Colorado Springs, Colorado (pop. 478,961; met. area pop. 755,105), is a tourist and recreation center in the Rocky Mountains. It lies 6,035 feet (1,839 meters) above sea level, east of Pikes Peak. Colorado Springs has a healthful climate, with an average of more than 300 days of sunshine. It is the state’s second largest city. Denver is the largest.
Colorado College, Colorado Technical University, and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs are in the city. Points of interest include the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy. The city is also the site of a United States Olympic Training Center and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
The United States Air Force Academy is north of Colorado Springs. Other military installations in the Colorado Springs area include Fort Carson, a U.S. Army post; Peterson Space Force Base, headquarters of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and home of the U.S. Northern Command; Schriever Space Force Base; and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station.
The city’s industries include the research and development of space technology as well as other electronics research and assembly work. Other areas of industry include plastics and metals processing, and printing and publishing. The city was founded in 1871. It has a mayor-council form of government and is the seat of El Paso County.
