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56-504: For much of its length, it travels very roughly along the northern border of El Paso County . Thus, it forms a natural separator between the Denver and Colorado Springs metropolitan areas. The elevation along the divide varies between about 6,000 and 7,887 feet (1,829 and 2,404 m), with the high point being Bald Mountain in southern Douglas County . This peak can be seen from I-25 just northeast of Monument Hill . This uplifted area causes

112-464: A few miles up Ute Pass at Cascade . The road has a series of switchbacks, treacherous at high speed, called "The W's" for their shape on the northwest side of the mountain. The road is maintained by the city of Colorado Springs as a toll road . A project to pave the remainder of the road was completed on October 1, 2011. The project was in response to a suit by the Sierra Club over damage caused by

168-461: A great difference in the weather between Denver and Colorado Springs. Although the elevation technically qualifies it for the foothills category, it does not parallel a mountain chain as foothills generally do; instead, the Palmer Divide is perpendicular to the main chain of mountains. Due to the orientation of the Palmer Divide with respect to the eastern plains, the weather can be similar to that of

224-406: A large section of its national missile defense operations here, with Peterson Space Force Base set to operate large sections of the program. The base is also home to Space Force's Space Operations Command , and to NORAD headquarters. Peterson SFB is currently the headquarters of the operations-half of Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command. Peterson is also headquarters for

280-691: A presence in Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station . When it was built at the height of the Cold War , NORAD caused some anxiety for the residents in and around Colorado Springs, who believed the installation would be a primary target during a nuclear attack . Although NORAD still operates today, it is primarily given the task of the tracking of ICBMs , and the military has recently decided to place Cheyenne Mountain's NORAD/NORTHCOM operations on warm standby and move operations to nearby Peterson Air Force Base. Pikes Peak Pikes Peak

336-561: A slight increase in precipitation from the rest of eastern Colorado, resulting in the presence of the Black Forest , a peninsula of trees surrounded by dryer grassland plains.. The Palmer Divide is also implicated in enhanced landspout and tornado activity to the east of Denver in the Denver convergence vorticity zone (DCVZ). This terrain feature is the cause of several small scale ( microscale or mesoscale ) weather patterns and it can make

392-591: A workforce of more than 7,700 personnel. It is the location of the Global Positioning System (GPS) master control station and GPS Operations Center and the US Naval Observatory Alternate Master Clock, used to synchronize GPS satellite time. Schriever is also developing parts of national missile defense and runs parts of the annual wargames used by the nation's military. The base indirectly contributes an estimated $ 1 billion to

448-691: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . El Paso County, Colorado El Paso County is the most populous county located in the American state of Colorado . As of the 2020 Census , the population was 730,395, surpassing the City and County of Denver . The county seat is Colorado Springs , the second most populous city in Colorado. El Paso County is included in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, Metropolitan Statistical Area . In July 1858, gold

504-520: Is a designated National Historic Landmark . It is composed of a characteristic pink granite called Pikes Peak granite . The color is due to a large amount of potassium feldspar . It is thought that the granite was once magma that crystallized at least 20 miles (32 km) beneath the Earth's surface, formed by an igneous intrusion during the Precambrian , approximately 1.05 billion years ago, during

560-593: Is home to Army , Air Force and Space Force bases. These military installations border Colorado Springs to the north, south, and east, aside from Schriever Space Force Base , which is located about 10 miles east of Peterson Space Force Base . Fort Carson, "The Mountain Post", is located just south of Colorado Springs at the base of the Rocky Mountains. It was established in 1942, following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The city of Colorado Springs purchased land south of

616-479: Is home to several colleges and universities. The United States Air Force Academy is located immediately north of Colorado Springs, serving as both a university and a functional U.S. Air Force base. Also in the county are the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs , Colorado College , Pikes Peak State College , Colorado Technical University , and IntelliTec College , all located in Colorado Springs. El Paso County

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672-491: Is located in Colorado's 5th congressional district , except for the far eastern extremities, which are located in the 4th . The county is governed by a board of county commissioners. Its current members are Holly Williams in district 1, Carrie Geitner in district 2, Stan VanderWerf in district 3, Longinos Gonzales Jr in district 4, and Cami Bremer in district 5. In 2004, the voters of Colorado Springs and El Paso County established

