Boulder: You're Not in Kansas Anymore ...

I have lived and worked in Boulder, Colorado for seven years now. Before moving here, I was very fortunate to live in some of the most interesting places in the world during some of the most interesting times. I grew up in South Africa and came of age during the fall of Apartheid. It was an amazing movement to be part of, although admittedly I had very little understanding of the global impact of what was going on. After studying in Canada, I moved to Silicon Valley in 1995 to start my first company, Zip2. Within a year or two I found myself smack in the middle of the Internet boom. By 1999, after selling Zip2 to Compaq, I decided that Silicon Valley had become a different place than when I first arrived, so I moved to New York to find a new life. So far away in fact, that I enrolled in the French Culinary Institute to study the amazing nuances of French cooking. A few weeks after I graduated, 9/11 happened. I lived a few blocks away from the towers, heard the planes crash, saw the towers burn, and saw the towers fall. My life had become all too interesting.

That was when we found Boulder. My wife and I decided to look around the country for a home that would be a better place to have a life, a family, and a business. We discovered Boulder, a small but lively pedestrian town in the middle of the country. Easy to get to New York or California, but not in New York or California. We decided that we'd open a restaurant. The complete opposite of the businesses I'd been a part of (at the time, PayPal, of which I was an angel investor, had just gone public for over $1 billion). Small town, family business ... it was my Kansas ... it was perfect.

When we first moved here I didn't realize or imagine that Boulder had a thriving tech community. Brad Feld and Jared Polis, who I've become good friends with over the years, were just the guys I bought the restaurant from. Both of them are extremely talented internet entrepreneurs and well-known movers and shakers throughout the Boulder community.

My goal was to build a small business and a family life. It was not to be. The Kitchen, which my wife and I opened with our friend and amazing chef Hugo Matheson, was quickly recognized as the pioneer in 'green' restaurants across the country. It received many national awards for its food and community focus. It is the opposite of a small business, employing over 60 people and serving between 3,000 and 4,000 people every week. Boulder was not the small town I had expected. It is a vivacious community of sophisticated people, who have the same aspirations and expectations you find in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. If Boulder ever was Kansas, Dorothy and Toto left that place a long time ago.

Then, about four years ago, some friends from New York came to me with the idea of OneRiot. I had worked with David Mandell, one of the founders, when I lived in New York. They pitched the idea of the realtime web, a place where people on the internet are contributing, changing and consuming information right now based on social interactions. I got so excited I almost fell off my chair. I was hooked on the idea, but was skeptical that you could build a software company in Boulder. I mean ... why would anyone build a software company outside of Silicon Valley? I had experimented with it in New York in 1999, and it was a hard lesson to learn. Silicon Valley is the only place for software start-ups ... or so I thought.

I talked to every CEO and VC I could find in Boulder to learn more about building a software business here. This included my first real introductions to Brad Feld and Jared Polis. Turns out you can build a software business in Boulder. In fact, several folks already had. Looking back, my ignorance was astounding.

I then turned to friends of mine in the venture community from around the country to see if they'd invest in a start-up in Boulder. They would. They did. Boulder was definitely not the Kansas I thought it was.

Here's what I've learned about Boulder since then:

1. The Denver/Boulder area has the highest per capita density of software engineers in the country. Whoa!


2. Boulder has the highest concentration of college graduates in the country (59% have a bachelor's degree or higher -- the next highest is 47%!)


3. Forbes magazine calls it one of the best places for business and careers.


4. It's the healthiest city in the country.


5. It's one of the most bike friendly cities in the country (and after living in California where 20 minute commutes are 'around the corner,' it is awesome to be able to walk or bike to work each day).


6. Boulder is a magnet for interesting people. I've met more interesting physicists, entrepreneurs, designers, investors, and thinkers in Boulder than I have anywhere else. Not only are they here, the nature of the community means that it's easy to bump into folks like this often.

Boulder should be next to the word 'community' in the dictionary. The support we received at OneRiot from the beginning has been amazing. Everyone's door was open and everyone was rooting for our success. In turn, our team at OneRiot has done everything we can to return the favor. Robert Reich, another one of our founders, started the Boulder Denver New Tech Meetup, which now boasts over 3,000 members. Entrepreneurs in Boulder want you to be successful. You want others to be successful. It's really an amazing community to start a company. Due to everyone's efforts working together, Boulder has become one of the top cities to start and build a software business.

