Where is Boulder, CO?

Geographers use maps to organize and display geographic data about places and regions. The elements that make University Hill a real place are linked to its location in the state of Colorado and in the city of Boulder. Therefore, we need to examine University Hill at multiple scales, that is, different levels of areal detail. First, let's consider where Boulder is located in relation to other cities in Colorado.

Figure 2. Map of Colorado
(2) Relative location is an analytical concept that explains how one place is connected to other places. How would you describe the relative location of Boulder?

Maps are useful for more than finding where places are. They can also show how something is distributed across space. Let's see how maps can help us learn about socioeconomic patterns in the state of Colorado.

The maps that appear below are choropleth maps. A choropleth map is a map in which the color or shading of areas varies according to the density, concentration, or magnitude of a geographic variable (e.g., population, income, etc.). The numerical values for the mapped variable are divided into data classes that are assigned a color code. Lighter hues correspond to lower values, while darker hues correspond to higher values. For example, if you drew a population map of Colorado on which you wanted to show how population density varied across the state, you would assign all those counties with similar population densities with the same shade or color.

Geographers look for meaningful spatial patterns on choropleth maps. Map interpretation involves two steps - description and explanation. First, we can describe choropleth maps with some useful terms:

Once a map's features have been described, they need to be explained. In other words, geographers are not only interested in describing spatial patterns, but also in explaining why they occur.

Let's take a look at some examples of choropleth maps for the state of Colorado.

Figure 3a. Colorado Population - 1990

No. of Persons
Figure 3b. Colorado Median Family Income - 1989

$ US

(3) Please write a brief interpretation (1 paragraph description + 1 paragraph explanation) for each map. For help, click here to view a map of Colorado counties.

Now it's time to examine the human geography of Boulder in greater detail. In order to do this, we need to change the scale of our analysis from the state-level to the city-level. Please continue to page 3 of the Preview exercise.

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