728-653: Is now used for a peak further west.) It is thought that the Ute people first arrived in Colorado about 500 A.D., however their oral history states that they were created on Tava. In the 1800s, when the Arapaho people arrived in Colorado, they knew the mountain as Heey-otoyoo' meaning "Long Mountain". By comparison, the Pawnee called the same mountain Tûs Pêh ("Where the Heavens Touch

784-501: Is required by humans and animals not acclimated to high altitudes. Altitude sickness may develop in those who are sensitive or who over-exert themselves. The summit of Pikes Peak has a polar climate ( ET ) due to its elevation. Snow is a possibility any time year-round, and thunderstorms with high winds gusting up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) or more are common in the afternoons. Surrounding areas have different climatic variations depending on location and elevation. Much of

840-577: Is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America . The ultra-prominent 14,107-foot (4,299.83 m) fourteener is located in Pike National Forest , 12 miles (19 km) west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado . The town of Manitou Springs lies at its base. The mountain is named in honor of American explorer Zebulon Pike , even though he

896-535: Is the home of 4th Infantry Division and several other units, including 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the Colorado National Guard Regional Training Institute and PCMS, which is a maneuver training site for Fort Carson located near Trinidad, Colorado. The installation totals about 137,000 acres and PCMS is roughly 236,000 acres. Fort Carson has around 3,000 family housing units and 66 soldier barracks with 8,132 rooms. Services on

952-490: The Grenville orogeny . Through the process of uplifting , the hardened rock pushed through the Earth's crust and created a dome-like mountain, covered with less resistant rock. Years of erosion and weathering removed the soil and rock leaving the exposed mountain. Soils on Pikes Peak above the timberline (approximately 12,000 ft or 3,700 m) are classified as Cirque land . Forests at lower altitudes mostly lie over

1008-467: The Republican presidential candidate in presidential elections; the last Democratic nominee to win the county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Even then, Barry Goldwater got nearly 46% of the county's vote. After Johnson carried it in 1964, a Democrat would not win 40 percent of the county's vote again until Joe Biden in 2020. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1920, except for

1064-513: The US military are stationed at the command. Peterson SFB is the current, possibly temporary home for US Space Command , another Unified Combatant Command, whose area of operations is global operations occurring 50 miles or greater above the Earth. Schriever Space Force Base is home to several Space Force mission Deltas, responsible for the operation and support of 175 Department of Defense satellites and installation support to 16 major tenant units, with

1120-613: The United States Northern Command , one of the Unified Combatant Commands , which directs all branches of the U.S. military operations in their area of responsibility, which includes the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, and Mexico. In the event of national emergencies, the President or Secretary of Defense can call upon the command for any required military assistance. Service members from every branch of

1176-546: The foothills during active weather with enhanced precipitation, especially during snowstorms. Cities and towns near the Palmer Divide include Parker , Castle Rock , Franktown , Elizabeth , Kiowa , Elbert , Sedalia , Larkspur , Palmer Lake , Monument , and unincorporated communities north of Colorado Springs, such as Gleneagle , Black Forest , and Woodmoor . 39°07′N 104°52′W  /  39.12°N 104.86°W  / 39.12; -104.86  ( Palmer Divide ) This Colorado state location article

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1232-481: The Democratic landslides of 1936 and 1964. Dick Lamm in 1982 remains the last Democrat to win the county in a gubernatorial election. Eight years later , the county was one of only four in the state to back governor Roy Romer 's opponent John Andrews . Jared Polis in 2022 came within 4% of winning the county. The last Democrat to win the county in a Senate election was Gary Hart in 1974 . El Paso County

1288-505: The Earth"), and the Ute Indians called it Tava-Kaavi ("Sun Mountain"). Throughout its history, European peoples have called the mountain El Capitán, Grand Peak, Great Peak, James Peak, Long Mountain, and Pike's Peak. Early Spanish explorers named the mountain "El Capitán," meaning "The Leader". American explorer Zebulon Pike named the mountain "Highest Peak" in 1806, and the mountain

