See How Many You Already Know!
– The NIST-F1 Cesium Fountain Atomic Clock, which sets the official time of the entire United States, is housed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder. It is designed to keep absolutely precise time for the next 80 million years!
-Bicycling is such a way of life in Boulder that the city can boast an enormous network of bike lanes and paths: 159 centerline miles. If all of the bike lanes in Boulder were laid end to end, they would stretch a greater distance than from Zurich to Milan!
-As recently as 1939, Boulder was still receiving its mail by way of mules, not automobiles, and was the last city in the United States to have its post delivered this way!
-The Dushanbe Teahouse, which now resides in the heart of Boulder, was actually a gift from the mayor and people of Dushanbe, Tajikstan, Boulder’s sister city. The teahouse, aside from being an amazing cultural artifact, is also a bustling business that locals love.
-In Boulder, one may not actually “own” a pet within the city limits: technically, the town’s citizens are merely “pet guardians,” and the pets own themselves.
-Boulder is the first city to tax itself for funds dedicated solely to the acquisition and preservation of open space!
-Independent Business Alliances are common enough throughout the United States now, helping communities develop strong locally-based economies and promoting independent businesses. There are now over 85 IBAs in the United States, but the very first one was in Boulder, Colorado!
-Boulder is one of the fastest-growing tech job markets, as it has the highest density of tech start-ups of any city in America.
-Boulder is home to one of the last Chautauquas, adult education spaces that were very popular in the early 20th century. The Colorado Chautauqua is unique in that it functions year-round.
-The first city in the United States to institute a Green Building Code for residences, Boulder residents are proud of the fact that this same law has now been mandated throughout Colorado.
-With 45,000 acres of preserved open space and 60 parks, Boulder has been acknowledged as one of the Best Urban Green Spaces in America.
-Farmers’ Markets aren’t new, but Boulder made this green event just a little bit greener: in 2005, the Boulder Farmer’s Market became the first regularly scheduled zero-waste event in the United States. They ditched the trash cans in favor of recycling and composting literally all the waste at the market, inspiring the EPA to name Boulder the first “Green Power Community” in Colorado.
Wow, I have lived here for almost 30 years and am still learning new, incredible things to this day! The adventure never ends here in sunny Boulder, Colorado!