Colo.

Geography & Places abbreviation · US State Traditional

Colo. stands for Colorado, a US state traditional abbreviation.

Colorado's abbreviation in AP datelines and party labels (BOULDER, Colo.; D-Colo.), also listed by the Government Publishing Office and The Bluebook. It turns up in scientific author affiliations, on older topographic maps and in ski-resort marketing copy written in newspaper style.

Example: ASPEN, Colo. — Avalanche danger remained high Saturday after a storm dropped two feet of snow.

Usage notes

The archaic Col. was abandoned because it collided with colonel and column. The postal code CO, set in 1963, collides with carbon monoxide and with Colombia's ISO code, one reason editors still prefer Colo. in prose. Denver stands alone in AP datelines.

Related abbreviations

More US state traditional abbreviations

• Ala. – Alabama
• Ariz. – Arizona
• Ark. – Arkansas
• Cal. – California
• Calif. – California
• Conn. – Connecticut
• Del. – Delaware
• Fla. – Florida
• Ill. – Illinois
• Ind. – Indiana
• Kan. – Kansas
• Kans. – Kansas

See all 36 US state traditional abbreviations →

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