Why is Colorado Springs Considered 'Southern Colorado'? (Denver, Pueblo: design, pine)

[Ryan from Texas]

This might be a dumb question, but it has been bothering me. I keep hearing or seeing Colorado Springs referred to as 'Southern Colorado'. But, if you look at a map, Colorado Springs is really quite central. The exact mid-point looks to be around Monument.

Is it mostly because most of the media also serves Pueblo? Does anyone know the reason or history of this designation?

[hollyt00]

Maybe cause we're south of Denver? I always think of us as south-central, I suppose.

[jazzlover]

Colorado Springs sits south of the Palmer Divide. It is part of the Arkansas River drainage (Fountain Creek, which passes through Colorado Springs, drains into the Arkansas River), while Denver is part of the South Platte River drainage. Traditionally, the lower Arkansas River drainage is considered part of southern Colorado, the South Platte drainage as part of northern Colorado.

Also, the vegetation found from the Palmer Divide south, as well as the general climate, has more in common with southern Colorado than with northern Colorado. "Southern" and "northern" is more than just an arbitrary dividing point on a map--one has to look at the natural geographic boundaries. Long-time Coloradans know this.

[Ryan from Texas]

That's a pretty good answer. Thanks, jazz.

[hollyt00]

I've always noticed the big difference in vegetation between northern Colorado and southern Colorado. That makes sense, jazzlover.

I do have to say I have a preference for southern Colorado

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by hollyt00

I've always noticed the big difference in vegetation between northern Colorado and southern Colorado. That makes sense, jazzlover.

I do have to say I have a preference for southern Colorado

So do I, though southern Colorado tends to suffer drought more frequently than northern Colorado. That has especially been true over the last 15-20 years. Whether that is being caused by natural climatic variation, or by man-made climatic effects is still hotly debated, but in my half-century-plus in this region, southern Colorado seems to have suffered an unusually high number of dry years in the past decade or so compared to earlier times in my life.

Aside from the drought issue, I far prefer the aspen-spruce forests of the southern Rocky Mountains (essentially south of US 50, more or less) compared to the proliferation of "dog-hair" lodgepole pine forests that are more common in the central and northern Rockies. Unfortunately, Sudden Aspen Decline is having very harmful effects on the aspen forests in the southern Rockies--a condition which the kind of severe drought once again hitting the southwestern United States greatly aggrevates.