Boulder, Colorado
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Boulder (Template:Coor dm, Mountain Time Zone) is a city located in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 94,673. It is home to the University of Colorado at Boulder, the largest university in Colorado. Boulder's elevation is 5,430 feet (1,655 meters) and is 35 miles (50 km) northwest of Denver. Boulder has the eighth greatest population among Colorado's cities and is the largest city and county seat of Boulder CountyTemplate:GR.
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Demographics
Image:DSCN5800 bouderbelowflatirons e.jpg As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 94,673 people, 39,596 households, and 16,788 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,499.9/km² (3,884.1/mi²), making Boulder's population density higher than Denver's and among the highest in the state: of Colorado's twenty-one largest cities, only Englewood and Northglenn (two close-in Denver suburbs) have greater population densities. There are 40,726 housing units at an average density of 645.2/km² (1,670.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 88.33% White, 1.22% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 4.02% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.50% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. 8.24% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 39,596 households out of which 20.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% are married couples living together, 6.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 57.6% are non-families. 33.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.20 and the average family size is 2.84.
Boulder's population is younger than the national average, largely due to the presence of university students. The median age is 29 years compared to the U.S. median of 35.1 years.[1] In Boulder, 14.8% of the resident are under the age of 18, 25.9% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% are 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there are 106.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and older, there are 107.4 males.
The median household income in Boulder is $44,748, and the median family income is $70,257 which is more than $20,000 above the U.S. average.[2] Males have a median income of $41,829 versus $32,100 for females. The per capita income for the city is $27,262. 17.4% of the population and 6.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.4% of those under the age of 18 and 6.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Boulder housing is expensive for the area. In 2000, the median value of a single-family owner-occupied home in Boulder was $304,700; the median value for all such homes in the United States was $119,600.[3]
Geography
Image:Boulder-flatirons-snow.jpg Boulder is located in Boulder Valley where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains. Just west of the city are imposing slabs of sedimentary stone tilted up on the foothills, known as The Flatirons. These are iconic of Boulder and often appear on city-related paraphernalia.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.7 km² (25.4 mi²). 63.1 km² (24.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.94% water.
History and politics
Early history
In the early to mid 1800s, the nomadic Southern Arapaho Native American tribe frequently wintered at the base of the foothills in the Boulder area. Other nomadic tribes included the Utes, Cheyennes, Comanches, and Sioux.
The first recorded European settlers in the area were gold prospectors who arrived in 1858, when Boulder was part of the Nebraska Territory. The Colorado Territory was created in 1861. In 1871 then Boulder City was incorporated and in 1873 the railroad extended to Boulder. Boulder's first school house was built in 1860 and following Colorado's statehood in 1876, the University of Colorado at Boulder opened in 1877.
Mining gold, silver, and coal continued to be a prominent part of the local economy until the mid 1900s. A coal miners strike lasted from 1910 to 1915, causing a military presence in nearby Louisville. Mining's relevance in the local economy declined in the 1940s, at a time when the city began actively recruiting clean industry, such as the National Bureau of Standards, which today is the National Institute of Standards and Technology. (Home of the atomic clock.)
Streetcars operated in Boulder from the late 1800s through 1931. A lobbying group exists today to restore the streetcar to Boulder, albeit with a new route. In 1954 the Boulder-Denver turnpike (US-36) opened as a tollway between Boulder and Denver. By 1976, the bonds for building the highway were paid off and its tollway status was lifted. (The road is still commonly referred to as the Boulder-Denver Turnpike, however.)
An anti-saloon ordinance passed in 1907 and prohibition started in Colorado in 1916 and ended with the repeal of national prohibition in 1933.[4]
Further reading: City of Boulder History, Boulder History Museum Timeline
Politics and government
Boulder was the second city in the United States to implement the Hare (or Single Transferable Vote) method of voting in 1917. It was repealed in 1947.
Politically, Boulder is comparatively more liberal than most of Colorado. Boulder County, which includes Boulder's more conservative suburbs, is 37% Democrat, 27% Republican, and 36% independent. [5] Although in Denver, Democrats hold a virtual monopoly over city politics, Boulder gains more attention for being Colorado's liberal enclave with nicknames like "The Berkeley of the Rockies" and "The People's Republic of Boulder".
