BOULDER

city, seat (1861) of Boulder county, north central Colorado, U.S., on Boulder Creek, at the base of the Flatiron Range of the Rocky Mountains, at an elevation of 5,354 ft (1,632 m), 30 mi (48 km) northwest of Denver. Settled by miners in 1858, it was organized in 1859 and named for the large stones in the area. It was incorporated as a town in 1871 and grew with the arrival of two railroads in 1873 as the gateway to the mines in the mountains to the west and also as a farming centre; the establishment there of the University of Colorado (1876) sustained its growth. An extensive governmentindustrialeducational complex has developed since the early 1950s. Boulder has become a leading centre for scientific and environmental research. A key section of the National Bureau of Standards, the U.S. branch of the World Data Center of Solar Activity, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research are located there, as are a growing number of industrial firms. The water supply is unique, coming partly from the city-owned Arapahoe Glacier high on the Continental Divide. Boulder Canyon and others in the vicinity have great scenic beauty. Boulder owns 6,000 ac (2,400 ha) of mountain park lands. It is a main gateway to the Rocky Mountain National Park (northwest) and the Roosevelt National Forest (west). Inc. city, 1918. Pop. (1990) city, 83,312; Boulder-Longmont PMSA, 225,339.