Thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead this great state so that we can fulfill the Colorado Promise. I intend to thank each and every  one of you by governing well.  
Once again – thank you, Colorado!

Sincerely,

Bill Ritter, Jr

Colorado's name was derived from the Spanish language meaning"colored red". Colorado had been nicknamed the Centennial`State because it became a state in 1876, 100 years after the signing of the Declaration`of Independence.
Colorado is known best as Colorful Colorado because of its  majestic mountains, scenery, rivers and plains.
Created by Congress in 1861, the Territory of Colorado lies in the center of the western half of the continental United States
and includes the east-central portion of the Rocky Mountain region. The center of the state is approximately 1,500 miles from the East Coast, 800 miles from the West Coast, 650 miles from the Canadian border, and 475 miles from the Mexican border. Colorado is bounded on the east by the states of Kansas and Nebraska, on the north by Nebraska and Wyoming, on the west by Utah and on the south by New Mexico and Oklahoma. The boundary lines create an almost perfect rectangle measuring approximately 387 miles from east to west and 276 miles from north to south, covering 104,247 square miles including 450 square miles in bodies of water. Colorado is the eighth largest state when measured  in square mile area. Colorado is a diverse region of mountains, plateaus, canyons and plains. Generally, the eastern half of the state has flat, high plains and rolling prairies gradually rising westward to the front-range foothills and the higher ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The Continental Divide runs from north to south through West Central Colorado and bisects the state into the eastern and western slopes. The western half of the state consists of alpine terrain interspersed with wide valleys, rugged canyons, high plateaus and deep basins.

Colorado's altitude is one of its distinctive geographical features, making it on average the nation's highest state. The average elevation is 6,800 feet. The lowest elevation in Colorado is 3,315 feet on the Arikaree River where  it flows into the northwestern corner of Kansas. Colorado's highest peak is Mt. Elbert at 14,431 feet, or 2.72 miles above sea level. Mt. Elbert is the 14th highest peak in the United States, including Alaska. In addition, there are 54 mountain peaks in Colorado over 14,000 feet high and more than a thousand peaks over 10,000 feet high. Colorado's mountainous regions are also the headwaters for six major rivers.
The Continental Divide, so named because waters west of the divide flow toward the Pacific Ocean and those east of the divide flow toward the Atlantic Ocean, runs from north to south through the state. West of the Continental Divide, the Colorado River flows southwest from high in the Rocky Mountains in north central Colorado toward the Gulf of California. East of the Continental Divide, the North Platte, the South Platte, the Arkansas, the Republican and the Rio Grande rivers all originate in Colorado's mountains  or plains and flow east toward the Missouri River, southeast to the Mississippi River and then south to the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.colorado.gov/
SOURCE: COLORADO STATE ARCHIVES.