In 1975, Boulder County's clerk was the second in the United States to ever grant same-sex marriage licenses, prior to state laws being passed to prevent such issuance. [6] Boulder was the first city in the state to enact a smoking ban that included bars in 1996. Extermination of prairie dogs is illegal in Boulder as are circuses that involve animals (whereas in Denver, a ban on animal circuses failed). [7] Mark Ruzzin, mayor of Boulder, is a member of the Green Party.
Notwithstanding its liberal reputation, Boulder has many conservative and libertarian residents. Bob Greenlee was the Republican mayor of Boulder from 1983 to 1999 and ran against Mark Udall in 1998 for Colorado's 2nd congressional district. The Promise Keepers, an evangelical organization for men, was conceived in Boulder in 1990. Soldier of Fortune magazine also has its headquarters in Boulder.[8]
Media
The city's present-day newspaper, The Daily Camera, was started in 1880 as the Boulder Camera and became a daily newspaper the following year. Colorado Daily was started in 1892 as a university newspaper for CU-Boulder. Following many heated controversies over Colorado Daily's political coverage, it severed its ties to the university in 1971. Newspaper conglomerate Scripps acquired the Colorado Daily in 2005 after its acquisition of the Camera in 1997, leaving Boulder Weekly as the only locally owned newspaper left in Boulder.[9] [10] [11]
Non-profit radio station KGNU was founded in 1975 and commercial music station KBCO in 1977.
Race
Boulder may be grounds for the sociological phenomena of white flight. The Rocky Mountain News reports that the Boulder Valley School district's "two bilingual schools are lopsidedly Hispanic" despite the overwhelmingly white populations in the schools' neighborhoods. (State law allows parents to choose their childs' public school.) Former school board president Julie Phillips opined, "For a liberal community, we aren't looking so liberal in the white flight we've experienced from some schools in the last 10 years".
A number of hate crimes took place at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2005.
Image:Boulder chautauqua park.jpg
Growth management
Government preservation of open space around Boulder began with the Congress of the United States approving the allocation of 1,800 acres (7.3 km²) of mountain backdrop/watershed extending from South Boulder Creek to Sunshine Canyon in 1899.
Since then, Boulder has adopted a policy of controlled urban expansion similar to what is now known as Smart Growth and New Urbanism. In 1967, the City of Boulder government began acquiring open space in an effort to contain urban sprawl and in 1970 it created a master plan that would dictate future zoning, transportation, and urban planning decisions. Hoping to preserve residents' views of the mountains, in 1972 the city enacted an ordinance limiting the height of newly constructed buildings. A residential growth management ordinance was passed in 1977, and a Historic Preservation Code in 1974.[12]
Boulder's efforts to contain urban growth have at times been controversial. It has, on rare occasions, invoked eminent domain in acquiring open space.[13] When the desires of property owners do not fit well into Boulder's master plan, they sometimes feel that their property rights are being violated. (A negative view of Boulder regarding property rights was articulated here, in a Boulder Weekly editorial.)
Wildlife protection
Image:Prairie-dog.jpg The City of Boulder has created an Urban Wildlife Management Plan which sets policies for managing and protecting urban wildlife.[14] Also, the city's parks department has a Conservative Team which monitors parks (including wetlands, lakes, etc) to protect ecosystems.[15] From time to time, parks and hiking trails are closed to conserve or restore ecosystems.[16]
Traditionally, Boulder has avoided the use of chemical pesticides for controlling the insect population. However, with the threat of West Nile Virus, the city began an integrative plan to control the mosquito population in 2003 that includes chemical pesticides. Image:Goats as weed control.jpgResidents can opt-out of the program by contacting the city and asking that their areas not be sprayed.[17]
In 2005, the Boulder City Council enacted an ordinance protecting prairie dogs from extermination.[18] People who have pets are referred to by local law as pet guardians, not pet owners.
Also in 2005, the city experimented with using goats for weed control in environmentally sensitive areas. Goats naturally diffuse knapweed and Canada thistle, and although the program was not as effective as it was hoped, goats will still be considered in the future weed control projects.[19]
Riots and alcohol
Riots
In a mostly student riot on May 2, 1997, at least 1,500 people rioted on University Hill, a commercial district neighboring the University of Colorado, resulting in $300,000 to $500,000 in property damage.[20] [21] A dozen people, including six police officers, were injured on the second night of the rioting. [22] Following the incident University of Colorado fraternities voted to phase out alcohol at in-house parties over a two year period.[23] Compliance has varied. Sigma Nu fraternity was suspended after being charged with violating the alcohol policy in 1999.[24]
On Halloween in 2004, about 1,500 people caused more than $18,000 in damage on University Hill. The riot began on the corner of 10th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. where a city-sanctioned block party was taking place, and then the disturbance spread to the commercial area of University Hill. Nearly 100 police officers where involved in suppressing the crowd, resulting in four minor police injuries. [25] Police arrested 18 people including 10 University of Colorado students. [26] One rioter filed a lawsuit against the police, which was later dismissed [27] and one Boulder police officer was reprimanded. [28] Residents who held some of the parties that lead to the violence were fined for "nuisance parties" [29] and one University of Colorado student was suspended [30] under Colorado State Law [31] [32]. (Photos of the riot are available on the city's website.)
