lake was founded by General William Jackson Palmer in 1871 and was incorporated in 1889. Palmer Lake is one of th ...

, through Colorado Springs, to

Fountain, Colorado The City of Fountain is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality located in El Paso County, Colorado, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 29,802 at the 2020 United States census ...

. The majority of the trail between Palmer Lake and Fountain is a soft surface breeze gravel trail. A major segment of the trail within the Colorado Springs city limits is paved. The trails, except

trails, may be used for equestrian traffic. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the trails. Many of the trails are interconnected, having main spine trails, like the Pikes Peak Greenway, that lead to secondary trails.

Government

On November 2, 2010, Colorado Springs voters adopted a council-

strong mayor Strong may refer to: Education * The Strong, an educational institution in Rochester, New York, United States * Strong Hall (Lawrence, Kansas), an administrative hall of the University of Kansas * Strong School, New Haven, Connecticut, United ...

form of government. The City of Colorado Springs transitioned to the new system of government in 2011. Under the council-strong mayor system of government, the mayor is the chief executive and the city council is the legislative branch. The mayor is a full-time elected position and not a member of the council. The council has nine members, six of whom represent one of six equally populated districts each. The remaining three members are elected at-large.

Colorado Springs City Hall The Colorado Springs City Hall is a municipal building in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. History Built in 1904, the 2 story Classical Revival architecture, Classical Revival building was ...

was built from 1902 to 1904 on land donated by W. S. Stratton.

City council

The Colorado Springs City Council consists of nine elected officials, six of whom represent districts and three of whom represent the city at-large. * District 1 – Dave Donelson * District 2 – Randy Helms – ''Council President'' * District 3 – Michelle Talarico * District 4 – Yolanda Avila * District 5 – Nancy Henjum * District 6 – Mike O'Malley * At-large – Lynette Crow-Iverson – ''Council President Pro Tem'' * At-large – David Leinweber * At-large – Brian Risley

Politics

In 2017, Caleb Hannan wrote in ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'' that Colorado Springs was "staunchly Republican", "a right-wing counterweight to liberal

Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...

", and that a study ranked it "the fourth most conservative city in America". In 2016, Hannan wrote that downtown Colorado Springs had a different political vibe from the overall area's and that there were "superficial signs of changing demographics". Since 2020, Colorado Springs has continued to shift towards the political center. In 2022, Governor

Jared Polis Jared Schutz Polis ( ; ; born May 12, 1975) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 43rd governor of Colorado since 2019. He served one term on the Colorado State Board of Education from 2001 to 2007, and five terms as the Unite ...

won the city in his bid for reelection. In the 2023 mayoral election, independent candidate

Yemi Mobolade Blessing Adeyemi Mobolade (born February 12, 1979) is a Nigerian-American businessman and politician. He is the 42nd mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado, being sworn in on June 6, 2023. Early life and career Yemi Mobolade was born and raised i ...

handily won the race and became the first elected non-Republican mayor of the city.

Education

Primary and secondary education

Public schools The public education in the city is divided into several school districts: *

Colorado Springs School District 11 The Colorado Springs School District 11 (District 11 or D-11) is the central school district of Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a po ...

(center of the city) *

Academy School District 20 Academy District 20 is a school district located in El Paso County, Colorado. It is in the northern part of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado and the area surrounding the Air Force Academy. List of schools Elementary *Ac ...

(north end) * Falcon School District 49 (east side) * Widefield School District 3 (south end) * Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 (far south end) * Harrison School District 2 (south central area) * James Irwin Charter High School (east central area) *

Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 The Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 (D12) is a public school district in southwestern Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. List of schools There are eight schools in the Cheyenne Mountain School District. In addition to these schools ...

(southwest corner) * The Vanguard School,

CIVA Charter High School CIVA Charter High School, whose acronym stands for Character, Integrity, Vision, and the Arts, is a public charter school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. It is authorized by Colorado Springs District 11. References External links ...

and The Classical Academy are charter schools. Private schools *

schools including within the boundaries of the city ** Corpus Christi Catholic School – PreK-8 ** Divine Redeemer Catholic School – PreK-8 ** St. Gabriel Classical Academy – PreK-3 ** St. Paul Catholic School – PreK-8 * St. Mary's High School – an independent Catholic high school * Fountain Valley School of Colorado – a residential high school established in 1930 with a current enrollment of about 240. *

The Colorado Springs School The Colorado Springs School (CSS), on the estate formerly known as Claremont, is a private, nonprofit, college preparatory school serving pre-kindergarten to 12th grade in Colorado Springs. The campus is located on the former Claremont Estate, ...

