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Boulder, Colorado

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Boulder, Colorado
Location in the state of Colorado
Location in the state of Colorado
CountyBoulder County
Government
 • MayorMark Ruzzin
Elevation
1,660 m (5,430 ft)
Population
 (2006)[1]
 • Total
91,685 (city proper)
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
80301
Area code(s)303, 720
Websitewww.bouldercolorado.gov

The City of Boulder (40°1′N 105°16′W / 40.017°N 105.267°W / 40.017; -105.267, Mountain Time Zone) is a home rule municipality located in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. Boulder is the 11th most populous city in the State of Colorado and the most populous city and the county seat of Boulder CountyTemplate:GR. The United States Census Bureau estimates that in 2005 the population of the City of Boulder was 91,685,[2] the population of the Boulder Metropolitan Statistical Area was 280,440 (161st most populous MSA),[3] the population of the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area was 2,869,377 (15th most populous CSA),[4] and the population of the Front Range Urban Corridor was 3,965,289.[3] Boulder is the home of the University of Colorado at Boulder, the largest university in Colorado, and Naropa University, the only accredited Buddhist-inspired university in the United States. Boulder's elevation is 5,430 feet (1,655 meters) and it is 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Denver.

Demographics

The view from Fairview High School in south Boulder.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 94,673 people, 39,596 households, and 16,788 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,499.9/km² (3,884.1/mi²), making Boulder's population density higher than Denver's and among the highest in the state: of Colorado's twenty-one largest cities, only Englewood and Northglenn (two close-in Denver suburbs) have greater population densities. There are 40,726 housing units at an average density of 645.2/km² (1,670.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 88.33% White, 1.22% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 4.02% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.50% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. 8.24% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 39,596 households out of which 20.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% are married couples living together, 6.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 57.6% are non-families. 33.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.20 and the average family size is 2.84.

Boulder's population is younger than the national average, largely due to the presence of university students. The median age is 29 years compared to the U.S. median of 35.1 years.[1] In Boulder, 14.8% of the residents are under the age of 18, 25.9% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% are 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there are 106.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and older, there are 107.4 males.

The median household income in Boulder is $44,748, and the median family income is $70,257 which is more than $20,000 above the U.S. average.[2] Males have a median income of $41,829 versus $32,100 for females. The per capita income for the city is $27,262. 17.4% of the population and 6.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.4% of those under the age of 18 and 6.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Boulder housing tends to be priced higher than surrounding areas. For the 2nd quarter of 2006, the median single family home in Boulder sold for $548,000 and the median attached dwelling (condo or town home) sold for $262,000.[3] According to that National Association of Realtors, during the same period the median value of single family homes nationwide was $227,500.[4]

Geography

Boulder's iconic rock formations, The Flatirons

Boulder is in Boulder Valley where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains. Just west of the city are imposing slabs of sedimentary stone tilted up on the foothills, known as The Flatirons. The Flatirons are a widely recognized symbol of Boulder.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.7 km² (25.4 mi²). 63.1 km² (24.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²) of it (3.94%) is water.


History and politics

Early history

In the early to mid 1800s, the nomadic Southern Arapaho Native American tribe frequently wintered at the base of the foothills in the Boulder area. Other nomadic tribes included the Utes, Cheyennes, Comanches, and Sioux.

The first recorded European settlers in the area were gold prospectors who arrived in 1858, when Boulder was part of the Nebraska Territory. The Colorado Territory was created in 1861. In 1871 then Boulder City was incorporated and in 1873 the railroad extended to Boulder. Boulder's first school house was built in 1860 and accompanying Colorado's statehood in 1876, the University of Colorado at Boulder opened in 1876.

Mining gold, silver, and coal continued to be a prominent part of the local economy until the mid 1900s. A coal miners strike lasted from 1910 to 1915, causing a military presence in nearby Louisville. Mining's relevance in the local economy declined in the 1940s, at a time when the city began actively recruiting clean industry, such as the National Bureau of Standards, which today is the National Institute of Standards and Technology. (Home of the atomic clock.)

Streetcars operated in Boulder from the late 1800s through 1931. A lobbying group exists today to restore the streetcar to Boulder, albeit with a new route.

Boulder was the second city in the United States to implement the Hare (or Single Transferable Vote) method of voting in 1917. It was repealed in 1947.

