{"id":3302,"date":"2026-08-01T18:33:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T18:33:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3302"},"modified":"2026-08-01T18:33:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T18:33:40","slug":"15-fun-facts-about-colorado-that-you-may-not-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3302","title":{"rendered":"15 fun facts about Colorado that you may not know"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

Think you know Colorado? As we celebrate its sesquicentennial, we\u2019re dusting off some lesser-known nuggets about the Centennial State. File these 15 facts under\u00a0 \u201cThings even longtime Coloradans might not know.\u201d Then keep them in your back pocket for the next time Colorado comes up in trivia.<\/p>\n

Read more Classic Trains, Vintage Planes\u2026and One Really Fast Car<\/a><\/p>\n

Denver was the first city to turn down the Olympics<\/h4>\n

After being selected to host the 1976 Winter Games, Denver made history when it became the first ever city to reject the Olympics. On May 12, 1970, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Denver over bids from Sion, Switzerland; Tampere, Finland; and Vancouver, Canada. The Mile High City\u2019s Olympic plans were ambitious: Alpine events were slated for Loveland Basin and Mt. Sniktau, located on Loveland Pass outside of Dillon, while Denver Mountain Parks would host Nordic competitions, bobsled and luge races. Tthe Denver Coliseum was set for figure skating and hockey.<\/p>\n

But the Games never made it out of the starting gate in Denver as concerns over funding and costs snowballed, and by late 1972 organizers told the IOC that Denver couldn\u2019t host. The Winter Olympics were reassigned to Innsbruck, Austria, which had already hosted the Games in 1964 and had the infrastructure in place.<\/p>\n

Even still, Colorado has strong ties to the Olympics as Colorado Springs is home to the Colorado Springs Olympic & Paralympic Training Center and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.<\/p>\n

Colorado lit the way on legal cannabis<\/h4>\n

California was a pioneer in legalizing medical marijuana back in 1996. Several states, Colorado among them, followed suit. But in 2014, we became the first to legalize recreational marijuana.<\/p>\n

At the University of Colorado, the Business Research Division at Leeds School of Business maintains a dashboard for Colorado\u2019s Marijuana Enforcement Division that tracks a number of metrics, including sales. In 2021, marijuana sales topped $2.2 billion, but it looks like the green rush has slowed some in recent years with sales registering at $1.3 billion in 2025.<\/p>\n

Our mountain communities are also high (in elevation)<\/h4>\n

Alma stakes its claim as the highest incorporated town in North America, perched at 10,578 feet. Meanwhile, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America, soaring at 10,430 feet. Curious how Leadville got its name? The city\u2019s founding fathers were looking for an alternative because there were too many places with \u201csilver\u201d in the name at the time.<\/p>\n

Colorado\u2019s Sand Dunes reach surprising heights<\/h4>\n

Colorado may be known for its mountains, but our state\u2019s Sand Dunes are pretty impressive, too. Great Sand Dunes National Park, located in southern Colorado near Alamosa in the San Luis Valley, is home to the tallest dunes in North America, according to the National Park Service. Star Dune soars 750 feet from its base to its crest. The park\u2019s High Dune rises 699 feet, but because it starts on higher ground it actually rises higher above sea level than Star.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Dinger\u2019s story has a prehistoric backstory<\/h4>\n

Ever wonder why the Rockies mascot is a purple triceratops? When construction crews were excavating Coors Field, they unearthed a dinosaur fossil near home plate. When Dinger was introduced to fans, he hatched out of a giant dino egg on April 16, 1994.<\/p>\n

Pikes Peak inspired \u2018America the Beautiful\u2019<\/h4>\n

The summit of Pikes Peak inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write \u201cAmerica the Beautiful.\u201d Locals and visitors can take The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the summit of the peak for those same awe-inspiring views.<\/p>\n

You may do better at a Colorado driving range than one out of state<\/h4>\n

Home turf advantage? Golf balls fly on average 10% farther in Colorado than they do in other states. Chalk it up to the altitude. If you\u2019re playing at a mountain course, you may notice your ball goes even farther when you tee off, thanks to the higher altitudes.<\/p>\n

\n

150 things that make Colorado quintessentially cool<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n