University Hill and bonfires
Image:Dec01RiotGear.jpg Between the 1997 and 2004 riots, police responded eight times to suppress crowds in the University Hill neighborhood and the downtown Pearl Street Mall. [33] Whether or not all of these incidents were riots is debatable. Most of them include bonfires and many resulted in property damage. With the area's dry climate, chinook winds, dense housing, and a canopy of mature trees, these illegal bonfires pose a serious public safety risk. In 2002, outdoor use of upholstered indoor furniture was banned in the University Hill neighborhood, as couches were often the fuel for the bonfires.
Binge drinking
Despite an ongoing effort to curb binge drinking by the University of Colorado at Boulder and the city, CU-Boulder was still identified by Princeton Review as the "number one party school" in 2003 [34]. In October of 2004, the city council formed two subcommittees to "evaluate potential short and longer-term solutions to alcohol abuse in Boulder"[35] and the city council unanimously passed many of their recommendations in December of 2005.[36]
Culture
Outdoors
The open spaces in Boulder are spectacular and extensive. There are ample opportunities for hiking, biking and rock climbing. Most of the trails are a short drive from the city. The trails vary in difficulty: some are quite easy while there are some that are technically challenging. A trail map is available online or from a variety of local retailers. The City of Boulder Open Space website is a great resource for information about outdoor activities and volunteer opportunities.
World-class rock climbing is found in nearby Eldorado Canyon, near the small town of Eldorado Springs, Colorado, six miles south of Boulder. Eldorado Canyon is a wonder of natural beauty, but it is most famous for its hundreds of world-renowned rock climbing routes. There are also high quality climbing routes available in the city open space.
People
Notable births in Boulder include: Scott Carpenter (Project Mercury astronaut), Arleigh Burke (United States Navy Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations), Kristin Davis (Sex and the City actress), Tony Boselli (five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle), Russell Nachman (artist), and Anna Conway (artist).
University professor Ward Churchill lives in Boulder. Musician Stuart Davis, originally from Minnesota, lives in Boulder. Experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage lived near Boulder from the mid-1960s until 2002, and taught several film courses at CU-Boulder. Allen Ginsberg helped to found the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder. Jon Krakauer, bestselling author, known for his Mount Everest expose Into Thin Air, lives in Boulder. Architect Steven Walsh lives in Boulder. The professional wrestler Big Van Vader (Leon White) was born in Boulder and sometimes wore a CU T-shirt when he came to the ring in street clothes.
JonBenét Ramsey
In the widely covered 1996 murder, JonBenét Ramsey was found dead, after she was reported missing, in her family's affluent home at the age of six. The case remains unsolved. Perfect Murder Perfect Town, a book (and later film) by Dyanne Iandoli, alleges that JonBenét's murder was made unsolvable by city politics and the ineptitude of a police department unaccustomed to dealing with homicides. In 1997, the Ramseys moved to Atlanta, Georgia and their old University Hill household is valued at $623,500.[37] [38]
Music
Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys is originally from Boulder, as are The String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, and The Samples.
Every year during the second week of January, Boulder is the host city of Colorado MahlerFest, an annual celebration honoring Austrian composer Gustav Mahler, on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. Variety music and environmental radio program Etown is produced in Boulder.
The Dave Matthews Band has recorded a live CD at Folsom Field, CU Boulder
On Thursday nights (7–9pm), from June through mid-August, free, Street Musicians perform on the 1300 block of Pearl Street, just south of the Courthouse. Each week, Bands on the Bricks, as the event is called, features a different band, ranging in style from zydeco to oldies, and bluegrass to funk. Buskers are frequently in downtown Boulder, especially on warm days and weekends.