On January 19, 1952, the Denver-Boulder Turnpike opened as a tollway between Boulder and the northern Denver suburb of Westminster. In 1967, the bonds for building the highway were paid off early, its tollway status was lifted, and it became part of U.S. Route 36. (Many still refer to the road as the Denver-Boulder Turnpike, however.) [5]

Boulder adopted an anti-saloon ordinance in 1907. Statewide prohibition started in Colorado in 1916 and ended with the repeal of national prohibition in 1933. Boulder, however, remained "dry" until 1967. [6], [7]

Further reading: City of Boulder History, Boulder History Museum Timeline

Politics and government

Politically, Boulder is more liberal than most of Colorado. Boulder County, which includes Boulder's more conservative suburbs, is 37% Democratic, 27% Republican, and 36% independent. [8] Although in Denver, Democrats hold a virtual monopoly over city politics, Boulder gains more attention for being Colorado's liberal enclave with nicknames like "The Berkeley of the Rockies" and "The People's Republic of Boulder".

For example, in 1975, Boulder County's clerk was the second in the United States to ever grant same-sex marriage licenses, prior to state laws being passed to prevent such issuance. [9] In 1996, Boulder was the first city in Colorado to enact a smoking ban that included bars. Mark Ruzzin, mayor of Boulder, is a member of the Green Party.

Notwithstanding its liberal reputation, Boulder has many conservative or libertarian residents. Bob Greenlee was briefly the Republican mayor of Boulder and ran against Mark Udall in 1998 for Colorado's 2nd congressional district. The Promise Keepers, an evangelical organization for men, was conceived in Boulder in 1990 by then-coach of the University of Colorado football team Bill McCartney. The organization has since relocated to Denver.[10]

Media

Boulder's main daily newspaper as of 2006, the Daily Camera, was started in 1880 as the Boulder Camera and became a daily newspaper the following year. Colorado Daily was started in 1892 as a university newspaper for CU-Boulder. Following many heated controversies over Colorado Daily's political coverage, it severed its ties to the university in 1971. Newspaper conglomerate Scripps acquired the Colorado Daily in 2005 after its acquisition of the Camera in 1997, leaving the Boulder Weekly as the only locally owned newspaper in Boulder.

Non-profit radio station KGNU was founded in 1975 and commercial music station KBCO in 1977. KVCU, better known as Radio 1190, is another non-profit radio station run with the help of university-student volunteers.

Boulder is part of the Denver market for television stations, and it also receives many radio stations based in Denver or Ft. Collins.

Paladin Press book/video publishers and Soldier of Fortune both have their headquarters in Boulder.[11][12] Paladin Press was founded in September 1970 by Peter Lund and Robert K. Brown. In 1974, Lund bought out Brown's share of the press, and Brown moved on to found Soldier of Fortune magazine the following year.[13]

Instituted in 1978, Boulder Magazine is a full-color, seasonal magazine that covers local events, outdoor activities and Boulder culture.

Growth management

Government preservation of open space around Boulder began with the Congress of the United States approving the allocation of 1,800 acres (7.3 km²) of mountain backdrop/watershed extending from South Boulder Creek to Sunshine Canyon in 1899.

Since then, Boulder has adopted a policy of controlled urban expansion. In 1959, city voters approved the "Blue Line" city charter amendment which restricted city water service to altitudes below 5750 feet, in an effort to protect the mountain backdrop from development. In 1967, city voters approved a dedicated sales tax for the acquisition of open space in an effort to contain urban sprawl. In 1970 Boulder created a "comprehensive plan" that would dictate future zoning, transportation, and urban planning decisions. Hoping to preserve residents' views of the mountains, in 1972 the city enacted an ordinance limiting the height of newly constructed buildings. A Historic Preservation Code was passed in 1974, and a residential growth management ordinance (the Danish Plan) in 1976. [14] [15]

Boulder's efforts to contain urban growth have at times been controversial. Some argue that the city's "greenbelt" of open space has had the opposite effect on sprawl that was intended, pushing growth away from the city and thus spreading it out more, rather than containing it. Additionally, the city's acquisition of open space [16] has, on rare occasions, invoked eminent domain. When the desires of property owners do not fit well into Boulder's master plan, they sometimes feel that their property rights are being violated. (A negative view of Boulder regarding property rights was articulated here, in a Boulder Weekly editorial.)

Wildlife protection

Prairie Dogs enjoy special protection in Boulder.