1344-569: The Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority ( PPRTA ) and adopted a 1% sales tax dedicated to improving the region's transportation infrastructure. Together with state funding for COSMIX (2007 completion) and the I-25 interchange with Highway 16 (2008 completion), significant progress has been made since 2003 in addressing the transportation needs of the area. In 2012, the county voted to legalize marijuana. On March 12, 2019,

1400-546: The Pikes Peak area until the Cripple Creek Mining District was discovered southwest of Pikes Peak and led, in 1893, to one of the last major gold rushes in the lower 48 states. In July 1860, Clark, Gruber and Company commenced minting gold coins in Denver bearing the phrase "Pike's Peak Gold" and an artist's rendering of the peak (sight unseen) on the obverse . In 1863, the U.S. Treasury purchased

1456-687: The Spanish in the 1700s. The first American sighting is often credited to members of the Pike Expedition , led by Zebulon Pike . After a failed attempt to climb to the top in November 1806, Pike wrote in his journal: The first European ascent of the peak came 14 years after Pike's discovery, in the summer of 1820. Edwin James , a young student who had just graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont , signed on as

1512-658: The balance is for labor, because of the project's high standards and the rigors of working for a maximum of 6 + 1 ⁄ 2  hours per day at such a high altitude during a short season of April to October. Heavy equipment and prefabricated building components are slowly moved up the mountain's highway in the middle of the night to avoid any car traffic. Ground conditions are bedrock and alpine permafrost , soil and rock that remains at or below freezing temperatures all year to depths of up to 200 feet (61 m), only warming above freezing in direct sunlight or due to external sources. Problems with excavation and blasting exist because

1568-663: The brown stony, sandy, loams of the Catamount loam or Ivywild loam series. The Devils Playground is a minor subpeak of Pikes Peak located on the northwest side of the mountain near the Pikes Peak Highway . The Devils Playground is named for the way lightning sometimes dances around the prominence during lightning storms. The Devils Playground is the highest point in Teller County at an approximate elevation of 13,075 feet (3,985 m). The first Europeans to see Pikes Peak were

1624-620: The city and donated it to the War Department. Construction began immediately and the first building, the camp headquarters, was completed January 31, 1942. Camp Carson was named in honor of the legendary Army scout Gen. Christopher "Kit" Carson, who explored much of the West in the 1800s. Camp Carson became Fort Carson in 1954. An additional training area was purchased in September 1983 and is called Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS). Currently, Fort Carson

1680-470: The county commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to become a Second Amendment sanctuary . The Colorado Department of Corrections has its headquarters in an unincorporated area in the county. According to the City's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the county are: The Pikes Peak Library District provides library services through its 15 branches and bookmobiles to

1736-447: The county has a total area of 2,130 square miles (5,500 km ), of which 2,127 square miles (5,510 km ) are land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km ) (0.1%) are covered by water. As of the 2020 census , there were 730,395 people, 272,683 households, and 185,830 families residing in the county. The population density was 343.5 people per square mile (132.6 people/km ). There were 287,459 housing units. The racial makeup of

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1792-491: The county was 82.6% White, 6.9% Black or African American, 1.4% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, and 5.4% from two or more races. About 18.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. In El Paso county, the population pyramid was distributed as there being a slight surplus of males ages 0 to 45 and there after a slight surplus of females which is typical of most US populations. The greater than normal surplus of males between 18 and 35 are mainly due to

1848-423: The current Summit House. The older facility will remain open to the more than 600,000 visitors annually through the end of construction in the fall of 2020 or summer of 2021. Around 40 contractors are working on the $ 50 million project. The general contractor, G.E. Johnson Construction Co., estimates that about half of the budget is for materials, many of which are prefabricated in downslope shops, and

1904-458: The gravel and sediment that is constantly washed off the road into the alpine environment. In 2023, the toll road cost US$ 15 for age 16 and older or US$ 5 for age 6 to 15; from December 1 to April 30 the cost is reduced to US$ 10 for age 16 and older. The Highway is famous worldwide for the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb , a motor race held since 1916. The short film Climb Dance features Ari Vatanen racing his Peugeot 405 T16 up

