Check out Boulder, Colorado’s best and most current event and entertainment calendar. Don’t miss out on any of Boulder County’s best events: https://aboutboulder.com/events/    Read More

One of the most common pieces of advice a Boulderite will give to a new resident is “Go check out the Dushanbe Teahouse,” but what’s so special about a teahouse? Well, ours was handcrafted in Tajikistan during the Cold War, and kindly shipped by our sister city of Dushanbe. The rebuilding of the teahouse in Boulder was an awesome accomplishment which nearly did not happen. The idea of a sister city or twin town developed from the Cold War following WWII. The point was to form legal and social bonds between disparate cultures, and even promote relationships between former enemies.... Read More

A Boulder resident in the 1940s remarked that Pearl street is “a good place to buy a pair of socks.” I think this adage holds true today, and that Pearl offers Boulder exponentially more to go along with those socks. Pearl Street is supposedly named for one of the wives of the original 54 founders of Boulder. However, I have also heard whispers that “Pearl” was a madam of a brothel once located near what is now Pearl Street. The first explanation is more likely, though I find the second more provocative and appealing. If I had to describe Pearl Street, I would say it’s an intermingling... Read More

FDGD is USA Today’s #5 Cultural festival in the country as of 2015. With a Facebook following around 12k and an annual turnout that consumes 50k in merchandise, 100 kegs, 100 cases of beer, and 9k in liquor drinks, things can get wild. We’re here to help you navigate the festival like a pro and get the most bang for any buck you spend. Many of the best events are free anyway! So why should this festival be on your bucket list? We asked a few people at former FDGD events to find out: “I’m from Kansas and my buddies in Colorado said I had to cone this year. They told me... Read More

Meet “Buddy Boulder,” the mascot proving that even the gleaming citizens of Boulder sometimes make bad decisions. Or eerie ones at the very least. How was this grinning stone created? Well, in 1984 the Boulder Hotel and Motel Association had a “Mascot Mania” event whereby people were allowed to submit mascot ideas for the city of Boulder. The winners received cash prizes. You would think money would be incentive to create something inviting and recognizable. Sure, Buddy has the Flatirons on his head, but we just can’t stop looking at his cold, shifty, doll eyes. The... Read More

This title question, and the more general “Why a buffalo for a mascot?” answered below. Time to brush up on Buff history. Ralphie is the female buffalo mascot for CU Boulder. But why does this female buffalo sport a male name? And why did CU choose a bison mascot in the first place? The tradition began in 1934 when the university newspaper selected “Buffaloes” as the nickname for the university students. Three weeks later, a few students paid a rancher $25 to rent a bison calf and a cowboy to handle her. The calf had to be managed by all 4 students plus the ranch hand... Read More

Have you ever looked at the Hill and thought “I would totally ride a giant slip and slide down that.” Well you are’t the only one. Is 1000 feet going to be long enough for you? That’s 3 football fields. July 18, 2015, a Guinness World-Record holding waterslide comes to Boulder, and will carry thousands of sliders down the landmark Hill. The slide will be placed on 13th street and will open at 9am. Sliders are organized into waves due to the sheer number of them—23,000 people are “Going,” according to Facebook. Unfortunately for those just hearing about it, the event is sold out, but... Read More

When oddly specific things become public problems, local legislation steps in to help. Today we will look at a few odds and ends Boulder city laws had to smooth out over the years. Hopefully we will boost today’s water cooler conversations. Nobody Owns Fifi Dogs in Boulder do not have “owners” according to any public ordinances. You can only be the “guardian” of a dog. This law requiring all public signage to call dog owners “guardians” is the result of animal rights activist calling for reform in the rhetoric surrounding pet relationships. It’s... Read More

You may hear Boulderites referring to a “greenbelt,” but what is that and why does Boulder have one? There was huge population growth in Boulder between 1950 and 1970. This growth was due to the presence of the University of Colorado, the intellectual diversity surrounding the university, and a strong local economy. At an annual growth rate of about 6%, the population of the city was set to double every 11 years or so. Being all about sustainability and preserving local culture, the citizens of Boulder took action against the human tsunami threatening to wash out the city. In 1967... Read More

As you may have heard, Boulder County’s most recent emergency warning systems test was Monday evening. Boulder’s flood season stretches from April through August, and that means the emergency warning systems need to be tested regularly. Flash floods are no joke, but neither are the 30+ sirens of Boulder County’s outdoor warning system. Following World War II most cities and towns in the United States incorporated siren alarm systems for civil defense. These were originally intended to warn civilians of impending air raids, hence the colloquial term “air raid sirens”.... Read More