The City of Boulder has created an Urban Wildlife Management Plan which sets policies for managing and protecting urban wildlife.[17] Also, the city's parks department has a Conservation Team which monitors parks (including wetlands, lakes, etc) to protect ecosystems.[18] From time to time, parks and hiking trails are closed to conserve or restore ecosystems.[19]

Traditionally, Boulder has avoided the use of chemical pesticides for controlling the insect population. However, with the threat of West Nile Virus, the city began an integrative plan to control the mosquito population in 2003 that includes chemical pesticides. Residents can opt-out of the program by contacting the city and asking that their areas not be sprayed.[20]

Under Boulder law, extermination of prairie dogs requires a permit. [21]

Also in 2005, the city experimented with using goats for weed control in environmentally sensitive areas. Goats naturally consume diffuse knapweed and Canada thistle, and although the program was not as effective as it was hoped, goats will still be considered in the future weed control projects.[22]

Culture

Outdoor sports

Hiking trails and rock climbing in Boulder is very popular at Chataqua park.

Boulder is surrounded by more than 31,000 acres of recreational open space and nature preserves. There are ample opportunities for hiking, biking and rock climbing. Many of the trails start at the edge of the city, while others are a short drive away. The trails vary in difficulty: some are quite easy while there are some that are technically challenging. A trail map is available online or from a variety of local retailers. The City of Boulder Open Space website is a great resource for information about outdoor activities and volunteer opportunities.

World-class rock climbing is found in nearby Eldorado Canyon, near the small unincorporated community of Eldorado Springs, six miles south of Boulder. Eldorado Canyon is a wonder of natural beauty, but it is most famous for its hundreds of world-renowned rock climbing routes.

There are also high quality climbing routes available in the city open space, including climbing routes of varying difficulty on the Flatirons themselves.

Music

Every year during the second week of January, Boulder is the host city of Colorado MahlerFest, an annual celebration honoring Austrian composer Gustav Mahler, on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus.

The Boulder Theater is located in downtown Boulder, just off the Pearl Street Mall. Many world-class national and international musicians have played here.

Nick Forster of the bluegrass group Hot Rize tapes the environmental and musical radio program Etown Sunday evenings at the Boulder Theater.

On Thursday nights from June through mid-August, street musicians perform on the Pearl Street Mall just south of the Courthouse. Bands on the Bricks, as the event is called, features a different band each week, with styles ranging from zydeco to oldies, and bluegrass to funk. Buskers are frequently in downtown Boulder especially on warm days and weekends.

Singer-songwriter Wendy Woo grew up in Boulder. [23] [24] Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys is originally from Boulder, as are The String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Rosehill Drive and The Samples. Jazz musician Chris Wood of Blue Note Records' Medeski, Martin and Wood grew up in Boulder.

Boulder in fiction

Boulder was the setting for the film Catch and Release.
1619 Pine Street was used for the external shots of Mindy's house on the TV show Mork & Mindy.

Boulder was a setting for Stephen King's book The Stand (1978). King lived in Boulder for a little less than a year, beginning in the fall of 1974.[25] He wrote The Shining (1977) during this period, after visiting the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park (the inspiration for the fictional Overlook Hotel). Stephen White has written a series of mystery books using Boulder as the primary backdrop, featuring lead character Alan Gregory. Marianne Wesson, an author and professor at the University of Colorado School of Law, has also set several of her mystery novels in Boulder.

The sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978–1982) was set in Boulder, with 1619 Pine St. serving as the exterior shot of Mindy's home. The New York Deli, a real restaurant operating on the Pearl Street Mall until its closure in 1999, was also featured prominently in the show. The creators of the animated show South Park (Trey Parker & Matt Stone) attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, which makes occasional appearances in South Park, although the fictional town of South Park is based on Fairplay, located about 100 miles south-south-west of Boulder.

Some houses and the National Center for Atmospheric Research building overlooking the town were used in the filming of Woody Allen's Sleeper. The building of the First Christian Church of Boulder [26] appeared in the exterior shot of the wedding scene in About Schmidt (2002), starring Jack Nicholson, although the interior shots were filmed elsewhere. The famous Pearl Street Mall was one location for the filming of the movie Catch and Release, starring Jennifer Garner. Houses around Boulder, as well as storefronts on "The Hill" (University Hill) were filmed for the movie.