1960-401: The installation include four elementary schools, one middle school, a commissary, an exchange, and Evans Army Community Hospital, as well as Army Community Service facilities to include child development centers and youth centers and family morale, welfare, and recreation facilities to include a bowling alley, golf course, and numerous parks. Fort Carson's economic impact on Colorado Springs and

2016-734: The local Colorado Springs, CO area annually. Bordering the northwestern side of the city are the grounds of the United States Air Force Academy, where cadets train to become officers in the Air Force and Space Force. The campus is famous for its unique chapel, and draws visitors year round. Most of the Air Force Academy's sports programs participate in the Mountain West Conference. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), headquartered on Peterson SFB, has

2072-788: The minting equipment for $ 25,000 (or $ 620,000 adjusted for inflation) to open the Denver Mint . Julia Archibald Holmes and James Holmes traveled to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in 1858, and reached the summit on August 5, with J. D. Miller and George Peck, making Archibald Holmes the first European-American woman to climb Pikes Peak. From the summit, she wrote in a letter to her mother: "Nearly everyone tried to discourage me from attempting it, but I believed that I should succeed; and now here I am, and I feel that I would not have missed this glorious sight for anything at all." Thirty-five years later, in July ;1893, Katharine Lee Bates wrote

2128-419: The mountain, snapping and uprooting several trees. The tornado travelled 2 miles along Pikes Peak Highway and wind speeds reached 108 mph. No injuries were reported from the storm. At the peak, the partial pressure of oxygen is only about 60% of that at sea level. Water boils at 186 °F (86 °C) at 14,000 feet, rather than 212 °F (100 °C) at sea level. A faster rate of respiration

2184-421: The mountain. The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway , the world's highest cog railroad , operated from Manitou Springs to the summit, closed for repairs in 2017. After being closed for more than three years, the cog railway resumed service seven days per week (conditions permitting) on May 27, 2021. Road vehicles can be driven to the summit via the Pikes Peak Highway , a 19 mi (31 km) road that starts

2240-503: The new territory including El Paso County . El Paso County was named for the Spanish language name for Ute Pass north of Pikes Peak . Colorado City served as the county seat of El Paso County. The Jefferson Territory never received federal sanction, but on February 28, 1861, U.S. President James Buchanan signed an act organizing the Territory of Colorado . El Paso County was one of

2296-542: The original 17 counties created by the Colorado legislature on November 1, 1861. Part of its western territory was broken off to create Teller County in 1899. Originally based in Old Colorado City (now part of Colorado Springs, not today's Colorado City between Pueblo and Walsenburg ), El Paso County's county seat was moved to Colorado Springs in 1873. According to the United States Census Bureau ,

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2352-531: The permafrost in the fractured granite actually absorbs energy. The project is being constructed to achieve both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification and Living Building Challenge . The new complex will include a visitor center, a communications facility for Colorado Springs Utilities, and the Army's High-Altitude Research Laboratory. On July 20, 2023, an EF1 tornado touched down on

2408-521: The presence of five military installations located within the county. El Paso County is home to 17 public school districts, in addition to several private schools. In the 2023–2024 school year, Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 in Colorado Springs was ranked the #1 public school district in Colorado. Academy School District 20 (Colorado Springs) and Lewis-Palmer School District 38 (Monument) were ranked #8 and #10, respectively. El Paso County

2464-470: The relief botanist for Stephen Harriman Long 's expedition after the first botanist had died. The expedition explored the South Platte River up as far as present-day Denver, then turned south and passed close to what James called "Pike's highest peak". James and two other men left the expedition, camped on the plains, and climbed the peak in two days, encountering little difficulty. Along the way, James

2520-560: The residents of El Paso County, with the exception of Widefield School District 3. The mission of the District is "Providing resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community. Seek. Engage. Transform." El Paso is quite conservative for a large urban county, although it has become less so since the 2010s. Its conservative bent predates the influence of its large military and Evangelical Christian populations. Since its creation in 1871, El Paso County has typically voted for

2576-662: The song " America the Beautiful ", after having admired the view from the top of Pikes Peak. It appeared in print in The Congregationalist , a weekly journal, on July 4, 1895. A plaque commemorating the words to the song was placed at the summit. On July 17, 1913 William Wayne Brown drove his car, the Bear Cat , 20 miles (32 km) to the summit. The ascent took 5 hours and 28 minutes. The uppermost portion of Pikes Peak, above 14,000 feet (4,267 m) elevation,

