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Colorado Springs is a large city located just east of the geographic center of the U.S. state of Colorado. It has a population of 360,890 (according to the 2000 census) making it the second largest city in Colorado and the 49th-largest city in the United States. It is also a large part of the metropoltian area of the Front Range. The capital of Colorado, Denver, is 68 miles to the north. At an elevation of 6,035 feet, Colorado Springs is over a mile above sea level, though some areas of the city are significantly higher. The city itself is situated near the base of one of the most famous American peaks, Pikes Peak, on the east side of the Rocky Mountains. The city is the county seat of El Paso County.

Today, Colorado Springs has many features of a modern urban area, such as parks, bike trails, urban open-area spaces, business and commerce, theatres and other entertainment. It was first established as a posh resort community and the tourist industry has remained strong and offers many activities and attractions.

The Springs also has its share of problems: overcrowded roads and highways, crime, and government budget issues. Many of the problems arising are indirectly or directly caused by the city's difficulty in coping with the large population growth experienced in the last 20 years.

A large number of religious organizations and churches make their headquarters here, particularly Evangelical Christians. Many high-tech businesses reside in the city, including a large number of chip manufacturers (e.g. Intel). Colorado Springs is also home to a large number of military installations and important national defense agencies. It is also home to the United States Air Force Academy, one of only five military academies in the entire country.

History

General William Palmer, City Founder

Colorado Springs was founded in August 1871 by General William Palmer, with the intention of creating a high quality resort community, and was soon nicknamed "Little London" because of the many English tourists who came. Nearby Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods made the city's location a natural.

Within two years his flagship resort the Antlers Hotel opened, welcoming U.S. and international travellers as well as health-seekers looking for the high altitude and dry climate, and Palmer's visions of a thriving, quality resort town were coming true. Soon after he founded and owned the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, a critical regional railroad. Afterwards he maintained his presence in the city's early days by making many grants or sales of land to many important civic institutions in the community. Palmer and his wife saw Colorado Springs develop into one of the most popular travel destinations in the United States.

The town of Palmer Lake and a geographic feature called the Palmer Divide (and other more minor features) are named after him, and a bronze sculpture of Palmer on his horse is prominently displayed downtown in the center of a busy intersection.

America the Beautiful was written by visiting English professor Katharine Lee Bates in August 1893, while she stayed at the Antlers Hotel after visiting the top of nearby Pikes Peak.

Old Colorado City and the Colorado Gold Rush

Colorado Springs' present downtown location, where General Palmer first founded the city, is due to Palmer's dislike of nearby rough-and-ready Colorado City and its many saloons; Palmer ensured his new city stayed alcohol free by buying a huge tract of land to the east of Colorado City and in fact, Colorado Springs stayed dry until the end of Prohibition in 1933.

In its earliest days of 1859-1860, Colorado City was a major supply route of supplies for miners in the South Park, where a major strike in the Colorado Gold Rush was found. Routes further north from present-day Denver's area proved more effective, and as only a few very minor gold finds were made in the Pikes Peak region, commerce instead shifted towards serving the agriculture of Colorado's eastern plains. (Eventually General Palmer's Denver & Rio Grande Railroad would snake from Denver into the South Park.)

Colorado City was the county seat of El Paso County until 1873, when the courthouse moved to Colorado Springs.

Colorado City also briefly (and unofficially) served as Colorado's territorial capital starting on July 7, 1862. By this time the town's fortunes were already waning. The territorial legislature met in a log cabin on Colorado Avenue, and on August 14, 1862 the legislature approved an act which named Golden as the territorial capital. Colorado City was never recognized by the Federal government as the territorial capital.

In 1891, very major gold strikes were made in Cripple Creek and Victor, on the other side of Pike's Peak from Colorado City, and suddenly supplies were needed for this last major phase of the Colorado Gold Rush and the town's big boom was on. Eventually Colorado City was processing much of the gold ore as Palmer's railroads connected the areas.

W. S. Stratton, early benefactor

In 1891, Winfield Scott Stratton discovered and developed one of the richest gold mines on earth in the nearby Cripple Creek and Victor area, and was perhaps the most generous early contributor to those communities and to Colorado Springs.

After he made his fortune he declined to build a mansion as the other gold rush millionaires were doing; instead, in later years, he lived in a house in Colorado Springs he had built when he was a carpenter in pre-gold days.

