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Happy 137th Birthday Colorado!

Kimberly Vardeman
/
Flickr - Creative Commons

Colorado became the 38th state to join the union on Aug. 1, 1876.

Admission to the History Colorado museums statewide  is free Thursday to celebrate.

Here are some fun facts to quiz your friends about the Centennial state, complied by Visit Colorado:

  • The world's largest flat-top mountain is the Grand Mesa.
  • Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous U.S. highway, leaves Rocky Mountain National Park on the east and soars to 12,183 feet as it crosses the Continental Divide to the Western Slope.
  • The highest paved road in North America is the road to Mount Evans off of I-70 from Idaho Springs. The road climbs up to 14,258 feet above sea level.
  • Colorado has more craft breweries per capita than any other state.
  • The Dwight Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel between Clear Creek and Summit counties is the highest auto tunnel in the world. Bored at an elevation of 11,000 feet under the Continental Divide, it is 8,960 feet long.
  • Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States at 10,430 feet elevation. Because there were many "silver" named towns at the time, the founding fathers suggested Leadville.
  • The tallest sand dunes in America are in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve outside of Alamosa in south-central Colorado. This 149,512-acre landscape of 8,000-foot sand peaks was created by ocean waters and wind more than one million years ago.
  • Colorado is home to 54 14,000-feet mountain peaks, more than any other state in the United States.
  • Colorado has the highest mean altitude of all the states.
  • The Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington dates back to 1905, making it the oldest wooden merry-go-round in the United States. It is the only wooden carousel in America that still has its original paint.
  • One of the highest suspension bridgees in the world is over the Royal Gorge near Cañon City. The Royal Gorge Bridge spans the Arkansas River at a height of 1,053 feet.
  • The world's largest natural hot springs pool is located in Glenwood Springs. The two-block long pool is across the street from the historic Hotel Colorado, a favorite stop of former president Teddy Roosevelt.
  • The highest point in Colorado is Mount Elbert at 14,433 feet.
  • The oldest existing Colorado town, San Luis (in south-central Colorado), was founded in 1851.
  • A golf ball flies on average 10 percent farther in Colorado than other states because of the altitude. It flies even farther at higher altitudes (above 7,000 feet).
  • There are canyons deeper and narrower than the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, but no other canyon in North America combines this gorge’s depth with its width.
  • Grand Lake, on the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park, is the largest natural lake in the state.
Mile High Trivia
  • The 13th step of the state capitol building in Denver is one mile (5,280 feet) above sea level.
  • "Beulah red" is the name of the red marble that gives the Colorado State Capitol its distinctive splendor. Cutting, polishing and installing the marble in the capitol took six years, from 1894 to 1900. All of the "Beulah red" marble in the world went into the capitol.
  • Colfax Avenue in Denver is the longest continuous street in America.
  • Denver has the largest city park system in the nation, with 205 parks in city limits and 20,000 acres of parkland in the nearby mountains.

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