Cañon City is known as the “Climate Capital of Colorado” despite its elevation of over 5,300 feet. The unique location of the city in a valley is what keeps it protected from harsh conditions and keeps the weather so mild. Clearly things haven’t changed as Cañon City was promoted in the Cañon City Colorado Record in 1905 as having the “most cheerful and pleasant surroundings.”
The article claimed that Colorado was a state “almost without a cloudy day,” with Cañon City only having an average of 30 cloudy days per year according to the U.S. government weather reports. The very dry winters were sought after by health and pleasure seekers with the city having only 12 inches of precipitation a year on average. The humidity of the city was ranked very low while the percentage of possible sunshine was ranked very high.
The article ended with a few remarks on the desirability of Colorado:
It is not only the health seeker who finds Colorado climate desirable. All classes of people are beginning to appreciate that we have but one life to live and why not live that amid the most cheerful and pleasant surroundings?
Young men will grow stronger and old men will live longer in the clear, crisp, sunny atmosphere of the West.
It’s a great place for all the family and it’s a growing country.
Some things haven’t changed!
A brass coin/token commemorating the Canon City, Colo. Centennial. It is embossed with the Royal Gorge Bridge and reads “THE ROYAL GORGE Climate Capitol of the World”, 1972. Object ID: 2016.008.002; Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center Collection.
The information presented in this article is compiled using research conducted by the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center.