Boulder Renters Seek Pot-Smoking Roommates

Boulder Still A Bastion of Hippies and Radicals, Apparently

By Jenny Shank, 5-08-06

	Photo courtesy of www.bouldercoop.org.

Many Boulderites who have lived in this town for decades have noted its evolution from a sleepy little college town full of pot-smoking hippies and political radicals into what it is today: More of a haven for wealthy coastal transpants to reside in million dollar homes in a charming and beautiful setting. But in the eyes of the national media, Boulder is still the place to turn to when a journalist is writing an article that includes those pot-smoking hippies and radicals. This weekend alone, there were two prominent examples of this phenomenon. First, in the New York Times Sunday edition, Stephanie Rosenbloom wrote about the amusing specificity to be found in Craig's List roommate-wanted ads (The Nitpicking Nation). She cited requests for female roommates instead of males, quiet, professional types, and non-smokers. But she went on to note:

"But while cigarettes are a deal breaker for some, a number of Craigslist users across the country (Denver and Boulder, Colo.; San Francisco; Boston; and Portland, Ore., to name but a few) say that they are '420 friendly,' slang for marijuana use. References to 420 were nonexistent in other cities, including Little Rock, Ark.; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Boise, Idaho." Who knew Santa Fe was so square?

Then on NPR's Sunday evening All Things Considered broadcast, Jeff Brady reported on the phenomenon of small organic farmers becoming disgruntled with the practices of larger organic dairies and farms, such as locally-headquartered Horizon Organic (Farmers Say Mega-Dairies Milk the Organic System). He found a hotbed of such protestors at Boulder's own Co-Op Market, where a manager was yanking Horizon products from the shelves.

So maybe the rising housing prices haven't sent all the hippies and radicals packing. Or maybe the ones that remain have just become very media-savvy.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.