– a preK-12 school established in 1962 with a current enrollment of about 300. *

Colorado Springs Christian Schools Colorado Springs Christian Schools is a 501c3 private Christian school system in the cities of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Woodland Park, Colorado. It has a "Colorado Springs Campus" at 4855 Mallow Road, and a "Woodland Park Campus", at 1003 ...

– A PreK–12th grade Christian school with two campuses started in 1972 and with an enrollment of about 1,150 in 2021. * Evangelical Christian Academy – a preK-12 school established in 1971 with a current enrollment of about 350. * Pikes Peak Christian School – a preK-12 Christian school with a current enrollment of about 210 In addition the state of Colorado runs the

Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (CSDB) is a K-12 residential school, located on Knob Hill, east of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, near the famous laboratory of Nikola Tesla. The school was founded in 1874 as ''The Colorado Ins ...

, a residential school for people up to age 21 and established in 1874, in the city.

Higher education

Air Force Academy Doolittle Hall by David Shankbone

State institutions offering bachelors and graduate degree programs in Colorado Springs include the

(UCCS) with more than 12,000 students and

which offers mostly two-year degree associate degrees. The

is a federal institution offering bachelor's degrees for officer candidates. Private non-profit institutions include

established in 1874 with about 2,000 undergraduates.

Colorado Christian University Colorado Christian University (CCU) is a private Christian university in Lakewood, Colorado, United States. CCU was founded by Clifton Fowler in 1914 as the Denver Bible Institute. History CCU's heritage dates back to the formation of Denver Bi ...

has its Colorado Springs Center in the city. Private for-profit institutions include

whose main campus is in Colorado Springs and IntelliTec College a technical training school.

Transportation

Roads

runs north and south through Colorado, and traverses the city for nearly , entering the city south of Circle Drive and exiting north of North Gate Boulevard. In El Paso County it is known as Ronald Reagan Highway. An Interstate 25 bypass was approved in 2010. A number of state and U.S. highways serve the city. State Highway 21 is a major east side semi-expressway from

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

to Fountain, known locally and co-signed as Powers Boulevard. State Highway 83 runs north–south from central Denver to northern Colorado Springs. State Highway 94 runs east–west from western Cheyenne County to eastern Colorado Springs where it terminates at

US 24 U.S. Route 24 or U.S. Highway 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States Numbered Highways of 1926 which runs east and west for most of its routing. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Misso ...

. US 24 is a major route through the city and county, providing access to Woodland Park via Ute Pass to the west and downtown, Nob Hill and numerous suburbs to the east. It is co-signed with Platte Ave after SH 21 and originally carried local traffic through town. The Martin Luther King Jr Bypass runs from I-25 near Circle Drive along Fountain Blvd to SH 21, then east again. State Highway 115 begins in

Cañon City A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to ...

, traveling north along the western edge of Fort Carson; when it reaches the city limits it merges with Nevada Avenue, a signed Business Route of US 85. US 85 and SH 115 are concurrent between Lake Avenue and I-25.

US 85 U.S. Route 85 (US 85) is a north–south United States Highway that travels in the Mountain and Northern Plains states of the United States. The southern terminus of the highway is at the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas, connecting w ...

enters the city at Fountain and was signed at Venetucci Blvd, Lake Avenue, and Nevada Avenue at various points in history; however most of US 85 is concurrent with I-25 and is not signed. In 2004, the voters of Colorado Springs and El Paso County established the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority.

Airport

Colorado Springs Airport City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport , simply known as Colorado Springs Airport, is a city-owned public civil-military airport southeast of downtown Colorado Springs, in El Paso County, Colorado, United States., effective May 15, 2025. I ...

(COS; ICAO: KCOS) has been in operation since 1925. It is the second-largest commercial airport in the state, after

Denver International Airport Denver International Airport , often referred to by locals as DIA, is an international airport in the Western United States, primarily serving metropolitan Denver, Colorado, as well as the greater Front Range Urban Corridor. At , Effective Ju ...

(DEN; ICAO: KDEN). It covers of land at an elevation of approximately . COS is considered to be a joint-use civilian and military airport, as

is a tenant of the airport. It has three paved runways: 17L/35R is , the runway 17R/35L is and the runway 13/31 is . The airport handled 2,134,618 passengers in 2022, and is served by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Avelo Avelo Airlines, Inc. () is an American ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Houston, Texas. It previously operated charter flights as ''Casino Express Airlines'' and ''Xtra Airways'' before transitioning to scheduled operations and rebrandi ...