Traditions

Bolder Boulder

Boulder has hosted a 10-km road run, the “Bolder Boulder,” on Memorial Day, every year since 1979. The race involves up to 50,000 runners, joggers, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it one of the largest road races in the world. It has the largest non-marathon prize purse in road racing [media guide (PDF)]. The race culminates at the University of Colorado's Folsom Field with a Memorial Day Tribute, “one of the largest Memorial Day gatherings in the United States” [27]. Organizers have dedicated three starting waves to current and former members of the U.S. armed forces. The Boulder Creek Fest is also held on Memorial Day in conjunction with the Bolder Boulder. This festival has over 100,000 attendees every year. Art, food, music, local dance troupes, a kids zone, and community organizations make for an enjoyable day in downtown Boulder right along the Boulder Creek. The Boulder Creek Fest culminates with the Rubber Ducky Race, held on Memorial Day.

Kinetics

Every year to mark the beginning of Spring, local radio station KBCO sponsors Kinetics, a race across land and water by human-powered vehicles timed on speed and judged for style. The idea for Kinetics was imported from Ferndale, California in 1979 and the first race was held on May 3, 1980. Since then, Kinetics has grown in size and creativity with about 20,000 spectators and dozens of teams.[28]

North Boulder Park Nordic Skiing Track

When it snows in Boulder, a club of Nordic Skiiers from Boulder create a track in North Boulder Park, located about a mile from downtown, and right next to the Boulder Community Hospital. Many residents of Boulder go to ski in this track. The track remained for an astonishing month and a half during the snowstorms of 2006-2007.

Marijuana

Students and other marijuana enthusiasts gather on Farrand Field at the University of Colorado on April 20th each year as part of a cannabis culture ritual in which they publicly use marijuana.

At the University of Colorado

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival is a summer festival of Shakespeare held at the outdoor Mary Rippon Theater on the University of Colorado campus.

The Conference on World Affairs is an annual one-week conference featuring dozens of discussion panels on a variety of contemporary issues. Roger Ebert attends the conference every year and conducts his "Cinema Interruptus" lecture, spending many hours over a number of days closely analyzing one film. (It was La Dolce Vita for the 2006 conference.) It was at the CWA in 1996 that Ebert created the Boulder Pledge not to purchase anything offered through email spam.[29]

Considered one of the top comprehensive university museums of natural history in the U.S., the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, located on the University's Boulder campus, contains over four million biology, anthropology, and geology/paleontology research specimens. The Museum also sponsors lectures, classes, tours, and workshops for all ages and interests. Exhibits include fossils, animals of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region, and ancient Southwestern cultures.

The Hiking Club at the University of Colorado at Boulder is the longest-running student organization on campus, organizes member-run trips throughout Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region for university students and affiliates .

'Happy Thursday' Cruiser Ride

Every Thursday, a group of cruiser bike riders meet to ride their cycles on various streets, alleys and bike paths in an outpouring of creativity and love for bicycles, shouting "Happy Thursday!" to onlookers. Many dress up in costume for the occasion, and some also decorate and accessorize their cycles for the event. The number of participants varies greatly from week to week, peaking in the summer months; only a small group of 'Cold Weather Cruisers' ride during the colder months. [30] [31]

People

Notable births in Boulder include: Scott Carpenter (Project Mercury astronaut), Arleigh Burke (United States Navy Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations), Kristin Davis (Sex and the City actress), Tony Boselli (five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle), Russell Nachman (artist), Anna Conway (artist), and Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra.

File:Jonkrakauer.jpg
Jon Krakauer
File:John mark karr mugshot.jpg
The suspected Ramsey murderer, John Mark Karr.

Experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage (d.2003) lived near Boulder from the mid-1960s until 2002, and taught several film courses at CU-Boulder. Allen Ginsberg (d.1997) helped to found the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder.

Notable Boulder residents include Albert Bartlett, emeritus professor of physics and frequent lecturer on the dangers of compound growth, and also one of the principal backers of the Blue Line [32] in the late 1950s. Boulder is also home to Paul Danish, author of the Danish Plan [33] of residential growth control and editor and publisher of the former weekly Boulder County newspaper Town and Country Review. Jon Krakauer, bestselling author, known for his Mount Everest exposé Into Thin Air, lives in Boulder.

Nobel prize winners and University professors Eric Cornell, Carl Wieman, and Thomas Cech live in Boulder. John L. Hall, Nobel prize winner, NIST senior fellow and Lecturer at the University of Colorado lives in Boulder. University professor Michael Tracey lives in Boulder. Architect Steven Walsh lives in Boulder.

Jazz musician Chris Wood of Blue Note Records' Medeski, Martin and Wood grew up in Boulder.Musician Stuart Davis, originally from Minnesota, lives in Boulder. Otis Taylor is a Boulder blues musician who plays electric banjo, a Grammy award winner.

