The Peoples Republic

Boulder, Colorado,  my home town?  Maybe, maybe not.  Boulder seems to be the butt of many jokes.  It seems to have a reputation, at least around Colorado.  The city started out as a supply camp for the many gold mines in the foothills to the west.  The new town of Boulder City was made the home of the University of Colorado, a land-grant institution.  As the gold mines played out or closed because of the Second World War, the city grew around the university.  The Federal government chose Boulder as the home for the Department of the Interiors division....NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research ) and UCAR (The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research).  Boulder is also the home of Naropa University, the only accredited Buddhist-inspired university in the United States.

Life in Boulder seemed to be as normal as possible throughout the 50's.  As the university grew and with the social upheaval of the 60's, so did the liberal attitude of the city.  The University of Colorado became know as the "Berkeley of the midwest".  During the 1960's and 70's the city fathers wanted to preserve the small town feeling of Boulder.  They began to purchase the land circling the city, creating a "green belt"  The land was to be void of any expansion, remaining as open prairie.  Boulder became a town of rich, intellectual liberals.  Boulder is strongly Democratic. The US congressman is Mark Udall, son of former Senator, Secretary of the Interior and presidential candidate, Mo Udall.  In the last election, Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate chose Boulder to announce his candidacy.

I was just reminded by Deb at Frosty Thoughts, who has lived here all of her life, that I need to mention the hippies.  During the 60's and 70's they invaded the area.  There are still remains of their communes.  Our neighbors, Mike and Jennifer own property just below us that was a commune.  Most of the residents lived in Tepees and ran extension cords between them for power.  Some were even know to carry guns.  (I wonder what they were trying to protect....maybe some evil weed that still grows in the valleys.   LOL)  You would be surprised how many of those 60's - 70's Hippies still live here.  Some are worth millions, go figure?!?!

It is still not illegal to go topless in Boulder as long as it is not for shock effect.  Naturally, it is not something you see in the streets, but going topless in the water falls up Boulder canyon doesn't bother anyone.  That is unless you are having your Jewish mother visit you from New York, but then, that's another story.  Any trip to Boulder must include some time on the Pearl Street Mall.  What a great place to watch people.  You will find the balloon man, several musicians and street buskers, along with some great shops and restaurants.

Boulder is a "green" city.  The recycle center is one of the busiest places to be on the weekends.  It is also a very healthy city, where exercise and outdoor activities are encouraged.  It is full of bicycle trails and walking paths to discourage driving.  The bus system runs public buses to the ski area (Lake Eldora) just west of town.  The Bolder Boulder is an annual 10K race held every Memorial day.  Tens of thousand runners from all over the world participate.

The city fathers have done everything they can to encourage small, home owned business to flourish.  The national big box stores are not welcome (but what about their tax base?)  The big box stores are all located outside the green belt (and so is the tax base).

Mind you, I am not complaining, it's a fun place to live.  The "Boulder attitude" has made interesting copy for the media.  We are often called "thirty square miles surrounded by reality" and "The Peoples Republic of Boulder." 

 

The south end of Boulder.....nice power line!  It was a little hazy the day this picture was taken.  The mountains are generally much more visible.

One thing I can guarantee you, I was born and raised in conservative Wyoming and I'm still a cowboy at heart.  When I moved to Colorado, I gave up my fishing license to some of the best trout streams (next to Idaho) in the country.

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