FHA Loans in Colorado

About This State and its People, Places, and Industries

Colorado is a state that encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains. Colorado is part of the Mountain States, the Western United States, and the Southwestern United States. Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because it was admitted to the Union as the 38th state in 1876, the centennial year of the United States Declaration of Independence. Colorado is bordered on the north by Wyoming and Nebraska, on the east by Nebraska and Kansas, on the south by Oklahoma and New Mexico, and on the west by Utah. The four states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at one common point known as the Four Corners. Colorado is one of only three U.S. states with no natural borders, the others being neighboring Wyoming and Utah.

Colorado is noted for its vivid landscape of mountains, plains, mesas, and canyons. The 30 highest major summits of the Rocky Mountains of North America all lay within the state. Colorado is home to 4 national parks, 6 national monuments, 2 national recreation areas, 2 national historic sites, 3 national historic trails, 1 national scenic trail, 11 national forests, 2 national grasslands, 41 national wilderness areas, 2 national conservation areas, 8 national wildlife refuges, 44 state parks, 1 state forest, 323 state wildlife areas, and numerous other scenic, historic, and recreational attractions.

The United States Census Bureau estimates that the state population was 5,024,748 on July 1, 2009, an increase of 16.82% since the U.S. Census 2000. Denver is the capital and the most populous city of Colorado. Residents of the state are properly known as "Coloradans", although the archaic term "Coloradoan" is still in use. Colorado's most populous city, and capital, is Denver. The Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area with an estimated 2009 population of 3,110,436 is home to 61.90% of the state's residents.

As of 2005, Colorado has an estimated population of 4,665,177, which is an increase of 63,356, or 1.4%, from the prior year and an increase of 363,162, or 8.4%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 205,321 people (that is 353,091 births minus 147,770 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 159,957 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 112,217 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 47,740 people.

The largest increases are expected in the Front Range Urban Corridor, especially in the Denver metropolitan area. The state's fastest-growing counties are Douglas and Weld. The center of population of Colorado is located just north of the village of Critchell in Jefferson County.
Colorado has a high proportion of Hispanic citizens in Metropolitan Denver and in some other areas. Southern Colorado has a large number of Hispanos, the descendants of the early Mexican settlers of colonial Spanish origin. The 2000 U.S. Census found that 10.5% of people aged five and over in Colorado speak Spanish at home. Colorado, like New Mexico, is very rich in archaic Spanish idioms.
Colorado also has some African-American communities located in northeast Denver in the Montbello, Green Valley Ranch, Park Hill and Colfax Park areas. The state has sizable numbers of Asian-Americans of Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Southeast Asian and Japanese descent. The Denver metropolitan area is considered more liberal and diverse than much of the state when it comes to political issues and environmental concerns.

According to the 2000 Census, the largest ancestry groups in Colorado are German (22%) including of Swiss and Austrian nationalities, Irish (12.2%), and English (12%). Persons reporting German ancestry are especially numerous in the Front Range, the Rockies (west-central counties) and Eastern parts/High Plains Denver and nearby areas on the Front Range has sizable German, Scandinavian, Italian, Slavic and Jewish American communities, partly a legacy of gold rushes in the late 19th century (1861–1889).

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that the total state product in 2008 was $248.6 billion. Per capita personal income in 2007 was $41,192, ranking Colorado eleventh in the nation. The state's economy broadened from its mid-19th century roots in mining when irrigated agriculture developed, and by the late 19th century, raising livestock had become important. Early industry was based on the extraction and processing of minerals and agricultural products. Current agricultural products are cattle, wheat, dairy products, corn, and hay.

The federal government is also a major economic force in the state with many important federal facilities including NORAD, United States Air Force Academy and Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs; NOAA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder; U.S. Geological Survey and other government agencies at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood; the Denver Mint, Buckley Air Force Base, and 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver; and a federal Supermax Prison and other federal prisons near Cañon City. In addition to these and other federal agencies, Colorado has abundant National Forest land and four National Parks that contribute to federal ownership of 24,615,788 acres (99,617 km2) of land in Colorado, or 37% of the total area of the state. In the second half of the 20th century, the industrial and service sectors have expanded greatly. The state's economy is diversified and is notable for its concentration of scientific research and high-technology industries. Other industries include food processing, transportation equipment, machinery, chemical products, the extraction of metals such as gold (see Gold mining in Colorado), silver, and molybdenum. Colorado now also has the largest annual production of beer of any state.[44] Denver is an important financial center.