David Cohen at Techstars is another great example of Boulder entrepreneurship and community. He brings together 10 young start-ups each year to Boulder, trains them, connects them with mentors, and puts them in front of some of the top investors from around the world at the annual Techstars day in Boulder, in August. If you're building your first startup, Techstars is one of the top incubators in the country. It's just another example of many that have made Boulder one of the most exciting places to work in software in the country.

Boulder is the up-and-coming tech community in the country. Keep a look-out. We're going to be in the news more and more every day. We probably won't beat out Silicon Valley for its financial and people infrastructure in tech, but looking at the overall picture we take Silicon Valley to school.

Disclaimer: I actually don't know much about Kansas. I just heard about it in the Wizard of Oz. It is entirely possible that it is a mecca of software and restaurant sophistication.

For more news and commentary from Colorado, check out HuffPost's just-launched Denver section.

Follow Kimbal Musk on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kimbal

Comments

[Michael Yates]

Hey Kimbal....­..........­I thought my wife and I would love Boulder as much as you when we moved here in February. Unfortunately, we live in an apartment that overlooks your restaurant , The Kitchen. Thanks to the wood burning oven that is used every day, seven days a week, about twelve hours a day ,noxious smoke is spewed everywhere. We cannot use our patio, we cannot open our windows, and at times, the fumes still get in.

Life sounds great for you. For us... we're worried about how this smoke is affecting our health. Google "wood burning and cancer " and you will see what we mean. And it's not just us. The smoke permeates the downtown area , so please stop polluting this beautiful town!

[mountainmentor]

As relatively new residents of Boulder (five years) we love living here. Having lived in a number of areas of the country, I have never found a place that has such a variety of activities and ways to be involved in the community. Boulder, like most communities gives back what you expect. If you are looking for the good, you will find it and if you are a grouch, it reflects that back too.
If Boulder is lacking anything, it is ethnic diversity. Having last lived on the east coast, the lack of people of color in the Boulder community is striking to a newcomer. I know that the University of Colorado is working to address the diversity issue, perhaps it should partner with other like minded Boulder public organizations, so the issue could be addressed as a broader community agenda.

[John Coonen]

Kimbal,

My wife and I ate at the Kitchen, down on Pearl Street, when we were visiting our daughter at CU Boulder last year. Food was phenomenal, and the simple atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming. You're very gifted, my friend.

I must say, it's easy to fall in love with Boulder. I highly recommend visiting there, and the business climate is fertile ground - especially for businesses which thrive on innovation (restaurants, advertising & design, technology, even flavored tea companies).

If you're young, single (and looking) or married without kids, you must spend a year living in Boulder. It's not a big city, but it's got everything you'd want if you're into night life, incredibly beautiful people, and an active lifestyle.

The downside is, because nearly everyone "from Boulder" is actually a transplant from out-of-town, or they're on their way somewhere else, the fabric of the community itself is rather break-away. It needs to be, by design, with all the university employees and students, mixed with a local economy that thrives on innovation and constant change.

That means, if you're seeking long-term real-life friendships and a more stable family life, Boulder's not on the top ten list. It's a great place to visit, or to work. But a place to raise kids? I don't recommend it.
Way too many students living off-campus makes it highly, highly unpredictable and unsafe.

That problem is easily solved though. Great points on Boulder, Kimbal. Thanks.

[jellyrollq]

John, I have to respectfully disagree with your remarks about Boulder not being a great place to raise kids. I can see where, as a visiting college parent who probably saw little of Boulder except the university district, you would get that impression. But there is a lot of Boulder that has very little contact with CU and it is by far the most kid-friendly place I have ever lived. There are also a lot of people who have settled down and made Boulder their home, raised children here and are pillars of the thriving non-CU community here, and they are wonderful, interesting people to get to know. Next time you visit, spend some time meeting the real locals, the business people, farmers, doctors, lawyers and service workers who actually keep Boulder running (even when CU's not in session, wonder of wonders!). They are a pleasant bunch and we have been welcomed with open arms.