In Colorado Springs, he funded the Myron Stratton Home for housing itinerant childen and the elderly, donated land for City Hall, the Post Office, the Courthouse (which now houses the Pioneer Museum), and a park; he also greatly expanded the city's trolley car system and built the Mining Exchange building, and gave to all three communities in many other ways, great and small.

Unfortunately, as Stratton's generosity became known, he also was approached by many people looking for money, and he became reclusive and eccentric in his later years.

Spencer Penrose, early benefactor

Spencer Penrose also made his mark on Colorado Springs in its early years--though not until two decades after its founding. Penrose started as a ladies-man and an adventurer who made a huge fortune in the gold fields of nearby Cripple Creek in the 1890s, then married Julie Villiers Lewis McMillan, and settled down considerably.

Penrose used his vast amounts of money to invest in other national mineral concerns and financed construction of the Broadmoor Hotel, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, the Pikes Peak Highway, an important local hospital, and established the El Pomar Foundation, which still oversees many of his contributions in Colorado Springs today.

The End of the Colorado Gold Rush

The flow of gold and silver ebbed as the decades passed, and Colorado City's economic fortunes faded with it; the miners and those who processed the ore left or retired and the town was absorbed by Colorado Springs in 1917. Then "Old Colorado City" became a quaint old Victorian and brick neighborhood in the west part of Colorado Springs, with National Historic District status and a bustling main street of businesses, tourism, antique shops, and Victorian charm.

Latter 20th century military boom

Colorado Springs saw its first military base in 1942 shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked. It was during this time the U.S. Army established Camp Carson near the southern borders of the city in order to train and house troops in preparation for the Second World War. It was also during this time that the Army began using at what was then and still is the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. It was renamed Peterson Field and used as a training base for heavy bombers.

The Army then started to expand Camp Carson, a venture that increased growth in Colorado Springs and provided a significant area of industry for the city. After World War II the military stepped away from the Springs and it seemed the city's military boom was over, Camp Carson was declining and the military was activating and deactivating Peterson Field irregularly. That all changed when the Korean War erupted and the declining Camp Carson of 600 was re-vitalized, along with many parts of the Springs.

After the Korean war, Peterson Field was renamed as Peterson Air Force Base and was permanently activated. In 1954 Camp Carson became Fort Carson, Colorado Spring's first Army post. Later that same year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower chose, out of 300 other sites around the nation, Colorado Springs to be the site of the Air Force's military academy. With a new and growing Army post, an Air Force Base, and the Air Force's military academy, Colorado Spring's growth was jump-started.

The military boom continued and in 1963, NORAD's main facility was built in Cheyenne Mountain. It placed NORAD directly next to Colorado Springs and permanently secured the city's military presence. During the Cold War the city greatly expanded due to increased revenue from various industries and the prevailing military presence in the city. This presence was further increased in 1983 with the founding of Schriever Air Force Base, a base primarily tasked with missile defense and satellite control. Fort Carson and Peterson are still growing and continue to contribute to the city's growth. Headquarters, Air Force Space Command, is located on Peterson AFB.

Geography and climate

Geography

Colorado Springs is located at (38.863443, -104.791914).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 482.1 km² (186.1 mi²). 481.1 km² (185.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (0.21%) is water.

Climate

Colorado Springs averages 250 days of sunshine per year, and receives 15.42 inches of annual precipitation. Average snowfall for the area (included in the previous annual precipitation calculation) is 5.5" in November, 5.7" in December, 5.0" in January, 5.1" in February, 9.4" in March, and 6.3" in April. Average January low and high temperatures are 14°F/ 42°F (-10°C/ 5.5°C) and average July low and high temperatures are 55°F/ 85°F (12.7°C/ 29.4°C). The hottest temperature ever recorded in Colorado Springs was 101°F (38.3°C) on June 7, 1874 and the coldest temperature ever recorded was -32°F (-35.5°C) on January 20, 1883.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 360,890 people, 141,516 households, and 93,117 families residing in the city. The population density was 750.2/km² (1,942.9/mi²). There were 148,690 housing units at an average density of 309.1/km² (800.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.66% White, 6.56% Black or African American, 0.88% Native American, 2.82% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 5.01% from other races, and 3.85% from two or more races. 12.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 141,516 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,081, and the median income for a family was $53,478. Males had a median income of $36,786 versus $26,427 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,496. About 6.1% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions and entertainment

Tourism and attractions

Much of the Springs tourism comes from the area it was built around, most famously Pikes Peak. The city is host to numerous trails and parks due to its close proximity to the Rocky Mountains, making the city a popular destination for its scenery. With the mountains as close as they are the Springs has also gained notority for its rock formations and other geological features. There are many attractions in the area, including:

According to the Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau, the area attracts some six million visitors yearly. Colorado Springs is served by the Colorado Springs Airport.