A number of nationally known brand names have originated in Colorado factories and laboratories. From Denver came the forerunner of telecommunications giant Qwest in 1879, Samsonite luggage in 1910, Gates belts and hoses in 1911, and Russell Stover Candies in 1923. Kuner canned vegetables began in Brighton in 1864. From Golden came Coors beer in 1873, CoorsTek industrial ceramics in 1920, and Jolly Rancher candy in 1949. CF&I railroad rails, wire, nails and pipe debuted in Pueblo in 1892. The present-day Swift packed meat of Greeley evolved from Monfort of Colorado, Inc., established in 1930. Estes model rockets were launched in Penrose in 1958. Fort Collins has been the home of Woodward Governor Company's motor controllers (governors) since 1870, and Waterpik dental water jets and showerheads since 1962. Celestial Seasonings herbal teas have been made in Boulder since 1969. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory made its first candy in Durango in 1981.

Colorado has a flat 4.63% income tax, regardless of income level. Unlike most states, which calculate taxes based on federal adjusted gross income, Colorado taxes are based on taxable income – income after federal exemptions and federal itemized (or standard) deductions. Colorado's state sales tax is 2.9% on retail sales. When state revenues exceed state constitutional limits, full-year Colorado residents can claim a sales tax refund on their individual state income tax return. Many counties and cities charge their own rates in addition to the base state rate. There are also certain county and special district taxes that may apply.

Real estate and personal business property are taxable in Colorado. The state's senior property tax exemption was temporarily suspended by the Colorado Legislature in 2003. The tax break is scheduled to return for assessment year 2006, payable in 2007. As of May 2010, the state's unemployment rate is 8.0%.

Choose Your City >>>

• Akron
• Alamosa
• Aruada
• Arvada
• Arvado
• Aspen
• Auror
• Aurora
• Avon
• Bailey
• Basalt
• Bayfield
• Bennett
• Berthoud
• Beulah
• Black Hawk
• Boulder
• Breckenridge
• Brighton
• Bromfield
• Broomfield
• Brush
• Calhan
• Canon City
• Canyon City
• Carbondale
• Castle Rock
• Castlerock
• Cedaredge
• Centennial
• Clark
• Clifton
• Colorado Springs
• Colorado Srings
• Colorodo Springs
• Commerce City
• Cortez
• Craig
• Crested Butte
• Del Norte
• Denver
• Denver`
• Dillon
• Divide
• Dolores
• Durango
• Eagle
• Eaton
• Eckert
• Edgewater
• Edwards

• Elizabeth
• Englewood
• Erie
• Estes Park
• Evergreen
• Fairplay
• Florissant
• Fort Collins
• Fort Collisn
• Foxfield
• Franktown
• Frederick
• Fruita
• Ft Collins
• Ft. Collings
• Ft. Collins
• Glendale
• Glenwood Springs
• Golden
• Granby
• Grand Jct.
• Grand Junction
• Grand Lake
• Grass Valley
• Greeley
• Greenwood Village
• Guffey
• Gunnison
• Henderson
• Hesperus
• Highland Ranch
• Highlands Ranch
• Hotchkiss
• Johnstown
• Kiowa
• Kremmling
• La Salle
• La Veta
• Lake City
• Lakewood
• Larkspur
• Limon
• Litteton
• Littleton
• Lone Tree
• Lonetree
• Longmont
• Louisville
• Loveland
• Mancos
• Molina

• Montrose
• Monument
• Morrison
• Nathrop
• New Castle
• Northglenn
• Norwood
• Olathe
• Ouray
• Pagosa Springs
• Palisade
• Paonia
• Parachute
• Parker
• Peyton
• Pine
• Platteville
• Poncha Springs
• Pueble
• Pueblo
• Pueblo West
• Ramah
• Rifle
• Rocky Ford
• Salida
• Sedalia
• Silt
• Steamboad Springs
• Steamboat Springs
• Sterling
• Superior
• Tabernash
• Thornton
• Thorton
• Thronton
• Trinidad
• Vail
• Wellington
• Westmimnster
• Westminster
• Wetmore
• Wheat Ridge
• Whitewater
• Winchester
• Windor
• Windsor
• Woodland Park
• Woodlawn Park
• Wray

---

---