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

Sun Country Sun Country Airlines is an ultra-low cost airline in the United States. Based at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport with headquarters on airport property, Sun Country operates to about 140 destinations in the United States, Canada, ...

, and

United United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

Railroads

Freight service is provided by

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

and

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

. Once an important hub, the city was once served by four Class 1 railroads, as well as a number of smaller operators, some of which were

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

, and an extensive

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

system, the

Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway The Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway (CS & IRR, CS&IR) was an electric trolley system in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area that operated from 1902 to 1932. The company was formed when Winfield Scott Stratton purchased Colorado Springs Rap ...

. Currently there is no intercity passenger service; the last remaining services connecting the Front Range cities ceased with the formation of

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

in 1971.

Front Range Passenger Rail Front Range Passenger Rail is a proposed Intercity rail, intercity passenger train service along the Front Range urban corridor, Front Range and broader Interstate 25, I-25 corridors in Colorado and Wyoming. Most proposals envision a route from ...

is a current proposal (as of 2023) to link the cities from

in the south, north to

Fort Collins A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

and possibly

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Wyoming, most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 reside ...

Bicycling

As of 2017, Colorado Springs has of bike lanes and of paved trails. PikeRide is a local electric bike-share program that operates in urban core, Old Colorado City, and Manitou Springs. In April 2018, the Colorado Springs City Council approved a Bike Master Plan. The vision of the city's Bike Master Plan is "a healthy and vibrant Colorado Springs where bicycling is one of many transportation options for a large portion of the population, and where a well-connected and well-maintained network of urban trails, single-track, and on-street infrastructure offers a bicycling experience for present and future generations that is safe, convenient, and fun for getting around, getting in shape, or getting away." Bike lanes in Colorado Springs have not been deployed without controversy. According to ''The Gazette'', their readers "have mixed feelings for new bike lanes." In December 2016, the City removed a bike lane along Research Parkway due to overwhelming opposition; an online survey found that 80.5% of respondents opposed the bike lane. ''The Gazette'' has stated that since the Bike Master Plan was adopted by city council, "no issue has elicited more argument in ''The Gazette'' pages," and due to this immense public interest, on February 25, 2019, ''The Gazette'' hosted a

town hall meeting Town hall meetings, also referred to as town halls or town hall forums, are a way for local and national politicians to meet with their constituents either to hear from them on topics of interest or to discuss specific upcoming legislation or ...

called "Battle of the Bike Lanes".

Walkability

A 2011 study by

Walk Score Walk Score, a subsidiary of Redfin, provides walkability analysis and apartment search tools. Its flagship product is a large-scale, public access walkability index that assigns a numerical walkability score to any address in the United States, U ...

ranked Colorado Springs 34th most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities. MMT J1804 On Route 3

Buses

Mountain Metropolitan Transit (commonly referred to as MMT) is the primary public transportation provider for the Colorado Springs metropolitan region. MMT operates thirty-four bus routes, providing service for Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, and Security-Widefield. The Downtown Terminal is the system's main hub, with the Citadel Mall, PPSC, and Chapel Hills Mall acting as secondary transfer stations. Mountain Metro Mobility is an

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...

(ADA) federally mandated complementary ADA paratransit service, which provides demand-response service for individuals with mobility needs that prevent them from using the fixed-route bus system.

Intercity bus service An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public t ...

is available through the state-ran

Bustang Bustang is an intercity bus service in the U.S. state of Colorado. Service began in 2015 and originally traveled between Denver and Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Glenwood Springs. Service has since been expanded to connect Grand Junction ...

service and

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

. Bustang runs frequent trips to Denver, and daily trips to Lamar via Pueblo.

Neighborhoods and historic places

* Anderosa Neighborhood * Banning Lewis Ranch Neighborhood * Black Forest Neighborhood *

