Colorado Springs is the county seat and most populous city of El Pas County in Colorado, United States. It is known as a Home Rule Municipality and is home to 376,427 inhabitants as of 2007. The city is situated near the base of Pikes Peak, one of the most famous American mountains.

Colorado Springs was founded by General William Palmer in August 1871 when he dreamed of creating a high quality resort. The resort community became so popular with many English tourists that it was soon nicknamed "Little London". In the 1890s, it was discovered that Colorado Springs had more to offer than just scenic health. Gold was discovered in 1891 in Cripple Creek thus paving the way for Colorado Springs to become a thriving financial center. When the golden years began to wane, the city offered its land to military as a way to expand its economic base in 1942. Colorado Springs soon built a reputation as the nation's military space capital housing Peterson Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base, North American Aerospace Command (NORAD) and other space command centers.

In 2006, Colorado Springs was named as the number 1 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money magazine. The city is still a thriving tourist and resort community. It is home to the US Olympic Committee and Olympic Training Center as well as home to many religious organizations.