Colorado has almost as many dead towns (about 500) as live ones (650). Mining booms and busts left the mountains littered with more than 300 ghost towns that fascinate locals and tourists. The eastern plains and western canyon lands are also haunted by more than 200 ghost towns.

The largest diamond ever found in Colorado was a 28.3-carat gem found in 1996. The diamond was unearthed 43 miles northwest of Fort Collins a t the Kelsey Lake Mine. This diamond was also the fifth largest found in the United States. It was sized down into a 5.9-carat gem that sold for $87,000.