Actress Jessica Biel from the TV show 7th Heaven was raised in Boulder. Actress Sheryl Lee who is best known for playing the role of Laura Palmer in David Lynch's Twin Peaks was born in Boulder and began acting with a role in a Fairview High School play.

Two American Idol stars went to high school in Boulder. Season 5 finalist, singer Ace Young, was also raised in the same Boulder neighborhood as Jessica Biel, and singer Samantha Cohen [34] was a Season 2 "Best of the Rest" selection.


Boulder was also the scene of the JonBenét Ramsey murder, which took place on Christmas, 1996. The six year old was found murdured in her parent's wine cellar. Boulder police could not find any leads, until 2006. In 2006, John Mark Karr was arrested in Bangkok. He was taken to the courthouse in Boulder, where DNA evidence proved him innocent. So far, the case remains unsolved.

The professional wrestler Big Van Vader (Leon White) was born in Boulder, was an offensive lineman for the Colorado Buffaloes football team in the 1970s, [35] and sometimes wore a CU T-shirt when he came to the ring in street clothes.

Economy and industry

Major employers in and near Boulder include: [36] [37]

Transportation

Boulder has an extensive bus system operated by RTD, the Regional Transportation District. Local routes run throughout the city. Routes such as the HOP, SKIP, BOUND, JUMP and DASH run on a frequent basis, with departures as frequent as every ten minutes during peak hours, Monday-Friday. Other routes, such as the 201, 203, 204, 205, 206, 208 and 209 serve the rest of the city, with departures every 15 to 30 minutes. Regional routes, traveling to nearby cities such as Longmont, Broomfield, and Denver, as well as Denver International Airport, are also available. Route, schedule and fare information is available on the Regional Transportation District's website at http://www.rtd-denver.com, or by calling their Telephone Information Center at 303-299-6000.

Beginning in 2014, commuter rail will travel between Longmont, Boulder and Denver, with stops in major communities along the way. This commuter rail line is funded by FasTracks, a transit improvement plan funded by a 0.4% increase in the sales tax throughout the Denver metro area. Other corridors included in the plan include light rail and commuter rail to Denver International Airport, Golden, Thornton, Lakewood, and Aurora.

Boulder also has an extensive network of bicycle and pedestrian pathways. In addition, over one hundred miles of hiking trails exist in the mountains west of Boulder.

Shopping

One of the most popular sections of Boulder that is home to numerous shops and restaurants is the famous Pearl Street Mall. This four-block pedestrian mall is a social hotspot in Boulder, with dozens of restaurants of all kinds and specialty stores that include artisan shops and unique gadget shops. In the summer and on weekends, many street shows and acts can be found throughout the mall, along with street vendors and henna tattoo artists.

Boulder's traditional Downtown area, including the Pearl Street Mall, is in the western part of present-day Boulder. During the 1950s and 1960s, the city grew to the east, while the west side was (and is) bounded by the mountain front. Downtown is host to a variety of restaurants, bars, and boutique stores. However, it has few grocery, hardware, or department stores and is therefore more of a "shopping destination" than a neighborhood with stores supporting the local population.

The Twenty Ninth Street retail district opened in October 2006, located in central Boulder on the site of the former Crossroads Mall, east of Downtown.

Near the Pearl Street Mall the Farmers' Market opens every Saturday morning and Wednesday evening, April through October on 13th Street next to Central Park. The market was started in 1986 by regional farmers.[41]

Schools/Education

Boulder has three high schools and many middle schools. The Boulder Valley School District is in control of many of theese. But the two most famous private schools in the Boulder area are Bixby School (K-5) and Alexander Dawson (K-12). Fairview High School has many famous students that have passed through, as well as Southern Hills Middle School. Ace Young graduated at Fairview in 1999. The other famous high school is Boulder High, which is located in Downtown Boulder. Boulder High and Fairview are rivals at football and other sports.

Colleges, universities, science institutes

Colleges and universities

Looking down on the University of Colorado campus

Colorado College of Homeopathy

Science institutes

Sister cities

Boulder has six official sister cities:

Dushanbe presented its distinctive Dushanbe Tea House as a gift to Boulder in 1987. It was completed in 1990. More information about Boulder's sister city relationships can be found at Boulder's official website.

References

  1. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21 2006. Retrieved November 16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  2. ^ "Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2005 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 20 2006. Retrieved December 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  3. ^ a b "Rankings for Metropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21 2006. Retrieved December 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  4. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21 2006. Retrieved December 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link)

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