Colorado Springs Colorado

Colorado Springs is a town along the Front Range, the hills that rise up out of the Great Plains and form the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Location

Colorado Springs covers 186 square miles. At an elevation of around six thousand feet, it is higher than Denver. The closest big city is Denver, of which Colorado Springs is sometimes considered a suburb. The nearest city of over a million people is Los Angeles.

Colorado Springs is 99% urban. Yet it isn’t an urban wasteland; it orders Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and Pike National Forest. Pikes Peak is nearby.

Climate

Colorado Springs has a dry, continental climate with cold winters and moderate summers. It gets most of its limited precipitation in July and August. Most snow falls in March and April. It gets more tornado activity than the rest of Colorado.

Colorado Springs City Demographics

Colorado Springs is home to about half a million people when suburbs like Fountain and Woodland Park are included.

Economy

A disproportionate share of the Colorado Springs city economy is propelled by the military. Colorado Springs is the home of Fort Carson, an army base which employs around 10% of the local workforce. It houses the 4th Infantry Division. Cheyenne Mountain, the nuclear-bomb proof bunker and former NORAD command center built into Cheyenne Mountain, is several miles away. Peterson Air Force Base, the new home of NORAD and the United States Northern Command Headquarters, is several miles from Colorado Springs. Peterson Air Force Base employs another 4% of the workforce. Schriever Air Force Base comes in next at 3%. Schriever Air Force Base hosts the 50th space wing, responsible primarily for military communications, warning and spy satellites.

Education is another major part of the Colorado Springs economy. A University of Colorado campus is located in Colorado Springs. The University of the Rockies, Pikes Peak Community College, Pima Medical Institute, Colorado College, Nazarene Bible College, and a number of trade schools host thousands of students and provide almost as many jobs. In addition, Colorado Springs houses the Air Force Academy. Around four thousand students attend the Air Force Academy.

There is significant tourism in Colorado Springs, such as those who come to visit the unique Air Force Academy Chapel, the Ghost Town Museum and the many ranches in the area. Garden of the Gods is nearby. Pikes Peak is a major attraction.
Colorado Springs has a lower than average income, per capita income and housing prices than the rest of Colorado.

Government is a major employer in Colorado Springs city and environs, even excluding the military. It is the county seat of El Paso County, Colorado. Defense contractors like L-3, Lockheed Martin and Boeing have facilities in the city. The school district for the city and county employ around 2.5% of the workforce.
Mining remains a major source of employment in the area. Westmoreland Coal Company has facilities in the area. Golden Cycle Cold Corp, a gold and silver mining company, also operates out of Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs has both a municipal airport and USAF airport.

Trivia

Colorado Springs is called Little London and the Newport in the Rockies.

Colorado Springs is the headquarters for the U.S. Olympic Committee and training center. It has hosted six U.S. Figure Skating Championships plus five world championships.