Colorado Springs geography describes geographical topics regarding the city of

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

El Paso County, Colorado El Paso County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. The 2020 Census recorded its population as 730,395. The Census Bureau's 2020 result indicates it is the most populous county in Colorado, surpassing the City and County of De ...

. With of land, it is the state's largest-sized city. Denver is the most populated city.

Physical geography

Colorado Springs is located in the

Pikes Peak Pikes Peak is the List of mountain ranges of Colorado#Mountain ranges, highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. The Ultra-prominent peak, ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest ...

area in El Paso County, along the

Front Range The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountere ...

a forty-mile corridor from the city up to

Fort Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs i ...

. At the edge of the southern

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

, it is bordered by State, National Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management land. North of the city is the

Palmer Divide Named after Colorado Springs founder William Jackson Palmer, the Palmer Divide is a caprock escarpment style ridge in central Colorado that separates the Arkansas River basin from the South Platte basin. It extends from the Front Range of the R ...

, the plains and grasslands are to the east, and Pueblo and high desert lands lie to the south. The city was founded at the confluence of Monument Creek with

Fountain Creek Fountain Creek is a stream that originates in Woodland Park in Teller County and flows through El Paso County to its confluence with the Arkansas River near Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado. The creek,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydr ...

of the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

watershed. Its major highway is

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mexic ...

that runs along that Front Range Urban Corridor to Castle Rock,

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Fort Collins A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, and

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

. Colorado Springs, with an average rainfall of about 15-16 inches, has a semi-arid climate with relatively mild temperatures. The terrain is drier south of the city. Colorado Springs is in elevation.

Topography

The city, founded near the confluence of Fountain and Monument Creeks, primarily on Pierre Shale. On the eastern side of the city are hills of Tertiary and Cretaceous sandstone. Sandstone ledges are

Dakota Formation The Dakota is a sedimentary rock, sedimentary geologic unit name of Formation (stratigraphy), formation and Group (stratigraphy), group rank in Midwestern North America. The Dakota units are generally composed of sandstones, mudstones, clays, and ...

. Pedimont rock is prevalent in the north portion of the city. There are pediment gravels on the west side. The mountains have been quarried for limestone. File:Pulpit Rock, Colorado Springs, Colorado (2).jpg, Pulpit Rock, northeastern part of the city File:Palmer Park(1).jpg, Palmer Park, northeastern part of the city File:PikesPeakFromUCCS.jpg, Pikes Peak looking west from the

University of Colorado Colorado Springs The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a public research university in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is one of four campuses that make up the University of Colorado system. As of Fall 2017, UCCS had over 12,400 undergraduate an ...

campus Scenic Pennsylvanian rock formations are found at

Garden of the Gods Garden of the Gods (Arapaho: ''Ho3o’uu Niitko’usi’i'') is a public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. Name The area now known as Garden of the Gods was fir ...

. The natural gap between the sandstone Austin Bluffs is Templeton Gap, and a few westernmost portions of the city are on the east escarpment's slope of the Southern Rocky Mountains section adjacent to the Colorado Piedmont, separated by the Fall line of the Front Range. File:Garden of the Gods Aug 2013.JPG,

File:Downtown Colorado Springs 3 by David Shankbone.jpg, Downtown Colorado Springs

Land use

Colorado Springs is 70 miles south of

, which has the largest population of any city in Colorado. Colorado Springs has the largest area of any city in the state, with in 2013. Of that, is developed land. It has 16,331 parkland acres and 7,431 street land miles.

Residential

Of the city's land, 26% is residential. The higher the percentage, the greater the demand and total costs for city services, like recreational and park facilities. The population growth has been significant since the 1970s.

Institutional and commercial

Institutional and commercial property use a total of about 17% of the city's land. The city, once an urban-industrial society, has become a modern-technological one. Military facilities in Colorado Springs include

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

(NORAD),

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the Nor ...

, and

Parks

The city owns more than 15,000 acres of open space and park, including

, and Palmer Park, and

North Cheyenne Cañon Park North Cheyenne Cañon Park or North Cheyenne Canyon Park is a regional park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing. The city, which borders national and state park lands, has canyons, bluffs, mesas, rock formations, treed foothills, mountain creeks, and grasslands. The city's Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department also manages urban forest, two golf courses, recreation centers and programs, and the

Pikes Peak Highway The Pikes Peak Highway is a toll road that runs from Cascade, Colorado to the summit of Pikes Peak in El Paso County, at an altitude of . It is at least partially open year-round, up to the altitude where snow removal becomes excessively di ...

Hydrology

About 1% of the city's land is water. Colorado Springs is located within the Fountain Creek Watershed, which is part of the

watershed to the south. Fountain Creek's source is northwest of the city near Woodland Park. It meets up with Monument Creek in Colorado Springs and Fountain Creek then flows downstream to

, where is merges into the Arkansas River. Other creeks in the area are Bear Creek, Sand Creek, and Cottonwood Creek. There are two natural lakes and five reservoirs. The bodies of water are important for recreation, like hiking and fishing, and serve as wildlife habitats. Wetlands, like Tejon Marsh and

Monument Valley Park Monument Valley Park is a historic, recreational park in Colorado Springs, Colorado through which Monument Creek flows. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing and is on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. Geograph ...

, provide habitat for wildlife, birds, and fish. Water from the nearby mountain provide the city's water supply. Initiatives have been implemented to ensure water quality, improve water drainage, and optimize recreational use. In 2011, the Fountain Creek Watershed completed its master plan to limit pollution entering the stream. It also implemented programs for educational experiences, recreational activities, and stable wetlands. Trails were created and improved along Fountain Creek within Colorado Springs and to Pueblo. Adopt-a-Waterway is managed by the city's Stormwater Engineering Department to keep the trails and waterways clean.

Vacant and agricultural land

The largest land use category is vacant and agricultural land at 32% in 2012 of land in the city. More than half of the land (57%) in this category is in the 24,000 acre

Banning Lewis Ranch Banning-Lewis Ranches was a successful cattle-ranching operation located east of Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El ...

on the city's eastern edge. Another key geographical location for future development is the northern edge of Colorado Springs. Like Pueblo and Denver, undeveloped land in and around the city is often used for livestock grazing and farming.

Physical geography

Topography

Land use

Residential

Institutional and commercial

Parks

Hydrology

Vacant and agricultural land

Other

See also

References

Further reading

External map