The City of Colorado Springs is the home-rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a +15.02% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous city and the most extensive city in the State of Colorado. It is the principal city of the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the second-most prominent city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. It is located in east-central Colorado, on Fountain Creek, 70 miles south of Denver.
At 6,035 feet the city stands over 1 mile above sea level, though some areas are significantly higher and lower. Colorado Springs is near the base of Pikes Peak, which rises 14,115 feet above sea level on the eastern edge of the Southern Rocky Mountains.
The United States Air Force Academy opened just north of Colorado Springs in 1958. The city is home to 24 national sports governing bodies, including the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the United States Olympic Training Center, USA Swimming, and USA Hockey.