Boulder in fiction
Boulder was a setting for Stephen King's book The Stand (1978), and for the sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). Some houses and the National Center for Atmospheric Research building overlooking the town were used in the filming of Woody Allen's Sleeper. The famous Pearl Street Mall was one location for the filming of the movie Catch and Release, starring Jennifer Garner. Houses around Boulder, as well as storefronts on "the hill" were filmed for the movie. Boulder may also be part of the basis for the town of South Park in the animated show South Park, the creators of which (Trey Parker & Matt Stone) attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, which also makes appearances in South Park. (Though "South Park" generally refers to a valley nestled within the mountains of central Colorado).
The author Stephen White has written a series of mystery books using Boulder as the primary backdrop and featuring lead character Alan Gregory. Marianne Wesson, an author and professor at the University of Colorado School of Law, has also set several of her mystery novels in Boulder.
Traditions
Bolder Boulder
Boulder has hosted a 10-km road run, the “Bolder Boulder,” on Memorial Day, every year since 1979. The race involves up to 50,000 runners, joggers, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it one of the largest road races in the world. It has the largest non-marathon prize purse in road racing [media guide (PDF)]. The race culminates at the University of Colorado's Folsom Field with a Memorial Day Tribute, “one of the largest Memorial Day gatherings in the United States” [39]. Organizers have dedicated three starting waves to current and former members of the U.S. armed forces. The Boulder Creek Fest is also held on Memorial Day in conjunction with the Bolder Boulder. This festival has over 100,000 attendees every year. Art, food, music, local dance troupes, a kids zone, and community organizations make for an enjoyable day in downtown Boulder right along the Boulder Creek. The Boulder Creek Fest calumniates with the Rubber Ducky Race, held on Memorial Day.
Kinetics
Every year to mark the beginning of Spring, local radio station KBCO sponsors Kinetics, a race across land and water by human-powered vehicles timed on speed and judged for style. The idea for Kinetics was imported from Ferndale, California in 1979 and the first race was held on May 3, 1980. Since then, Kinetics has grown in size and creativity with about 20,000 spectators and dozens of teams.[40]
Nude Pumpkin Run
Every year since 1999, Boulder has hosted the Nude Pumpkin Run. Touted as "Boulder’s largest and longest running community arts project," the Run takes place on Halloween and involves pumpkin-carving pre-run parties, after which the participants tramp to an agreed upon location, remove their clothing, place their pumpkin upon their head and run en masse through the streets. As a bacchic celebration of free expression and camaraderie, the Pumpkin Run strives for maximum freedom and fun with minimum impact upon the community and the urban environment. Past Pumpkin Runners have spread the tradition and scheduled runs in 2006 in Denver, Austin, and Chicago. [41]
Happy Thursday
Every Thursday in Boulder, a group of cruiser bike riders meet in an outpouring of creativity and love for bicycles. Many are dressed in delightful and outrageous costumes. Even the bikes are decorated and adorned with lights. Some bicycles even have stereos on them. "The Cruisers" believe themselves to be a non-political group whose only common aim is to spread joy. The group rides year round, though numbers vary greatly from week to week.[42] [43]
Conference on World Affairs
An annual conference of diverse array of other topics, see the main article at Conference on World Affairs.
Colorado Shakespeare Festival
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival is a summer festival of Shakespear held at the outdoor Mary Rippon Theater at the University of Colorado.
Economy and industry
Major employers in Boulder include: [44] [45]
- University of Colorado (7,500)
- IBM (4,500)
- Ball Aerospace (3,000 [46])
- National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (1,700 [47])
- City of Boulder (1,600)
- National Center for Atmospheric Research (1,100)
- Tyco International, Tyco Healthcare Group, Valleylab division (1,000)
- Amgen (750)
- Lockheed Martin (450)
- Celestial Seasonings (250)
Transportation
Boulder is easily visited from Denver via the Denver-metro bus system's (RTD) B bus line. The B runs from Market Street Station in Downtown Denver to Downtown Boulder near the Pearl Street Mall, which is a popular stop with tourists. GO Boulder is a collaboration between RTD, the City of Boulder, and the University of Colorado. It provides an extensive high-frequency bus system of brightly decorated vehicles.
The RTD system in Boulder is one of the most comprehensive in the nation for a town of its size. The culture of Boulder, both as a college town and as a center of environmentalism has contributed to the size of the public transit system.
