"Boulder, Colorado" Top 5 Page for this destination Boulder by leafmcgowan

The Arapaho Indians were the first inhabitants of the area who maintained a village near Haystack Mountain. The Utes, Cheyennes, Comanches, and Sioux all frequently visited the area. The first Euro-Americans to settle here came in for the Gold Rush ... settling the first non-native settlement in the area on Oct 17, 1858 at Red Rocks near the entrance to Boulder Canyon. A year later, the town was organized and property became sold. Originally a supply base for gold miners, Boulder quickly grew into a stable town with restaurants, gambling, schools, and hospitals. Mount St. Gertrude Academy was the first private school to open in the area in 1892. By 1905 tourism swept over the area and became prosperous. Between 1950-1972, Boulder grew from 20,000 inhabitants to 72,000. In 2005, the Best features of Boulder were listed as: "50 fabulous gay-friendly places to live" - book by Gregory A. Kompes, November 2005; "Top 10 cities for masters athletes" - GeezerJock Magazine, September 2005; "7th Best Running City" - Runner's World Magazine, August 2005; "#6 in "The 100 Best Art Towns in America" by John Villani; "50 Best places to live - best overall city" - Men's Journal, March 2005; "Going to Boulder" - The New York Times, May 2005; "#18 in the Top 25 Art Cities" - American Style Magazine, June 2005
"Top 20 greenest spots in the country" - Vegetarian Times, July/August 2005. Today its is well known as a retreat, an artist's collective, an alternative city, inspirational, relaxing, very educated, and a city rich in culture, arts, music, education, and open spaces. Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

• Pros:artsy, full of culture, small, environmental, lots of open spaces
• Cons:can't think of any