Colorado at 150:
Remembering Where We Began,
Imagining What We Can Become
On Colorado’s birthday, a reflection on belonging, courage, and hope for the future of our state.
By Linda Reiner, President and CEO, Caring for Colorado
On August 1, 1876, Colorado became the Centennial State—the 38th state in the United States of America. But statehood did not come easily. It took five attempts and more than fifteen years for Colorado to join the Union.
The story of Colorado’s founding is not only a story of achievement. It is also a story of debate, exclusion, power, and unfinished promises. As History Colorado reminds us, early attempts at statehood were shaped by fundamental questions: Who should be allowed to vote? What policies should guide the new government? Which economic interests—mining, agriculture, ranching, railroads, and others—would receive the greatest consideration? What would statehood mean, and for whom?
Other voices were left out entirely. Southern Coloradans found themselves in a new territory they had never asked to join, and Native people across this land were displaced from their homelands. From the very beginning, Colorado’s story has been shaped by the tension between aspiration and reality—between the promise of belonging and the hard work of building a state where that promise is truly shared.
As Colorado marks its 150th birthday, I find myself reflecting on that history with both humility and hope. The questions that shaped our beginning have not disappeared. They have changed form, but they still ask us who we are, what we value, and what kind of future we are willing to build together.
Today, Colorado is home to more than six million people. We are a state of cities and ranchlands, mountain towns and plains communities, longtime residents and newcomers, young families and older adults, and people whose work, care, and creativity sustain our state. And at this moment in our state’s life, we face questions every bit as consequential as those our founders faced nearly 150 years ago.
- Who gets to belong in Colorado, and what does it mean to be a Coloradan?
- How do we make Colorado affordable enough for families, workers, and older adults to stay and thrive?
- How can we ensure every child has what they need–health care, education, safety, opportunity, and belonging—to grow into a healthy and thriving adult?
- What rights and freedoms must Colorado protect for all people who live here?
- How do we protect Colorado’s land, water, air, and wildlife amid climate change, drought, wildfire, and population growth?
- How can Colorado build enough housing while preserving the character, culture, and natural beauty of our communities?
- How do we build an economy that supports rural, urban, and suburban communities alike?
- How can Colorado strengthen public trust, civic participation, and shared responsibility at a time of division and rapid change?
For twenty-five years, I have had the privilege of working at Caring for Colorado, carrying forward a simple but powerful belief: when we put care into Colorado communities, we can help people thrive.
Over those years, I have traveled many roads, listened to countless stories, and learned from communities across Colorado. I have seen people expand access to health care, respond to the youth mental health crisis, reduce poverty, strengthen rural communities, protect reproductive freedom, and advance policies that help people live with dignity and opportunity. The work takes many forms, but the common thread is constant: people fighting for people, guided by Colorado’s spirit of grit, generosity, justice, and possibility.
I have learned that lasting change begins with trust, collaboration, and a willingness to work across differences. Across Colorado, these partnerships are advancing health, well-being, and opportunity for young people and families by addressing barriers at their roots and building solutions that endure. This commitment guides Caring for Colorado’s next chapter, including our board’s recent investment in collaborative systems change through the Colorado Centennial Fund, a subsidiary organization of Caring for Colorado, created to bring more resources, ideas, and partners together to address the complex challenges affecting Colorado’s young people.
My hope lies in people coming together to improve the policies and systems that shape young people’s lives so that every young person can reach their promise.
On Colorado’s birthday, as we continue to build our state, I hope we choose belonging over division. I hope we remember that affordability is not just an economic issue, but a question of who gets to build a life here. I hope we protect the freedoms that allow people to make decisions about their bodies, their families, their futures, and their communities. I hope we care for our rivers, forests, plains, wildlife, and open spaces not only because they are beautiful, but because they are part of our shared inheritance and our shared responsibility. Most of all, I hope we continue to believe in one another. Colorado’s future will not be secured by any single policy, leader, organization, or election. It will be shaped by the everyday courage of people who show up for their neighbors, ask hard questions, listen across differences, and keep working toward a more just and caring state.
As we celebrate Colorado’s birthday, let’s do more than look back. Let’s recommit ourselves to the work of becoming. The work of widening the circle. The work of making good on the promise that Colorado can be a place where every person has the chance to belong, to contribute, and to thrive.
Happy birthday, Colorado. May our next chapter be defined by courage, care, and a deeper commitment to one another.
