Colorado Springs is located on a high, flat plain at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, in eastern central Colorado. To the east of the city are rolling prairie lands and to the north is Monument Divide. The climate of Colorado Springs is relatively mild and dry, since the city is protected from harsh weather by the Rocky Mountains in the west. In the winter, Colorado Springs is warmed by the Chinook, a wind whose name means "snow eater."
Area: 186 square miles (2000)
Elevation: 6,035 feet above sea level
Average Temperatures: January, 28.1° F; July, 69.6° F; annual average: 47.8° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 17.4 inches