Front Range Urban Corridor in the context of "Interstate 25"

Colorado Springs is the home rule city that is the county seat of and the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous city and most extensive city in the state of Colorado, and the 40th-most-populous city in the United States. It is the principal city of the Colorado Springs metropolitan area, which had 755,105 residents in 2020, and the second-most prominent city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. It is located in east-central Colorado on Fountain Creek, 70 miles (113 km) south of Denver.

At 6,035 feet (1,839 m), the city stands over 1 mile (1.6 km) above sea level. It is near the base of Pikes Peak, which rises 14,115 feet (4,302.31 m) above sea level on the eastern edge of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The city is the largest city north of Mexico above 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in elevation.

Denver International Airport (IATA: DEN, ICAO: KDEN, FAA LID: DEN), often referred to by locals as DIA, is an international airport in the Western United States, primarily serving metropolitan Denver, Colorado, as well as the greater Front Range Urban Corridor.

Runway 16R/34L, with a length of 16,000 feet (3.03 mi; 4.88 km), is the longest public use runway in North America and the seventh longest on Earth. The airport is 25 miles (40 km) driving distance northeast of Downtown Denver, 19 miles (31 km) farther than the former Stapleton International Airport which DEN replaced; the airport is actually closer to the City of Aurora than central Denver, and many airport-related services, such as hotels, are located in Aurora.

Denver (/ˈdɛnvər/ DEN-vər) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Officially a consolidated city and county, it is located in the South Platte River valley on the western edge of the High Plains, and is just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Denver is the 19th-most populous city in the United States and the fifth-most populous state capital, with a population of 715,522 at the 2020 census. The Denver metropolitan area, with over 3.05 million residents, is the 19th-largest metropolitan area in the country and functions as the economic and cultural center of the broader Front Range Urban Corridor.

Denver's downtown district lies about 12 miles (19 kilometers) east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Named after James W. Denver, the governor of the Kansas Territory at the time, Denver was founded at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River in 1858 during the Gold Rush era. Nicknamed the "Mile High City" because its official elevation is exactly one mile (5280 feet or 1609.344 meters) above sea level, Denver grew beyond its prospecting origins to become the principal commercial and transportation hub for a broad region spanning the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain West. The 105th meridian west of Greenwich, the longitudinal reference for the Mountain Time Zone, passes directly through Denver Union Station.

The Colorado Springs, CO, Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Office of Management and Budget defined Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) located in the Colorado Springs region of the State of Colorado. The 2020 United States census counted a population of 755,105, an increase of 17.0% since the 2010 United States census. The Colorado Springs MSA is the 79th-most populous MSA in the United States. The Colorado Springs MSA encompasses El Paso County and Teller County, Colorado. Approximately 88.40% percent of the MSA's population live in cities or CDPs. The Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area is the second-most populous component of the Front Range Urban Corridor.

The Town of Calhan is a statutory town located in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 762 at the 2020 United States census. Calhan is a part of the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. The town straddles U.S. Highway 24. With Calhan sitting at an elevation of 6,535 feet (1,992 meters) above sea level, Calhan is the highest non-mountain town in the United States.

Lakewood is the home rule municipality that is the most populous municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 155,984 at the 2020 U.S. census, making Lakewood the fifth most populous city in Colorado and the 167th most populous city in the United States. Lakewood is a suburb of Denver and is a principal city of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and a major city of the Front Range Urban Corridor.

The city has a notable student population, as it is home to three higher education institutions: Colorado Christian University, Red Rocks Community College and Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Lakewood is also home to the Denver Federal Center, which houses the largest concentration of federal agencies outside of Washington, D.C.

Aurora (/əˈroʊrə/, /əˈrɔːrə/) is a home rule city located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States. The city's population was 386,261 at the 2020 United States census with 336,035 living in Arapahoe County, 47,720 in Adams County, and 2,506 in Douglas County. Aurora is the third-most-populous city in the State of Colorado and the 51st-most-populous city in the United States. Aurora is a principal city of the Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Denver-Aurora-Greeley, CO Combined Statistical Area, and a major city of the Front Range Urban Corridor.