Flatirons, labs and founders.
A college town with federal labs, a serious aerospace cluster and one of the best-known startup communities in the country. A long game fits right in.
My kind of place.
My sister's family lives in Denver, so Colorado has always felt close.
On the big road trip right before I started at Adobe, I came through Boulder and had some work done on my Jeep. I really liked it here: the college, the outdoors, the whole vibe. My kind of place.
The best day was Red Rocks with my sister. A concert there is still on my bucket list.
I'd love to camp around here too. Boulder's lesson: build where you want to live, and stay curious. It compounds.
The Boulder career landscape.
Boulder's biggest industries are professional and technical services, government and manufacturing. CU Boulder is the city's largest employer, and the federal labs make it a science town as much as a startup town.
CU Boulder
The city's largest employer, with more than 9,600 employees, and the engine behind a lot of local research and startups.
NIST · NOAA · NCAR
Department of Commerce labs and the National Center for Atmospheric Research: science, engineering and operations careers.
BAE Systems (formerly Ball Aerospace) · Lockheed Martin
Satellites, instruments and space systems, with CU grads feeding straight into the local cluster.
Founders, investors and builders
A small city with an outsized startup scene, from first-time founders to repeat operators.
Outside Inc. · Warren Miller Entertainment
Boulder is home base for Outside Inc. and its Warren Miller division, the ski film crew that has put out a new film every year since 1950. Media, film, events and brand work with a mountain bent.
Most people who work in Boulder don't live there: an estimated 70 to 80% commute in. Plan the move and the commute together.
Networking in Boulder, done the long way.
Show up more than once. The second visit is where the real conversations start.
A free week of talks, workshops and networking each May.Visit → Monthly meetupBoulder New Tech
Monthly tech meetups, with a welcome night for people new to the scene.Visit → UniversityCU Boulder Venture Partners events
Pitch nights, showcases and lunch-and-learns open to the community.Visit → StatewideColorado Startup Week
A week of sessions in Denver each September.Visit →
Cost of living and housing.
Housing is the big number in Boulder, and it pushes most of the workforce to live outside the city. Price the whole county before you price one neighborhood.
Boulder proper, Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont or Denver with a commute: each one trades rent for time. Pick the trade on purpose.
Numbers change fast, so we link the live sources instead of printing figures that go stale.
Where to clear your head.
Chautauqua and the Flatirons
The classic Boulder trailhead, right off town.
Plan it →Mount Sanitas
A steep, quick summit loop close to downtown.
Plan it →Rocky Mountain National Park
About an hour away for the big days.
Plan it →Basecamp Boulder on the map.
Coaching runs by video. When Coach Leighty is in town, in-person conversations happen over coffee or on a trail. Book a call first.
Protect it. Live it. Visit it.
Protect it
Listed as local resources, not partners or sponsors. Something closed or missing? Email mike@longgamelife.live.
Your long game has its own map.
Every Basecamp starts with the same trail markers. Yours might need a fabric store, a card shop, a maker space, a climbing gym or a quiet place to write. Tell us what belongs on this page and Coach Leighty adds the ones that fit.
What's open right now.
Go see it for real.
Wildlife, landmarks, trees and flowers and night sky. Find one, tap it, and it gets a stamp.
Black-billed magpie
Pica hudsoniaWhere to lookBlack, white and long-tailed, all over town.
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Mountain chickadee
Poecile gambeliWhere to lookIn the pines above Chautauqua.
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Western tanager
Piranga ludovicianaWhere to lookSummer flash of red and yellow in the foothills.
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Mule deer
Odocoileus hemionusWhere to lookBig ears, everywhere at dawn and dusk.
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Black bear
Ursus americanusWhere to lookFoothills and canyons, especially late summer. Lock up trash and food.
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Prairie dog
Cynomys ludovicianusWhere to lookColonies on the plains east of town.
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Elk
Cervus canadensis nelsoniWhere to lookRocky Mountain National Park, loudest in the fall rut.
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Chautauqua and the Flatirons
South BoulderGetting thereBoulder's giant tilted rock slabs. Easy meadow trails start at Chautauqua.
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Pearl Street Mall
DowntownGetting thereStreet performers, rock-hopping fountains and the kids' playground.
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NCAR Mesa Lab
Table MesaGetting thereFree weather and climate exhibits in a building on a mesa. Check hours before you go.
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Eldorado Canyon
About 20 min southGetting thereTall red cliffs with rock climbers overhead. Weekends can need a timed-entry reservation, so check first.
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Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park, about 1 hrGetting thereBear Lake and alpine lakes. Summer and fall need a timed-entry reservation, so check first.
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Ponderosa pine
Pinus ponderosaWhere to lookSmell the bark: some say vanilla or butterscotch.
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Quaking aspen
Populus tremuloidesWhere to lookWhite trunks and gold leaves that shimmer in fall.
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Colorado blue columbine
Aquilegia coeruleaWhere to lookColorado's state flower, up in the mountains. Please don't pick it; Colorado protects it.
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Pasqueflower
Pulsatilla nuttallianaWhere to lookFuzzy purple flower, one of the first in spring.
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Rocky Mountain juniper
Juniperus scopulorumWhere to lookTwisty little trees with blue berry-like cones.
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Soapweed yucca
Yucca glaucaWhere to lookSpiky leaves and creamy bell flowers on the mesas.
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Big Dipper and North Star
Ursa Major and PolarisWhere to lookFind the dipper, then follow the two stars at the end of its cup up to the North Star.
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Orion the Hunter
Winter constellationWhere to lookLook south after dark for three bright stars in a row: Orion's belt.
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Perseid meteors
Meteor shower, mid-August peakWhere to lookLie back after midnight around Aug 11 to 13. No telescope needed.
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Geminid meteors
Meteor shower, mid-December peakWhere to lookOften the year's best shower. Bundle up around Dec 13 to 14.
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Milky Way
Our home galaxyWhere to lookNeeds a moonless night away from town lights. Summer shows the brightest part. Head away from town, up toward Brainard Lake or out on the plains, for the darkest skies. Brainard needs a summer reservation, so check first.
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Space Station flyover
International Space StationWhere to lookA bright, steady dot crossing the sky in a few minutes. NASA's Spot the Station app lists times.
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Never feed wildlife, stay on trail, and follow posted closures. Hours, permits and seasons change, so check before you go. Months are a guide. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under the free licenses shown. Stamps stay on this device only.
Everybody has a long game. Some are built at altitude.
Founder, scientist, student or somewhere in between: start with a free 20-minute call.
Or email mike@longgamelife.live