Transportation

Colorado Springs is served by an extensive bus system called Metro (short for Mountain Metropolitan Transit). The system serves most of the city and its nearest suburbs. Taxicabs are available by phone or can usually be chartered at the airport or downtown.

Recently the city has been said to have the worst traffic congestion for a city its size.http://www.highplainsmessenger.com/2006/05/tollroad_concept_gets_nod_from.php In order to combat the congestion the Colorado Department of transportation is in the process of widening the I-25 corridor throughout the city from four lanes(two each direction) to six lanes. Ultimately, the plan is to make the interstate eight lanes through the city when funding becomes available.http://www.cosmixproject.com/

Because of the city's rapid growth and traffic congestion there have been several plans suggested for the development of a loop around Colorado Springs to allow people to pass around the city instead of through the middle where traffic is worst. Since 1964, Powers Boulevard corridor was designed for the development of a loop around the city and there were high hopes that it would be developed into one. In past years retail stores have secured sites adjacent to Powers Boulevard that have made it unlikely that the Powers loop will ever be completed as originally planned.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20040325/ai_n10032211 The transportation plan for the city is named the ITP (Intermodal Transportation Plan). This plan was revised in 2002 to include parts of the east-west mobility study that investigated the need as well as the viability of constructing or upgrading major east-west thoroughfares to ease the traffic flow across town. As part of the east-west mobility study it was suggested that Powers Boulevard be reconstructed as a six-lane limited access freeway from I-25 north of town, south to I-25 south of town. *

Other parts of the east-west mobility study include: 1. the widening of Woodmen Road to 6 or 8 lanes from I-25 to Powers Boulevard and the construction of an interchange at Academy Boulevard. There is also the possibility of an express bus system or light rail along Woodmen Road. 2. widening of Austin Bluffs Boulevard to 6 lanes from I-25 to Stetson Hills, as well as connection via Stetson Hills and Barnes to Powers Boulevard. 3. Constructing a connection from Platte Avenue to the I-25/Bijou Street interchange. 4. Upgrading the MLK-bypass to a 6-lane limited access freeway from I-25 to Powers Boulevard. All of these upgrades would most likely be completed by 2020, many of them before 2015. Source: *

Recently another study, the South Metro Accessibility Study, evaluated the improvements needed to the major thoroughfares on the south side of Colorado Springs. The studies suggested alternative includes: 1. Reconstruction of Drennan Road south of it's current location as an expressway.(named Milton-Proby Parkway) 2. Reconstruction of Academy Boulevard to expressway standards from Drennan road to Pikes Peak Community College. 3. Construction of a Drennan/Academy interchange to allow free-flow of traffic. 4. Widening and upgrading of Academy Boulevard to expressway standards from Pikes Peak Community College to Highway-115. 5. Construction of an extended south entrance to the Colorado Springs Airport to the expressway Ultimately, when completed the idea is to improve Academy Boulevard to Expressway status from Highway 115 to Drennan road, and along with drennan, allow an express route from highway-115 to the Colorado Springs Airport. The airports role has been a major part of the design as city planners are hoping to improve the viability of the airport as an alternative to Denver International Airport by the construction of the expressways and improving accessibility to the airport from I-25 as well as the south-eastern part of the city. *

Recently a large group of developers has suggested another possibility for a loop freeway around the Springs. This loop would go through a newly suggested development known as Banning Lewis Ranch. The loop would be a toll road, at least initially. Because of the scope of the Banning Lewis project, no steps have yet been taken to secure the funds necessary to begin constructing the loop. This loop along with the powers loop are among several alternatives being investigated right now, most likely one or both of these will be built. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20040325/ai_n10032211

Summary: If and when all of these projects are completed, the traffic flow in and around Colorado Springs ought to be greatly improved. Overall the new thoroughfares would include one(or two) loop freeways, a spur into the city connecting the main freeway and the loop, east-west expressway upgrades, and easier access to the Colorado Springs Airport.

