Colorado is the coolest state in the country, but just how did we get to be so dang awesome? Were we born for greatness? Did it come over time? We did some digging and think we discovered the answer. Here are 10 ways Colorado quietly became the coolest state in America:
1. From the get-go, we have had the best scenery, thanks to our purple mountain majesties...
Rocky Mountain National Park for the win!
2. ...rolling plains...
Colorado isn't only mountains, folks. We are also home to the rolling (and often overlooked) Eastern Plains!
3. ...mesas, canyons, and plateaus galore!
Pictured are the incredible Book Cliffs, which are located near Grand Junction and span nearly 200 miles.
4. Colorado's history is one-of-a-kind.
Long before Colorado became a state, the region was a hotbed of activity. Eons ago, dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures roamed the terrain. In early human history, Native American tribes like the Ancestral Puebloans, who created the iconic Mesa Verde, called this land home. Within the last few centuries, the area attracted some of the earliest miners.
5. We are so innovative, we build our concert venues within the rocks...
You haven't lived until you've heard your favorite band play at Red Rocks (home to the world's best acoustics, in my opinion)!
6. ...invent new kinds of fast food...
How did we re-invent fast food? Chipotle, Q'doba, and Noodles, to name a few of our fast-casual brainchildren.
7. ...and even decided NOT to host the Olympics last minute.
Okay, so maybe it wasn't that last minute, but we are the only place to have ever won an Olympic bid and then changed our mind and decline it later. The reason? A lack of funding and negative environmental impact. While it may not be an innovation per se, we do think it’s pretty cool that we had the progressive foresight to take these hurdles into consideration before diving into a project out of blind excitement.
8. We figured since everyone was smoking weed anyway, we may as well capitalize on it.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The tax revenue from marijuana sales has been used to fund human services and education, public health and environmental projects, and local affairs, so it's beneficial to all, regardless of whether or not you personally partake.
9. Drinking beer with dinner is the norm here in Colorado.
When we have so many awesome breweries in our neck of the woods, why wouldn't we want to just sip and enjoy them with our meals?!
10. And finally, we learned early on who our best friends really are.
...and it isn't these killing machines! Coloradans are definitely dog people.
What do you think makes Colorado the coolest state? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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