2632-711: The steep, twisty slopes. It also hosts the Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb (formerly Assault on the Peak), a cycling hillclimb race first held in 2010, and the USA Cycling Hill Climb National Championships, a race first held in 2016. The most popular hiking route to the top is called Barr Trail , which approaches the summit from the east. The trailhead is just past the cog railway depot in Manitou Springs. Visitors can walk, hike, or bike

2688-631: The summit from the west. Barr Trail can also be accessed via the Manitou Incline . Since the end of 1922, the AdAmAn Club, a mountaineering group, climb the Barr Trail on the east face of Pikes Peak each year on December 30th, stay overnight at Barr Camp, and continue to the top on December 31. Then, at midnight on New Year's Eve, the AdAmAn members and their guests ignite a fireworks display from

2744-507: The summit. Since 1969, the summit of Pikes Peak has been the site of the United States Army Pikes Peak Research Laboratory , a medical research laboratory for the assessment of the impact of high altitude on human physiological and medical parameters of military interest. On June 4, 2018, ground-breaking was held for a new 38,000 square feet (3,500 m ) Summit Complex which is being constructed next to

2800-404: The surrounding communities was approximately $ 2.3 billion during fiscal year 2014. Fort Carson has about 24,300 soldiers on the installation, with 44,700 family members. The installation also has around 8,000 veterans and 3,300 civilians. The Space Force has critical aspects of their service based at Colorado Springs, which carry on missile defense operations and development. The Space Force bases

2856-535: The trail. Although the Barr Trail is rated only Class 1, it is a long and arduous hike with nearly 8,000 ft (2,400 m) of elevation gain, and a 13 mi (21 km) trip one-way. The Pikes Peak Marathon , a trail race held since 1956, is a round trip between the trailhead and the Pikes Peak. The Barr Trail Mountain Race is a 13 miles (21 km) round trip between the trailhead and Barr Camp. Another route, rated as Class 2, begins at Crags Campground, approaching

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2912-618: Was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. Pikes Peak was the home of a ski resort from 1939 until 1984. There are several visitor centers on Pikes Peak, some with a gift shop and restaurant. These centers are located at the 6-mile (9.7 km) and 12-mile (19 km) markers of the toll road, plus one at the summit itself. Along with other food, the Summit House sells special high altitude doughnuts , frying up to 700 per hour. The doughnuts collapse or go mushy if transported to lower altitudes. There are several ways to ascend

2968-606: Was discovered along the South Platte River in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory . This discovery precipitated the Pike's Peak Gold Rush . Many residents of the mining region felt disconnected from the remote territorial governments of Kansas and Nebraska , so they voted to form their own Territory of Jefferson on October 24, 1859. The following month, the Jefferson Territorial Legislature organized 12 counties for

3024-654: Was later commonly known as "Pike's Highest Peak." American explorer Stephen Harriman Long named the mountain "James Peak" in honor of Edwin James who climbed to the summit during Long's Expedition of 1820 . The mountain was later renamed "Pike's Peak" in honor of Pike. The name was simplified to "Pikes Peak" by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1890. Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's 54  fourteeners , mountains more than 14,000 feet (4,267.2 m) above sea level. The massif rises over 8,000 ft (2,400 m) above downtown Colorado Springs. Pikes Peak

3080-560: Was the first to describe the blue columbine , Colorado's state flower. Gold was discovered in the area of present-day Denver in 1858, and newspapers referred to the gold-mining area as "Pike's Peak". Pike's Peak or Bust became the slogan of the Colorado Gold Rush (see also Fifty-Niner ). This was more due to Pikes Peak's visibility to gold seekers traveling west across the plains than any actual significant gold find anywhere near Pikes Peak. Major gold deposits were not discovered in

3136-569: Was unable to reach the summit. The summit is higher than any point in the United States east of its longitude . The band of Ute people who called the Pikes Peak region their home were the Tabeguache , whose name means the "People of Sun Mountain". Tava or "sun", is the Ute word that was given by these first people to the mountain that we now call Pikes Peak. (In contrast, the name Tabeguache Peak

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