Liberal Place: Boulder, CO

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Boulder is a very cool city. Liberal and freindly. Denver, Boulder and Aspen were the three cities which had pro-gay ordinances in place when Amendment 2 was deceitfully passed. Boulder is an extremely expensive place to buy real estate. Fun Fun Fun town.

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Ah, Boulder. Okay, I live in Denver, and have for more than a decade. But I have family in Boulder, including a brother, sister-in-law, and cousin who's running for school board. Yes, it's fun. Yes, it's beautiful. And, yes, there is a certain sense of community. But a previous comment that "Boulder is an extremely expensive place to buy real estate" alludes to something that I think makes Boulder an unfriendly place for those interested in social justice and community. Not only is it extremely expensive to buy real estate there (nearly twice the average of all other cities in the Denver metro area), but it's extremely expensive to rent. In short, Boulder is white bread, without room or resources for the poor or working class. It's chi-chi liberalism at its finest, with a large curse of NIMBY-ism. Hey, organics and Tibetan liberation are great and all, but what do we mean by liberalism, anyhow? I, for one, don't want it limited to what is pretty, tasty, clean, and isolated.

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"Boulder, in my estimation, has the highest per capita number of Trustafarians in the US. I've heard that Ann Arbor and Champagne are close, but Boulder definitely comes out on top. For those unaware of Boulder terminology, a trustafarian is a Trust Fund Rastafarian. You know the type. They're white kids with dreads. They follow Phish around all summer. They wear two quarts of patchouli, no shoes and holey clothing. They look like they panhandle on the mall for change. However, upon close inspection you'll find them hopping into brand new 4Runners, Land Rovers, Subarus and other pricey 4x4s. I've noticed a correlation between Trustafarians and NY and Illinois plates. Gone are the days that hippie-types actually lived in poverty -- in Boulder poverty is a fashion statement. They may be spoiled little Oak Brook babes, but I must admit, they sure do know where to get the kindbud 8^)

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I've lived and/or worked in Boulder for over 6 years. I moved here from Washington D.C. Maybe by western (US) standards Boulder could be considered "liberal" but it is really just a little business run yuppie town. Most everyone here is fully indoctrinated.

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I worked and went to school in Boulder for six years in the late 70's -early 80's, and I still visit my friends who live there, and we talk about it. It's a bizarre town -- there are Ph.D's working as waiters there because they can't bear to leave. However, it's always attracted a wealthy, trust-fund class, or ex-hippie capitalists, which negates any true diversity. The walking pedestrian mall is nice, but you won't find any shops that have real relevance to people's lives -- no hardware stores or non-boutique grocery stores. If you want gourmet coffee, ice cream, designer clothing or expensive sports equipment -- that's the place to be. There's not much of a sense of reality there. I was sad to leave, but the longer I'm away, the more I'm glad I don't live there anymore.

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I was born in Boulder when it still had a Republican member of Congress. I grew up a conservative evangelical (tolerated very poorly in Boulder) until I "saw the light" to more progressive, inclusive, and tolerant ways. Boulder, like any community, has its faults, but it has come a long way and remains in the vanguard of liberalism -- even though it is surrounded by the conservative Rocky Mt. West (only three Democratic Reps in Congress over about 9-11 states). I can't live in Boulder's city limits because of the housing prices, but neither could I live in many other "liberal communities" in the United States. Boulder has avoided becoming a suburb of Denver by open-space planning, and has thus set an example for other mid-sized cities. Unfortunately, growth- limiting policies also reduces low-income housing possibilities and the tax base, so Boulder will have to compete with other Boulder County cities in the future. I'm a little tired of griping about yuppies -- I guess I would be one (see messages above), but it's true that Boulder lacks racial diversity in terms of its residency. Boulder has its social ills, but I'm still proud of one the original "People's Republics," boasting progressive social policies, environmental protection, diversity in viewpoints and religions, great bluegrass and folk and "new age" music, and a willingness to question itself. Maybe I'm not a total liberal die-hard, but I would appreciate more "tolerance" from those consider themselves such. And we like our mall characters, too. And another note: the expensive vehicles alluded to above might well belong to University of Colorado students, which can comprise up to a quarter of Boulder's population during the school year. There's two cents from a Boulder native.