Boulder Crescent Place Historic District Boulder Crescent Place Historic District is a historic area in Colorado Springs, Colorado along West Boulder and Cascade Avenue near the intersection of the two streets. It is a National Register of Historic Places listingBroadmoor Neighborhood * Broadmoor Bluffs Neighborhood * Broadmoor Hills Neighborhood * Broadmoor Oaks Neighborhood * Cheyenne Hills Neighborhood * Cimarron Hills Neighborhood * Clearview Estates Neighborhood * Colorado Centre Neighborhood * Columbine Estates Neighborhood * Cragmor Neighborhood * Deerfield Hills Neighborhood * Discovery Neighborhood * Divine Redeemer Neighborhood * Downtown * Eastborough Neighborhood * Falcon Estates Neighborhood * Fountain Valley Ranch Neighborhood * Garden Ranch Neighborhood * Gateway Park Neighborhood * Gleneagle Neighborhood * Historic Uptown Neighborhood * Holland Park Neighborhood * Indian Heights Neighborhood * Interquest Neighborhood * Ivywild Neighborhood * Kettle Creek Neighborhood * Kissing Camels Neighborhood * Knob Hill Neighborhood * Lowell Neighborhood * Manitou Springs * Mesa Neighborhood * Middle Creek Neighborhood * Middle Shooks Run Neighborhood * Mountain Shadows Neighborhood * Northgate Neighborhood * Norwood Neighborhood * Oak Hills Neighborhood * Oak Valley Ranch Neighborhood *

* Old Farm Neighborhood *

Old North End Historic District Old North End Historic District may refer to: * Old North End Historic District (Colorado Springs, Colorado) * Old North End Historic District (Columbus, Ohio) {{Disambiguation ...

* Park Hill Neighborhood * Patty Jewett Neighborhood * Papeton/Venetian Village Neighborhood * Peregrine Neighborhood * Pheasant Run Ranch Neighborhood * Pikes Peak Park Neighborhood * Pikeview/Pinecliff Neighborhood * Pine Creek Neighborhood * Pinon Valley Neighborhood * Pulpit Rock Neighborhood * Ridgeview Neighborhood * Rockrimmon Neighborhood * Roswell Neighborhood * Rustic Hills Neighborhood * Security * Shooks Run Neighborhood * Southborough Neighborhood * Stetson Hills Neighborhood * Spring Creek Neighborhood * Springs Ranch Neighborhood * Stratmoor Hills Neighborhood * Stratmoor Valley Neighborhood * Stratton Meadows Neighborhood * Sundown Neighborhood * Trailridge Neighborhood * Wagon Trails Neighborhood *

Weber-Wahsatch Historic District The Weber-Wahsatch Historic District is a residential neighborhood located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Renowned for its rich architectural diversity and historical significance, the district was added to the National Register of Historic Plac ...

* Widefield * Wolf Ranch Neighborhood * Venetian Village Neighborhood * Villa Loma Neighborhood * Village Seven Neighborhood See also

National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Springs, Colorado National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Notable people

Sister cities

Colorado Springs'

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

are: *

Fujiyoshida is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,782 in 19,806 households and a population density of 400 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Fujiyoshida lie ...

, Yamanashi, Japan (1962) *

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

, Taiwan (1983) *

Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...

, Kyrgyzstan (1994) *

Nuevo Casas Grandes Nuevo Casas Grandes is a city and the seat of the Nuevo Casas Grandes Municipality in northern Mexico. It is located in the northwestern part of the States of Mexico, state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua, on the Casas Grandes or San Miguel river ...

, Chihuahua, Mexico (1996) *

Canterbury-Bankstown Canterbury-Bankstown is a customary region of Sydney, Australia, in Inner South-Western Sydney. The region is located to the north of the St George region (from which it is separated by Wolli Creek) and to the south of the Inner West region ...

, Sydney, Australia (1999) * Olympia,

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

, Greece (2014) *

Kranj Kranj (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, fourth-largest city in Slovenia and the largest urban center of the traditional region of Upper Carniola (northwestern Slovenia) and the Slovene Alps. It is located approximately northwest o ...

, Slovenia (2022) ;Suspended sistership *

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

Smolensk Oblast Smolensk Oblast (), informally also called Smolenshchina (), is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Smolensk. As of the 2021 Russ ...

, Russia (1993–2022) Colorado Springs's sister city organization began when it 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, crisscrossed bridge and shrine, in the median between Platte and Bijou Streets downtown, 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. In 2006 and 2010, the Bankstown TAP (Talent Advancement Program) performed with the Youth Symphony and the Colorado Springs Children's Chorale as part of the annual "In Harmony" program. A notable similarity between Colorado Springs and its sister cities is their geographic positions: three of the seven cities are near the foot of a major mountain or mountain range, as is Colorado Springs.

Notes

References

External links

*
CDOT map of the City of Colorado Springs

Visit Colorado Springs official website
{{Authority control Cities in Colorado County seats in Colorado Pikes Peak Populated places established in 1871 Cities in El Paso County, Colorado Former colonial and territorial capitals in the United States 1871 establishments in Colorado Territory