The City of Colorado Springs is the second most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 49th most populous city in the United States. The city is the county seat of El Paso County. Colorado Springs is located just east of the geographic center of the state and 63 miles (101 kilometers) south of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. At an elevation of 6035 feet (1839 meters), Colorado Springs is well over one mile above sea level, though some areas of the city are significantly higher. The city is situated near the base of one of the most famous American mountains, Pikes Peak, at the eastern edge of the Southern Rocky Mountains.

The United States Census Bureau estimates that in 2005 the population of the City of Colorado Springs was 369,815 (49th most populous U.S. city),the population of the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area was 587,500 (84th most populous MSA), and the population of the Front Range Urban Corridor was 4,013,055. A large number of religious organizations and churches make their headquarters here, particularly evangelical Christians. Several high-tech businesses have resided in the city, including a number of computer chip manufacturers (e.g. Intel, and the legendary chip foundary INMOS). The Mountain West Conference has its administrative headquarters in Colorado Springs.