In addition there are plans to develop a "Front Range Toll Road" which would begin south of Pueblo and end around Fort Collins. This toll road would allow rail and truck traffic to avoid the more highly travelled parts of I-25 along the Front Range. Initially, the project had support but has since been highly contested because of the need to condemn the land of many private citizen, through the use of eminent domain, to make room for the corridor http://www.nosuperslab.org/crap/how_to.html

Colorado Springs is served by the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. It is the second largest airport in the state of Colorado in terms of passenger traffic(Denver International Airport is larger). The airport has experienced a higher recovery rate in the post-9/11 era than the rest of the countryhttp://www.springsgov.com/AirportPage.asp?PageID=4704 and is in the process of expanding its maintenance facilities, taxiways, and runways to accommodate future growth. In 2005 it served approximately two million passengers.http://www.springsgov.com/AirportPage.asp?PageID=4704

Sports teams

Name Sport Founded League Venue Logo

Colorado Springs Sky Sox Baseball 1950 Minor league; Pacific Coast League Security Service Field

Colorado Springs Blizzard Soccer 2004 United Soccer Leagues; USL Premier Development League Security Service Field

Colorado Springs Cricket Club Cricket 1999 Colorado Cricket League

Orchestras

  • Colorado Springs Philharmonic *
  • Colorado Springs Youth Symphony
  • Pikes Peak Philharmonic

Economy

Colorado Spring's economy is driven mainly by the military, the high-tech industry, and tourism, in that order. While the main force behind the city's economy is the military, the city is not completely dependent on it. The city is currently experiencing substantial growth and has been identified as one of the nations top ten fastest growing economieshttp://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2005/10/17/daily38.html?from_rss=1,.

Hi-Tech Industry

A very large part of Colorado Spring's economy is the hi-tech industry with a majority of that industry being manufacturing. In addition to chip manufacturing there is a good amount of R&D done here as well. Many of the companies already in the city have plans to expand there operations and in the past two years there are already plans from other companies to move to the Springs http://www.coloradosprings.org/Publications/Bal_Seal.pdfhttp://www.coloradosprings.org/Publications/dpiX_PressRelease040506.pdf. The hi-tech sector of Colorado Springs has also been listed as one of the fastest growing portions of the Spring's economy. An increasing trend of the high-tech industry is the increase in bio-tech manufacturing and chip manufacturing. Currently the hi-tech industry is second, behind the military, in terms of the revenue generated and people employed, it is also projected for that situation to stay that way.

Major corporations with connections to Colorado Springs economically:

  • Verizon - Software devolpment - has a fairly large engineering presence
  • HP - Computing - large sales, support, and SAN storage engineering center. The location was built by Digital Equipment Corporation, renamed Compaq in the 1998 acquisition of Digital, and finally renamed HP after the 2002 merger.
  • SNIA - Computing - home of the SNIA Technology Center
  • Agilent - Tech manufacturing - HP operated a large facility in the area that was later renamed Agilent in the spinoff.
  • Intel - Chip fabrication, built in 2000, also has plans to expand
  • Atmel - Chip fabrication

Defense

The defense industry is the most productive and largest portion of the Spring's economy with many of the largest employers coming from this sectorhttp://www.coloradosprings.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32. Within the defense industry a large portion of that is the devolpment and operation of various projects of the missile defense agency. Aerospace is also a prominent sector within defense with many aerospace companies basing certain sections in the city. Though R&D plays a significant role in the defense sector of the Springs, the operations side plays a major section as well with Fort Carson, Peterson AFB, Schriever AFB, and NORAD all operating in the area. The defense sector has also posted major projected growth in the next few years, it being the highest of any sector in the city. Defense corporations with ties to Colorado Springs:

Military

The United States Military plays a very important place in the city of Colorado Springs and is one of the major forces that guide the city. The Springs is home to both Army and Air Force bases and their numerous support bases around the county. Fort Carson, the city's biggest military base, was home to the 3rd ACR and will be home to 4th Infantry, boosting the city's population. The city is host to many various training grounds for infantry, armor, and attack helicopters, more specifically the AH-64 Apache. Fort Carson is also the headquarters of the 10th Special Forces Group's second and third battalion, two of the three battalions of the 10th.

The Air Force has a few critical aspects of their service based at Colorado Springs which carry on missile defense operations and devolpment. The Air Force bases a large section of the nation's national missile defense operations, with many parts such as NORAD and Peterson set to operate large sections of the program. Peterson AFB is currently the headquarters of the Air Force's major command Air Force Space Command, the highest level of command in the Air Force. Also Air Force, Schriever AFB operates two GPS satellites used by the Air Force to direct and command various operations. Schriever is also devolping parts of national missile defense and runs parts of the annual wargames used by the nations military.

