Colorado is known as a sunny state full of epic beauty. The southern Rocky Mountains are in Colorado. It is here that you will find the Garden of the Gods and the Flatirons. Scattered throughout Colorado are 4 national parks, 11 national forests, and 3 national wildlife refuges. There are 300 days of sunshine each year. Denver, the capital of Colorado, is known as the Mile High City. It has an elevation of 5,280 feet. Colorado became a state in 1876, one hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, giving it the nickname The Centennial State.