With the holidays over, we figured we should refresh our minds with something different today. Boulder has a very interesting architectural history, especially the university campus. We will touch on some defining Boulder architectural projects which you have probably seen around town. Next time you’re out and about, maybe you’ll encounter some of these oh-so-Boulder building projects. The University Campus Of course we cannot skim Boulder’s architectural past without bringing up the University of Colorado campus. It began with the all-brick Old Main and soon grew into several... Read More

Some of you have heard that Boulder is “25 square miles surrounded by reality”. Which is one way to say that the character of the city of Boulder is extremely different from other nearby cities. Today we will discuss how intellectualism has helped to create this unique reputation. There is a huge focus on anti-intellectualism in the United States. Many folks, especially politicians, discredit Education, Literature, Philosophy, Art, and Science as pursuits which are mostly impractical. None of these subjects seem vital for the “common man” to know. None of them will help... Read More

Most of the West was divided up into straight-edged, boxy regions and subdivisions (take a look at poor Yuma County). Boulder County escapes the purely rectangular form of other counties in Colorado, and today we will tell you why. Plus, we will tell you why it’s named Boulder (but we bet you can guess). The need for Colorado to become a territory coincided with the secession of several southern states from the Union in 1861. Colorado applied for statehood that year, and offered the Union secure access to precious mineral deposits. Boulder County was one of the original 17 counties of... Read More

Flagstaff is one of the those hikes that the locals know and is popular with tourists, so if you haven’t checked out Flagstaff, you must put it on the list as one of the trails to do before summer ends! Like many of Boulder’s hiking trails, Flagstaff offers a variety of options for hikers; unlike some of the other nearby trails, the summit can also be reached by road which I have heard is a popular date night spot for its incredible views of the city, the Continental Divide, Indian Peaks Wilderness, and Rocky Mountain National Park. Also, if you have the time, be sure to check out Flagstaff... Read More

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, based in Missouri, found that Boulder Colorado had the highest density of start-up companies per capita in the United States. Most of these sprouting businesses are technology-based, and many start and eventually settle in the city. But what is it about Boulder which makes it a breeding ground for new business? First of all, Boulder’s culture spans the distance between nature-loving outdoorsy people and highly-educated tech creators. To the west are the glorious Flatirons and innumerable natural wonders, meanwhile the university is researching more... Read More

Every Boulderite knows that Chautauqua is up on 900 Baseline Road in Boulder, but how did it get there? And what is a Chautauqua anyway? The Chautauqua movement of the late 19th century was an effort to educate rural communities who lacked access to the mass culture being developed in cities. The movement lasted from the 1870s all the way into the 1920s. Rural peoples were hungry for entrainment and brain food, but lacked a way to easily travel because automobiles weren’t widely available until 1910. The “Mother Chautauqua” (which sounds a bit like a spaceship name to me) was... Read More

Revealing Our Routes: Women of Boulder County was originally developed by the Women of the West Museum back in 2002. Now the exhibit is now hosted by Boulder History Museum’s site. There are dozens of dynamic ladies documented in this collection, and today we’ve brought you a few of our favorites. Ruth Cave Flowers (1903-1980) was a native Boulderite who graduated from Boulder high in 1920. Because she was African-American they refused to award her a diploma featuring her catchy name. Despite her lack of diploma, CU accepted Ruth Flowers as a student. She earned a doctorate in Romance... Read More

Whether you are from out-of-town planning a trip to beautiful Boulder County, you have family and friends coming into town, or you are a native, protecting yourself from altitude sickness is a must! Here are five tips to avoid getting sick while enjoying Colorado’s beautiful outdoors. Get Acclimated. If you live at a lower altitude, it is best to avoid strenuous activity the first day or two after you arrive. Your body needs time to get used to the oxygen deficiency that comes with the higher altitude. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Because of Colorado’s arid climate, you are more likely to get... Read More

Maybe you already know that the comfortable (and allegedly edible) innovation; the Crocs shoe, was created in Boulder County. Today we’re checking out some less explosive, but equally clever, Boulder-based inventions. This is one smart city, and the products created here prove it! Nimbus Cloud Dome The Nimbus Cloud Dome is a deceptively simple invention created by Boulder resident Cindy Litchfield. As a jewelry maker, she struggled to create close-up, glare-free photos of her products. No one had addressed the problem before, so she took on the challenge. The result was the Nimbus Cloud... Read More

You will learn how Boulder’s iconic Flatirons formed. Turns out, Boulder was once beachfront property. The Flatirons are Boulder’s favorite portion of the Fountain Formation, a geological formation of mostly red sandstone. This sandstone, more appropriately called “arkose” gets its color from the pinkish feldspar contained it it. This red rock makes up the Red Rocks of Morrison and the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. The Fountain Formation stretches from Colorado Springs all the way to Wyoming. The reddish color is due to the concentration of feldspar in the sandstone,... Read More