Many residents and businesses pay for transit not by the ride, but by the year, under a program called "Eco Pass." Under the same program, entire neighborhoods have banded together to buy a bus pass for everyone living in the area. Additionally, all students at the University of Colorado at Boulder are issued bus passes as part of their school ID, paid for by student fees. Many buses have devices that communicate with the NextBus satellite tracking system, which allows riders to check on the status of buses in real-time.
Wide sidewalks and crosswalks exist throughout Boulder, making it extremely walkable for pedestrians. Additionally, over 120 miles of hiking trails start just at the edge of town. The League of American Bicyclists has awarded Boulder its prestigious Bicycle Friendly Communitydesignation at the Gold Level. In its March, 2006 issue, Bicycling Magazine named Boulder the best city (population 75,000-200,000) for cycling. GO Boulder has also teamed up with the community to promote Walk and Bike Week, a fun tradition which encourages the use of alternative modes of transportation. One of Boulder's best known assets is the Boulder Creek Path which extends approximately two miles into the mountains along Boulder Creek and out beyond 55th Street. The path is a favorite for bikers, joggers, walkers, strolling, roller blading, people watching, and just plain meandering on one of Colorado's 300+ sunny days. This path also connects to numerous other paths that wind through the city which connect to Pearl Street Mall, The University of Colorado, numerous parks, ponds, businesses and residences. As for its namesake, the path travels along the beautiful Boulder Creek which has its own kayak course near the mouth of Boulder Canyon and hosts the Boulder Creek Fest every Memorial Day weekend.
Shopping
Downtown Boulder, particularly the Pearl Street Mall, is host to a variety of restaurants, bars, and boutique stores. However, it has relatively few grocery or hardware stores and is therefore more of a "shopping destination" than a neighborhood with stores supporting the local population.
Near the downtown mall the Farmers Market opens every Saturday morning and Wednesday evening, April through October on 13th Street next to Civic Park. The market was started in 1986 by regional farmers.[48]
Between 28th and 30th streets, Crossroads Mall was build in 1965, an indoor mall anchored by Foley's and Sears. It closed in 2002 and is being replaced by a new development project called Twenty Ninth Street. Twenty Ninth Street is intended to be an up-scale and pedestrian-accessible mall and will be anchored by the existing Foley's, a now open Home Depot, and a movie theater. Organic retailer Wild Oats Market will have its flagship store and new headquarters in Twenty Ninth street. Crossroads Mall and Twenty Ninth Street are owned by Westcor.
Grocery stores in Boulder include King Soopers, Safeway, and Albertsons. Organic retailers include Boulder-based Wild Oats Market, Whole Foods Market, Ideal Market, regional chain Vitamin Cottage and the local Boulder Food Co-Op. Hardware stores include local McGuckin Hardware, Home Depot, Sutherland's and Ace Hardware.[49]
Colleges, universities, science institutes
Colleges and universities
- Boulder College of Massage Therapy
- Naropa University private university
- University of Colorado at Boulder, public university which contributes roughly 30,000 residents to the population - http://www.colorado.edu/
- Ruseto College private two-year college
- Southwest School of Acupuncture private 2-3 year college
Science institutes
- Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA) - http://casa.colorado.edu/
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) - http://lasp.colorado.edu/
- National Center for Atmospheric Research / University Corporation for Atmospheric Research - http://www.ncar.ucar.edu/
- National Institute of Standards and Technology - http://www.boulder.nist.gov/
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research center - http://noaa.gov/
- NTIA - Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Boulder - http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/
- Space Science Institute - http://www.spacescience.org/
- Southwest Research Institute Department of Space Studies - http://www.boulder.swri.edu/
Sister cities
Boulder has six official sister cities:
- Template:Flagicon Dushanbe, Tajikistan
- Template:Flagicon Jalapa, Nicaragua
- Template:Flagicon Lhasa, Tibet
- Template:Flagicon Mante, Mexico
- Template:Flagicon Yamagata, Japan
- Template:Flagicon Yateras, Cuba
Dushanbe presented its distinctive Dushanbe Tea House as a gift to Boulder in 1987. It was completed in 1990. More information about Boulder's sister city relationships can be found at Boulder's official website.
External links
- Official city website
- Boulder History Museum
- A Brief History of Boulder County
- Climate information
- The Boulder Community Network serves all of Boulder County, Colorado. It is the second-oldest web-based community network in the world and went on-line on March 15, 1994.
- MahlerFest website
- Twenty-Ninth Street website
- Thursday Cruisers website
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