Boulder is located in
Boulder County and is the county seat. It lies northwest of
Denver on Highway 36, at the end of a "technology corridor."
The city was settled in 1858 as a mining community in a valley at the foot of the Rocky Mountain Flatiron Range. It was reached by railroad in 1873.
Today Boulder, with a population over 96,727, is a leading educational and scientific research center in the central part of the country.
The city is home to the University of Colorado at Boulder and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Attractions include the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory, Colorado Shakespeare Festival each summer and the Boulder County Farmer's Market.
Boulder has the reputation as one of the nation's outdoor sports capitals. The city owns Arapahoe Glacier, from which it obtains a large portion of its water supply.
Boulder is part of the Boulder-Longmont, Colorado metro area.
