Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is a city in the state of Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in Boulder County and has a population of over 100,000 people. The city is known as a college town because it is home to the University of Colorado Boulder, which is the main campus of the University of Colorado system.

Boulder is special because it sits at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, giving it beautiful views and outdoor activities like hiking and biking. The city is about 25 miles northwest of Denver, the capital of Colorado. In the future, starting in 2027, Boulder will host the famous Sundance Film Festival, which is a big event for movies and filmmakers.

History

Boulder Valley has been home to Native American tribes for over 13,000 years. By the 1500s, the Ute people were the main group living there. In the early 1800s, the Arapaho moved into the area. European settlers arrived in 1858 during the Colorado Gold Rush. Gold was found in Boulder Creek in 1859, which brought more people to the area.

Boulder became an official city in 1871. The University of Colorado was established there in 1877 when Colorado became a state. Over the years, Boulder has made many plans to protect its natural beauty, such as limiting building heights and preserving open spaces.

Geography

Boulder is located in the Boulder Valley where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains. West of the city are the Flatirons, tall slabs of stone that are a well-known symbol of Boulder.

Boulder Creek is the main waterway through the city. It flows into St. Vrain Creek and eventually the South Platte River. The city sits in a wide basin just east of the continental divide, about 25 miles northwest of Denver.

Boulder has a temperate climate with many sunny days. Winters are usually mild but can sometimes get very cold. Summers are warm with afternoon thunderstorms. The city receives a fair amount of snow each winter.

Environment

Boulder has worked to protect its natural areas. The city has volunteers who help watch over parks and wildlife. Sometimes, parks may close to help nature recover. Boulder has tried different ways to manage pests, including using goats to eat unwanted plants.

Climate

Boulder’s climate is usually mild but can change a lot. Winters have average temperatures in the 40s °F, with occasional very cold nights. Snow falls about 88 inches each season but usually doesn’t pile up deeply. Summers are warm, often reaching around 90 °F, with afternoon thunderstorms common. The high altitude and semi-arid conditions mean temperatures can change quickly between day and night.

Demographics

Boulder is the main city of the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2020 census

In the 2010 census, there were 97,385 people in the city. The city had many different groups of people, with most being White, some Asian, and others from various backgrounds. About 8.7% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

Many people in Boulder were students, making the city’s population younger than average. The median age was 28.7 years, much younger than the U.S. average of 37.2 years. A large part of the population was between 18 and 24 years old because of the university.

In 2011, the median household income was $57,112. About 24.8% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 17.4% of children under 18.

Economy

Boulder, Colorado, is an important city for jobs and business. In 2010, the area around Boulder had a big economy worth $18.3 billion, making it the 110th largest in the United States.

In 2007, Boulder became the first city in the United States to add a special tax to help the environment. In 2013, a magazine called Forbes put Boulder on its list of great places for jobs and careers.

Top employers

In the city's report from 2022, the biggest companies and organizations that employ people are listed here:

Arts and culture

Bolder Boulder

Boulder has held a 10 km road run called the Bolder Boulder every year since 1979 on Memorial Day. Over 50,000 people join in to run, jog, walk, or use wheelchairs. It is one of the biggest races in the world and ends at Folsom Field with a special tribute.

Music

Boulder has many music groups. The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra began in 1958. The Colorado Music Festival started in 1976 and holds summer concerts. There is also the Boulder Bach Festival for the music of J.S. Bach, and the Colorado MahlerFest for the works of Gustav Mahler.

Dance

Boulder has several dance groups. Boulder Ballet started in the 1970s, and Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet began in 2004.

Conference on World Affairs

Each year, Boulder holds a Conference on World Affairs where people talk about important current topics.

eTown

The radio show eTown is based in Boulder at eTown Hall.

Polar Bear Plunge

Since 1983, people have jumped into the cold Boulder Reservoir on New Year’s Day for fun.

Naked Pumpkin Run

A Halloween tradition started in 1998 where people run wearing only shoes and a pumpkin on their heads. It stopped for a while because of rules but some people still try to do it.

Boulder Cruiser Ride

The Happy Thursday Cruiser Ride is a fun bike ride that started in the early 1990s. Riders sometimes dress up and decorate their bikes. It is still going on today.

World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade

Every year, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows holds a very short St. Patrick's Day parade that is just one block long.

Boulder International Film Festival

Started in 2005, this Boulder International Film Festival shows movies each March in many places around Boulder.

Sundance Film Festival

Starting in 2027, Boulder will host the Sundance Film Festival for ten years. It will then have the choice to keep it longer. Boulder is much bigger than the old host city, Park City, Utah. Other cities like Salt Lake City-Park City and Cincinnati wanted to host it too.

Parks and recreation

Boulder is surrounded by lots of open space and nature areas where people can enjoy the outdoors. About 60% of this space, which totals around 61,529 acres, is open for everyone to visit.

