Boulder

The Arapaho migrated to the Boulder Valley in the early 1800s, and the Arapaho leader Niwot, known in English as Left Hand, is remembered in local place names; he was killed in the Sand Creek massacre of 1864. Gold prospectors set up camp at the mouth of Boulder Canyon in 1858, and the Boulder City Town Company was organised early the next year as a supply town for the mining camps in the mountains.

The University of Colorado was founded in Boulder in 1876 and opened its first building the following year. In 1898 Texan educators chose the city for a summer Chautauqua, an assembly of lectures and concerts, and its grounds below the Flatirons are still in use. In 1907 Boulder adopted an ordinance banning saloons.

In the second half of the 20th century federal science came to the city: the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, founded in 1960, and the weather and climate agency NOAA all have laboratories here. Fast growth led residents to protect the land around them. In 1967 Boulder voters approved a dedicated sales tax to buy open space, and later rules capped building heights and limited the pace of growth. In 2021 the Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in nearby Louisville, Superior and unincorporated Boulder County.

The university shapes the city's culture. More than 30,000 students attend CU Boulder, and campus life sets the pace of the year, from football Saturdays at Folsom Field to the quiet of the summer break. Naropa University, founded in 1974 by the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa, gave the city a strong link with Buddhism and contemplative arts, and the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg co-founded its writing school.

Boulder is also known for its outdoor life. Many professional runners, cyclists and triathletes train here at altitude, the Flatirons are a classic climbing area, and the Bolder Boulder road race on Memorial Day is one of the largest in the country. Summer brings classical music at Chautauqua and Shakespeare on the campus, and the Sundance Film Festival is due to move to the city from 2027.

Politically the city is among the most progressive in Colorado, with a long-standing commitment to environmental causes, cycling and local food. Residents are proud of the open-space belt and debate fiercely how much the city should grow. The tone is informal and active, sometimes teased as the 'Boulder bubble' by the rest of the state.

About 108,000 people lived in the city at the 2020 census, a large share of them students, and the wider county has about 330,000. The economy rests on the university, the federal laboratories and a wide range of private companies, and job growth has far outstripped population growth. Weather and climate research gives the city an unusual concentration of scientists.

Housing is the dominant local issue. The open-space belt and growth limits that residents value also hold back the supply of homes, and prices are among the highest in Colorado. Many people who work in Boulder live in Longmont, Lafayette, Louisville or the Denver suburbs and commute in by car or bus. University Hill and the neighbourhoods around the campus are largely rented to students.

Days often start early, with runners and cyclists out on the paths and roads before work. Lunchtime and weekends draw people to the trailheads at Chautauqua and along the foothills, and evenings to the restaurants and bars around Pearl Street. Wildfire risk, drought and the cost of living shape much of local politics.

Boulder takes a keen interest in natural and organic food. Celestial Seasonings, a Boulder institution, began in 1969 when its founders gathered wild Rocky Mountain herbs to make herbal teas. Farm-to-table cooking, vegetarian and vegan menus and attention to where ingredients come from are common in its restaurants.

The Boulder County Farmers Market, held on 13th Street downtown, sells local produce alongside meat, cheese, bread and prepared food. The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, given by the city's sister city in Tajikistan, serves teas from around the world in its carved and painted hall.

Colorado food appears too: green chile stew, burritos smothered in green chile, Rocky Mountain trout, bison and lamb. Craft beer is an important part of local life — Colorado is known across the country for craft brewing, and Boulder Beer, founded in 1979, is often described as the state's first microbrewery. Coffee shops, juice bars and bakeries line Pearl Street and the Hill.