The new Colorado driver's license design has been unveiled, and Western Colorado owns everything about it.

Yesterday, March 1, 2021, the final decision was made regarding the design for the new Colorado driver's license. When it was all said and done, over 100 artists submitted entries, and more than 55,000 Colorado residents placed their votes.

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The new design is all about Western Colorado.

What do I mean when I say the new design is "all about" Western Colorado. For starters, the winning design for the front of the new Colorado driver's license comes from Glenwood Springs resident Matt Nunez. Secondly, the featured image comes right out of the western region of the state.

Which Colorado "icon" has been chosen for the new license design?

The selected photo is that of Western Colorado's Mount Sneffels. According to Wikipedia:

Mount Sneffels is the highest summit of the Sneffels Range in the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 14,158-foot (4315.4 m) fourteener is located in the Mount Sneffels Wilderness of Uncompahgre National Forest, 6.7 miles (10.8 km) west by south (bearing 256°) of the City of Ouray in Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The summit of Mount Sneffels is the highest point in Ouray County.

Did everybody get that? Mount Sneffels is 6.7 miles west by south (bearing 256°) of the City of Ouray. In other words, Mount Sneffels is that really cool-looking mountain you see when driving through the Montrose region heading towards Ouray or Telluride. As a matter of fact, you can see it clearly from the top of Mt. Garfield.

In a story by the Denver Post, Nunez was quoted as saying, "I am a proud Western Slope resident and although it’s not Hanging Lake, which is our local crown jewel, I’m glad that I was able to help make western Colorado represented on our driver’s license."

When will we see this new license?

According to the Denver Post, the new license will be released this fall. That figures. I have to renew my license in April, so it looks like I'll be stuck with the old, boring design for the next five years.

The development of the new Colorado license has been an intriguing process. From kickoff to the final decision, this has been a welcome distraction. In the end, it's fun to see the western regions of Colorado figuring so prominently in our state's new license design.

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