Near Boulder, in the community of Eldorado Springs, there are places to try rock climbing. The city also has climbing spots on the Flatirons and in Boulder Canyon, though these areas sometimes close to protect wildlife. Each year on Groundhog Day, a special event happens at the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage with Flatiron Freddy, a stuffed marmot, instead of a groundhog.

Government

See also: List of mayors of Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is a city that governs itself under special rules in Colorado. This means the people there make many of their own local decisions.

The city is known for having many voters who support Democratic ideas. In recent years, most people in Boulder County registered as Democrats, with fewer registering as Republicans or with no party at all.

Boulder has taken steps to protect the environment. In 2019, the city declared a "climate emergency" and set goals to use only clean energy and reduce pollution from cars and buildings. The city works with its community to make these changes in a fair and thoughtful way.

Education

The Boulder Valley School District runs most public schools in Boulder. Some areas in the northeast send their students to the St. Vrain Valley School District instead.

Boulder has several special schools called charter schools, such as Preparatory High School for grades 9 to 12, Summit Middle School for grades 6 to 8, and Horizons Alternative School for kindergarten to grade 8. There are also many private schools for different grade levels in the city.

Boulder is home to several colleges and universities. The largest is the University of Colorado Boulder, a public university with many students and staff. Naropa University is a private university with around 400 undergraduate and over 600 graduate students. The Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts offers cooking classes and has a campus in Boulder and another in Austin, Texas.

The city also has many science institutes, including the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, and the National Snow and Ice Data Center, among others. These institutes study topics like weather, space, and the environment.

Media

Main article: Media in Boulder, Colorado

Boulder has several newspapers. The Daily Camera began in 1890 and became a daily paper in 1891. The Colorado Daily started in 1892 as a university newspaper but is no longer connected to the university.

Boulder is part of the Denver television market and gets many radio stations from Denver or Ft. Collins. The city has its own public service channel called Boulder 8 TV. There are also several radio stations, including non-commercial KGNU and commercial KBCO.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Boulder has strict rules about building new homes, which has caused more jobs than homes in the city. Many people who work in Boulder live in nearby towns like Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville, Broomfield, and Denver, so many roads get busy with traffic going in and out of the city each day. Boulder has many roads and highways, like US 36, to help with travel.

Boulder is famous for its safe and fun paths for walking and biking. The city has many special paths just for bikes and pedestrians, and it’s easy to get around by bike. There are also buses that go all over the city and to nearby places. Even though there isn’t a train that stops in Boulder, there are plans for new train services in the future to connect Boulder with other cities. Boulder is also a great place for bike lovers, with many miles of bike paths and special underpasses to keep riders safe. The city even has a special airport, Boulder Municipal Airport, used mainly for small planes and gliders.

Notable people

See also: List of University of Colorado Boulder alumni

Boulder, Colorado has been home to many interesting people. Some of these include Al Bartlett, a retired physics professor, and Jello Biafra, the lead singer of the punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Tony Boselli played football and was chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. Bill Bower was one of the last pilots from the Doolittle Raid during World War II. Arleigh Burke served as an Admiral in the United States Navy. Scott Carpenter was an astronaut in Project Mercury. Thomas Cech won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Alonzo Clemons was a sculptor known for his amazing skills despite having autism.

Other notable residents include Kristin Davis, an actress known for her role in Sex and the City, and Allen Ginsberg, a famous poet who lived much of his life in Boulder. Matt Hasselbeck was a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback in football. Carrie Ingalls from the TV show Little House on the Prairie lived in Boulder for a time. There are also athletes like Lauren Jortberg, an Olympic cross-country skier, and Scott Jurek, an ultramarathon runner. Chief Niwot was a leader of the Arapaho tribe and lived near where Boulder is today.

In popular culture

The city of Boulder, Colorado has appeared in many films, books, and TV shows. The movie Sleeper from 1973 was filmed in Boulder, using some local houses and the Mesa Laboratory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Famous writer Stephen King used Boulder as a setting in his book The Stand. He also lived in Boulder for a short time and wrote another book called The Shining while he was there.

The TV show Mork & Mindy from the late 1970s and early 1980s was set in Boulder. The TV show The Office also featured a character who moved to Boulder.

Country singer Emmylou Harris wrote a song called "Boulder to Birmingham" about her feelings after the death of a friend.

The TV show Broad City ended with one of the main characters moving to Boulder. Many scenes from the 2006 movie Catch and Release were also filmed in Boulder.

Sister cities

Boulder has many friends in cities around the world. These are called sister cities. Some of Boulder's sister cities are Dushanbe in Tajikistan, Jalapa in Nicaragua, Kathmandu in Nepal, and Kisumu in Kenya. There are many more, and you can visit special places in Boulder that remember these friendships. For example, there is a tea house from Dushanbe and a mural from El Mante, Mexico, that you can see in the city.