Brainy city quantifies its tech, scenic assets
BOULDER — When the U.S. Department of Commerce last fall dubbed Colorado an official “TechHub” for the advancement of quantum technologies, it helped fuel a boom in business and research in Boulder.
Quantum theory tries to explain the behavior of matter at atomic and subatomic levels. Applications of quantum science could revolutionize the way humans discover new drug therapies, map the cosmos, protect sensitive data and combat climate change.
And Boulder is cashing in. Thanks to a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the University of Colorado Boulder will build the National Quantum Nanofab, described by the school as the “quantum machine shop of the 21st century.” Infleqtion, the trade name for Boulder-based ColdQuanta Inc., raised about $10.8 million from investors for its work in the field.
Being in the forefront of the quantum revolution is just the latest feather in the cap of brainy Boulder, which has one of the nation’s highest percentages of residents with college degrees.
Business is lured by proximity to several federal laboratories and CU-Boulder, which tops the nation in NASA research funding. CU Boulder, the Rocky Mountain region’s largest and most-comprehensive campus, offers 3,400 courses, boasts several Nobel laureates and works extensively with private businesses for technology transfer. Its Leeds School of Business was included on a recent list of the top 50 best value undergraduate business schools in the country compiled by Value Colleges. Leeds reported that CU generated an economic impact of more than $10 billion across the state during the 2022-23 fiscal year, and CU Boulder in March hit a record number of student applications with 68,000.
Being in the forefront of the quantum revolution is just the latest feather in the cap of brainy Boulder, which has one of the nation’s highest percentages of residents with college degrees.
Boulder’s tough regulations and median home price topping $1 million have posed challenges that have led some companies and residents to relocate eastward into Boulder and Weld counties, but the city’s unique setting still attracts people to work in its high concentration of companies in the aerospace, bioscience, data-storage and software industries.
Workers in the area continue to rank as the best-paid in the state, and Boulder ranks in the top 10 in the nation for number of patents issued. It’s a center for alternative- and renewable-energy research, manufacturers of natural and organic products, and the nation’s outdoor industry.
With 45,000 acres of open space, more than 150 miles of trails and more than 300 days of sunshine a year, Boulder offers scenic beauty and an ideal place to live, work and play.
A coalition of Boulder groups is making a play for the city to host the Sundance Film Festival for a decade starting in 2027, and live concerts are held at Chautauqua Auditorium as well as CU’s Macky Auditorium, Coors Event Center and Folsom Field.
Boulder’s historic downtown features the 45-year-old Pearl Street Mall, and more retail, restaurants and entertainment venues can be found surrounding the Twenty Ninth Street retail district. The Moxy Boulder and Limelight Hotel Boulder will help provide lodging for tourists, sports fans and researchers.