Colorado Springs is the site of NORAD, short for North American Aerospace Defense Command, which is currently a major part of missile defense, primarily tasked with the tracking of ICBMs. NORAD was seen as the United State's actions to guard itself from the Soviets and caused much anxiety within the city of Colorado Springs. When it was first built many people of the city thought that if WWIII started that they would be the first to go. NORAD still stands and it still a very big part of missile defense but less than previous years. The military also has one of its service academies, the Air Forces, which is tasked primarily with turning out some of the officers of the Air Force. Below are the various military instillations around the city:

Religious institutions

In recent years, Colorado Springs has attracted a large influx of Evangelical Christians and organizations. Evangelical groups with headquarters at Colorado Springs include Compassion International, Focus on the Family, the International Bible Society, The Navigators, Young Life and Youth with a Mission. At one time Colorado Springs was counted to be the national headquarters for 81 different religious organizations, earning the city the tongue-in-cheek nickname "the Protestant Vatican".

The city and surrounding areas also host hundreds of churches and synagogues of many faiths and denominations, including a mosque.

Education

Universities, colleges and special schools include:

Trivia

  • Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, an Emmy Award-winning dramatic television series starring Jane Seymour, was set in this town. Though there was some historical accuracy, the majority of the events and settings were fictional, and actual filming was done at the Paramount Ranch near Agoura Hills, California.
  • Kelsey Grammer's sister was murdered after leaving a Red Lobster in Colorado Springs, Colorado *.
  • Lon Chaney was born in Colorado Springs on April 1 1883. The Lon Chaney Theatre is named for him.
  • Cassandra Peterson (also known as Elvira, Mistress of the Night) attended General William J. Palmer High School in downtown Colorado Springs. She graduated in the class of 1969.
  • Leeann Tweeden worked briefly as a waitress at a local Hooters in the 1991-1992 timeframe.
  • Bobby Unser was born in Colorado Springs on February 20 1934.
  • Actors Michael Boatman and Chase Masterson are from Colorado Springs.
  • The TV series Stargate SG-1 has several episodes which at least partially take place in Colorado Springs; additionally SGC is based out of nearby Cheyenne Mountain, and most of the team members are shown to reside in Colorado Springs.
  • In the movie The Sum Of All Fears the Russian President asks a military advisor how many people live in Colorado Springs, as he weighs the ramifications in the use of nuclear weapons against the city. This highlights the strategic importance of the military-centered city.
  • The movie Independence Day makes reference to the destruction of NORAD, located in the city.
  • Serbian-born American physicist Nikola Tesla built a laboratory in 1899 for his experiments in the wireless transmission of electrical power. Reportedly he shot lightning from his lab back into the sky during a lightning storm.
  • Robert A. Heinlein, noted sci-fi writer during the genre's Golden Age, lived in Colorado Springs during part of his career. His novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress featured at one point the rebel moon government raining rock-filled grain canisters down on NORAD's headquarters inside Cheyenne Mountain, incidentally destroying Colorado Springs because of the great amount of kinetic energy released on impact.
  • Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz lived briefly in Colorado Springs in 1951, on North Franklin Street. Linus and Lucy Van Pelt were neighbors of his, for whom he named characters. He painted a wall of his home with some Peanuts characters. The wall was removed from the home in 2001 and donated to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California.
  • Several scenes of Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit (1987) were filmed at the Broadmoor Hotel. Several courtroom scenes in the Perry Mason movie series were filmed in the courtroom exhibit at the Pioneer's Museum (formerly the El Paso County Courthouse).
  • Professional kickboxer, wrestler and actor Bob "The Beast" Sapp was born in Colorado Springs and attended Mitchel High School.

Sister cities

Sister cities of Colorado Springs include:

Colorado Springs' sister city organization began when Colorado Springs 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, located in the median between Platte and Bijou Streets in downtown Colorado Springs, were a gift to Colorado Springs, erected in 1966 as a token of 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.

To strengthen relations between the two cities, the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony regularly invites the Taiko drummers from the city to participate in a joint concert in the Pikes Peak Center. The orchestra will be playing in Bankstown, Australia in June 2006 as part of their tour to Australia and New Zealand.

See also

Sources and external links

Notes

Cities in Colorado | Colorado Springs, Colorado | El Paso County, Colorado

Колорадо Спрингс | Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs (Colorado) | Colorado Springs | コロラド・スプリングス (コロラド州) | Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Colorado Springs, Colorado".

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