150 Years of Colorado: 4 Parks, 58 Peaks, 1 Home

Trees are growing in this state that are older than Colorado itself.

That’s the fact I keep coming back to this summer. On August 1st, 1876, Colorado officially became the 38th state, and because it joined the Union during America’s 100th birthday celebration, it picked up the nickname the Centennial State. So this year Colorado turns 150. A century and a half sounds like forever until you’re standing under a spruce that was already tall when the paperwork got signed.

Our story really starts a little earlier, in 1858, when the gold rush sent thousands of prospectors west looking for opportunity. Mining towns like Leadville, Central City, and Cripple Creek sprang up almost overnight. Some of them are still thriving communities. Some became ghost towns. And a few eventually turned into ski destinations known around the world. But gold isn’t what made Colorado special. Gold got people here. The landscape is what made them stay.

1. You can drive through five different worlds in a single day. Start at the Kansas border, where prairie runs flat to the horizon in every direction. Head west, and it turns into rolling foothills, then rises dramatically into the towering peaks of the Front Range and the alpine tundra above the tree line.

Cross the Continental Divide and the whole thing changes again into rugged mountain valleys, winding rivers, breathtaking red rock canyons, and finally the wide open beauty of Colorado’s high desert. Few places in America offer that kind of diversity, and it’s still hard for me to believe you can experience all of it between breakfast and dinner.

2. We have four national parks, and no two of them are alike. Rocky Mountain National Park is probably the best known, with its alpine scenery and Trail Ridge Road, one of the highest continuous paved roads in North America. Great Sand Dunes surprises almost everyone who visits, including me. The tallest sand dunes on the continent rise more than 700 feet, with snowcapped mountains standing behind them.

Mesa Verde preserves one of America’s greatest archaeological treasures, where the Ancestral Puebloan people built an entire community into the cliffs more than 700 years ago. And Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of the deepest, narrowest canyons in the country, with sections so steep that parts of the canyon floor get only minutes of direct sunlight a day.

Rocky Mountain has always been my favorite. Hiking it, spotting wildlife, or just sitting and taking it in reminds me how fortunate we are to live here, and for those of us along the Front Range it’s close enough to do in a day. That might be the greatest backyard treasure we’ve got.

3. Fifty-eight peaks rise above 14,000 feet, more than any other state. If you’ve lived here very long, you’ve heard someone say they bagged a 14er. What I love is that the list isn’t reserved for mountaineers. Some of them require technical climbing. Others are simply challenging hikes. Every summer, thousands of ordinary people set an alarm for well before sunrise and go make the climb anyway.

4. The seasons here just hand off to each other. You can’t talk about Colorado without talking about skiing. We’re home to legendary destinations like Vail, Aspen, Breckenridge, Steamboat, and Telluride, plus family favorites like Winter Park, Copper Mountain, Keystone, and Eldora. Whether you’re chasing fresh powder, learning to snowboard for the first time, or simply enjoying a bluebird day in the mountains, skiing is woven into the fabric of life here, and for a lot of Coloradans, it isn’t really a winter sport.

It’s a tradition passed down from one generation to the next. Then the snow melts, and the adventure moves to the water. Whitewater rafting has become one of my favorite summer things, whether it’s Browns Canyon on the Arkansas, the upper Colorado near Steamboat, or any of the other rivers running across the state.

You can spend the morning on the water and still be home for dinner. The same goes for hiking, camping, mountain biking, fishing, and paddleboarding. There’s always another one waiting.

5. Colorado isn’t only known for its mountains anymore. It’s become one of the most educated and innovative states in the country. We’re home to the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado, which is my alma mater, and the Air Force Academy, plus dozens of other colleges and community colleges.

The Front Range has also become a hub for technology, aerospace, research, healthcare, and entrepreneurship, and it’s pulling talented people in from all over the world. People used to move here just for the scenery. Now a lot of them come for the career and discover the scenery after they arrive.

6. And then there’s everything that happens after work. Colorado fans are some of the most passionate you’ll find anywhere, whether they’re cheering on the Broncos on a fall Sunday, watching the Avalanche chase another Stanley Cup, catching the Nuggets, spending a summer evening with the Rockies at Coors Field, supporting the Rapids, watching the Mammoth play one of the fastest games on earth, or welcoming Denver Summit FC, our newest professional women’s soccer team.

Sports have a way of creating memories and friendships and traditions, and those are the things that make a place feel more like home. So does the music. From legendary nights at Red Rocks to small venues all over Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins, live music runs year-round here, and it doesn’t much matter whether you’re into country, rock, bluegrass, EDM, jazz, or classical. There’s always a concert, a festival, or a local artist worth discovering.

When people ask me why so many of them keep moving here, I don’t think the honest answer is the mountains. It’s the quality of life. This is a place that values education, community, time outside, new ideas, and actually having a life outside of work. Whether you’ve lived here your entire life like I have, or you got here last spring, it’s easy to understand why people fall for this state.

In 150 years, Colorado has gone from a rugged mining territory into one of the most desirable places in America to live, work, play, raise a family, and build a future. I feel incredibly fortunate that helping people find their place here is what I get to do every day at Jensen Homes Colorado.

So happy 150th birthday, Colorado. Here’s to the next 150.

If you’re thinking about making the Front Range home, or you’re already here and starting to wonder what your next chapter looks like, I’d love to talk it through with you. Call or text me at 303-819-6494, email me at mjensen@wkre.com, or visit matthewjensen.wkre.com. I’m Matthew Jensen with WK Real Estate, and I’ll open the door for you.