The History of the Welcome to Colorful Colorado Signs

Our Welcome to Colorful Colorado signs at our borders can be found on all sides of the state. Since their beginning, the signs have gone from the roadside to t-shirts, hats, key chains, and plenty of other swag at the visitor's center.

Scroll on to learn more about the history of the Welcome to Colorful Colorado signs and to see a photo gallery of each sign standing out on the roads today.

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Welcome to Colorful Colorado

Colorado's publicity office felt the state needed some signs at our borders to welcome the increasing number of visitors seeing the USA in a Chevrolet. The auto boom of the 1950s had people driving everywhere, and signs were a big deal. The Colorado State Penitentiary created the signs and the very first one was placed at Raton Pass. In 2022, there are 41 Weclome to Colorful Colorado Signs.

Which Colorado Border Has the Most Welcome Signs?

The Colorado-New Mexico border is home to the most Welcome to Colorful Colorado signs with 12 total. The Utah Border has 5. The Kansas border has 8. The Nebraska border has 9, and there are 6 on the Wyoming side.

Colorado's Classic Welcome Signs Return

The state held a contest in 1989 to allow artists to come up with a design to replace the aging signs. A new design replaced the old signs in 1991 but they didn't last long and started to fall apart. Coloradans expressed a love for the classic older signs and so the original design was brought back around 1999/2000. These are the signs as we enter the state today.

Welcome to Colorado: The History of Welcome Signs in the Centennial State

Colorado is surrounded by seven neighboring states with multiple highways that will lead you in and out from all sides. More than 40 Welcome to Colorful Colorado road signs are waiting to greet visitors. Scroll on to find out where they are and to get a glimpse of each of them.

MORE: See All 41 of Colorado's Beautiful State Parks

There are 42 State Parks open to the public in Colorado with 1 in development. We also include the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area as an unofficial State Park. Scroll through the photos to learn more about each one of these popular destinations.

KEEP GOING: Colorado's Amazing Mountain Passes Ranked By Elevation

Maintain a good grip on the steering wheel because we traveling to the top of the Rockies via Colorado's extreme mountain passes. Scroll on to learn more about mountain passes above 10,000 feet throughout the state.