Kimball, mad props to you and your wife on The Kitchen. One of the best meals I've ever had!

[fusillijerry]

Please just shut up! Repeat after me: Boulder is a terrible, horrible place.. I only live here because I have to. You wouldn't like it.

[jellyrollq]

ROFLMAO!

[jellyrollq]

I'm a 40-something, somewhat overweight Boulderite, comfortably middle class. Boulder is paradise IMO, so far as it can be found in this imperfect world, and I have lived many places. Is it perfect for everyone? Of course not. But if you have a positive attitude and a desire for community, a willingness to work and love of the outdoors, it's a great place to be and to raise a family.

No matter where you live, there will always be someone richer, prettier and in better shape than you. What the heck, why not just enjoy your life anyway? Viva Boulder!

[OurKoan]

Geez, was this a submission by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce?

Boulder is great, if you're rich, young, rich, and don't ever miss an opportunity to gaze in any mirror you pass by to just reassure yourself that you are, indeed, fabulous.

Oh, and did I add, rich?

Everything below 6000' in Colorado should just be called "West Kansas" anyway. Makes geographic sense.

[centered1]

I'm not rich, young, or fabulous. Many people that live in Boulder aren't. Come visit us when school isn't in session. You may get a better feel of what makes Boulder a great place to live.
Those rich, young, and fab people are usually students that only make up a small part of what makes our town a great place to live.

[ecodude]

Got a bit of a chip on your shoulder about other's good fortune, don't you?

You know, I'm just a working man with a simple life. In my 50's. Wife and kid. Drive a pickup and wear jeans to work every day, and I have to say I just don't get the "Boulder Bashers". My family and I love living in Boulder. We love our town, love the people, love the mountains, love the culture.

Funny what you attract in life. Perception of the world has more to do with what you put out there than what comes at you. Maybe you should be looking in the mirror a little more often yourself.

[Cuyahoga]

I lived in Boulder 1974-79 - oh how I WISH I had really taken the time to enjoy it more. I was a secretary at CU/Boulder working 2 jobs to put a husband through school. What an awesome place. I do think you need to be fairly wealthy to LIVE there but not to spend a day or a month and really enjoy it. I am so happy to be reading about it ... for now that (somewhat) satisfies.....
~ Juliann

[Boulderite]

I live in Boulder and on very little money. I attended graduate school here and then decided to stay. I bought a condo, the second cheapest on the market at that time, and paid cash. It's a studio so it is small, but within walking distance of the University, stores, etc.

Boulder is great. It's a small town, but with world-class resources. So it does feel very much like a community, but where you will have very stimulating conversations.

There are a lot of young, good-looking people here. And the middle-aged folks are good-looking too. People spend a lot of time outdoors, running, biking, skateboarding, etc., so the population as a whole looks good because most people are healthy and physically fit. You're going to hold that against Boulder?

You don't have to spend a lot of money here. There are inexpensive places to eat (and you can even cruise Whole Foods for free samples if you need to). There are a lot of free activities. There is free wifi downtown. You don't need a car if you don't want to pay for one. Lots of bike paths and public transportation.

Because many people move here by choice (either to attend the University or because of the quality of life), people tend to be quite happy. Again, are you going to hold that against Boulder?

[jafi]

I know so many under employed people in Boulder with advanced technical skills and degrees. It's regularly overlooked when talking about hot tech places. Too often we're just still flyover.

Why more companies won't take advantage of the huge talent pool here just stumps me. More businesses have been migrating out than in since the dot com bust. Everyone's pinning their hopes on the redevelopment of the StorageTek campus while HP, Sun, McData, Qwest, and most everyone else continues to reduce staffing.

I was at a gathering tonight where 3 people had been laid off , all from different companies, n the last week. I overhear tales at the coffee shops, on Pearl Street etc. of many more who've been laid off or had hours/pay cut. It's not as bad as elsewhere - but then we hadn't fully recovered from the 2001-02 .com bust.

But cheap - yeah if you don't need health insurance, car insurance, have a mortgage or have kids. The fact you could pay cash for a condo after grad school tends to say you didn't have the debt load most do at CU. Nice if you can swing it, or work and do school. Not feasible for all.