In July 1858, gold was discovered along the South Platte River in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory.

The greater than normal surplus of males between 18 and 35 are mainly due to the presence of five military installations located within the county.

[17] According to the City's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[18] the largest employers in the county are: The Pikes Peak Library District provides library services through its 15 branches and bookmobiles to the residents of El Paso County, with the exception of Widefield School District 3.

The mission of the District is "Providing resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community.

Eight years later, the county was one of only four in the state to back governor Roy Romer's opponent John Andrews.

An additional training area was purchased in September 1983 and is called Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS).

Currently, Fort Carson is the home of 4th Infantry Division and several other units, including 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the Colorado National Guard Regional Training Institute and PCMS, which is a maneuver training site for Fort Carson located near Trinidad, Colorado.

Fort Carson's economic impact on Colorado Springs and the surrounding communities was approximately $2.3 billion during fiscal year 2014.

[25] The Space Force has critical aspects of their service based at Colorado Springs, which carry on missile defense operations and development.

Peterson SFB is currently the headquarters of the operations-half of Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command.

[citation needed] Peterson is also headquarters for the United States Northern Command, one of the Unified Combatant Commands, which directs all branches of the U.S. military operations in their area of responsibility, which includes the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, and Mexico.

In the event of national emergencies, the President or Secretary of Defense can call upon the command for any required military assistance.

Schriever Space Force Base is home to several Space Force mission Deltas, responsible for the operation and support of 175 Department of Defense satellites and installation support to 16 major tenant units, with a workforce of more than 7,700 personnel.

[citation needed] The base indirectly contributes an estimated $1 billion to the local Colorado Springs, CO area annually.

Most of the Air Force Academy's sports programs participate in the Mountain West Conference.

[30] The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), headquartered on Peterson SFB, has a presence in Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station.

When it was built at the height of the Cold War, NORAD caused some anxiety for the residents in and around Colorado Springs, who believed the installation would be a primary target during a nuclear attack.