Moving to Colorado - Crested Butte, Vail, Telluride or Breckenridge? (Denver: rental, living in)

[devsitee]

First, yes I know they are all resort towns but it really doesn't bother me. I wouldn't mind moving to a place where there are some new faces around each season. I also realize they are all rather expensive but I'm not concerned about that either. I am single, 33, no kids, no responsibilities and I really want to live in a mountain town. I'm looking for a mountain town that has some culture, nightlife, and is aesthetically pleasing. That's about it since I know each place as plenty of outdoor activities. Which would you choose and why? Is there another place better suited that I didn't list?

Thanks for your time and advice.

[Dogmama50]

All of them are aesthetically pleasing. I think Telluride is the prettiest, but it's also very isolated, as is CB. If you are used to living in a very small town where everyone knows your business then those two may be a nice fit, though small means less employment, relationship, housing and cultural opportunities.

Breck and Vail are both run by Vail Resorts, so if you have a ski pass for one you can ski the other as well as Keystone and Beaver Creek. Both are closer to Denver and the I-70 corridor and can be a little easier to live in for a first time mountain resident. Breck is a bit colder and higher in elevation than Vail but has more of a small town local feel. Vail has more international visitors and higher end accommodations, there are close by towns like Avon and Edwards that are filled with normal people.

If you are planning on being here this winter, the job postings are up now as well as rental situations. Check the Vail Daily, Summit Daily as well as craigslist for the high rockies for jobs and housing. Crested Butte News and Telluride News are the papers for those areas and they also have postings on craigslist usually under the western slope section.

[wanneroo]

One of the great things that I miss from Vail is every year there were at least 150 new people for me to work with, many from different countries around the world. Many I only knew for a season, some I've stayed in contact with and made a few lifetime friends.

The other thing I enjoyed was the seasonal aspect. You'd have a great build up for ski season, new people arriving, new tourists all the time to talk to. Winter would peak, people would start leaving in March, everyone would be gone by the end of April, spring would begin. A smaller crew would work the summer, summer would be more relaxed, then that would end, everyone would go on vacation and then the process would begin again. I loved the renewal and the firm beginning and end of seasons. It wasn't like a bog standard 9-5 monday thru friday existence.

I think Vail has the best mix of things to do in winter and summer. There is always some event or festival or concert going on in winter and summer. And tons of sporting activities to do, plenty of places to eat out and socialize, etc.

Breck would be my 2nd choice, but is higher in elevation than Vail and colder. The town isn't as pleasing to me or has what Vail has on offer.

CB and Telluride are pretty isolated, so if you like that, then you might like those towns. One of the benefits to me in Vail was Denver was 2 hours away. I do not like big cities, but sometimes it is nice to be able to drive to one without it being a multi day trip.

[devsitee]

Thank you Dogmama and Wanneroo! I appreciate the feedback. I noticed from google maps that Vail is the only one with an interstate running through it/next to it. Would you say this is a plus or minus? I would guess that at certain times of the year, you might not be able to get out of T-ride or CB.

[Dogmama50]

Telluride and CB can feel very isolated especially in the winter and the off season. Also when you do get out of town there isn't really a city to go to as a day trip, not that everyone needs that I haven't been to Denver in over a year, Glenwood Springs has pretty much all I need for necessity shopping.

Vail does have I-70 running through it, when you're in the Village you don't feel the presence of the interstate, we don't really have traffic out here so it's not like living on I-95. Here's a link to the CDOT web cams so you can see what the area looks like: Road Conditions, Speeds, Travel Times, Traffic Cameras, Live Streaming Traffic Cameras, Road Closures and Road Work Information provided by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) a branch of Colorado Department of Transportation

I've lived in Vail, Telluride, Aspen and now back to Vail again. I do prefer the convenience of living close to the I-70 corridor. I can get to the airport and catch a cheap flight out of Denver, rather than taking puddle jumpers out of Telluride. Vail has something interesting going on summer and winter and in the off seasons, there is a good sense of community here without knowing everything about everybody.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by devsitee

Thank you Dogmama and Wanneroo! I appreciate the feedback. I noticed from google maps that Vail is the only one with an interstate running through it/next to it. Would you say this is a plus or minus? I would guess that at certain times of the year, you might not be able to get out of T-ride or CB.

A plus in some ways in that the long, narrow Vail Valley(which I include down to Edwards), with the interstate it makes it easy to get around.

The downside is if you live next to it, as I have, you get to hear it 24 hours a day if your windows are open. Usually if you live outside of the first perimeter of properties from the interstate you will not notice it much.

It also makes it easy to get to Denver, assuming good weather and traffic.

[snofarmer]

If your looking for that "local" experience.
Or what a "ski-town" ,"laid back" feel like then telluride or Crested Butte is for you.

If you want to be lost in the crowd of folks from the eastern slope or from any where and you like the hussl and bussl of a large town then stay on I-70

Vail , breck all of I-70 has lost that ski town culture along ago.

Both CB and telluride have larger towns 1/2 to 1hr away.

[Idunn]

With any decent vehicle you can drive from or to Telluride or Crested Butte most any day of the year. Although a few times now and then when it might be a better idea to remain by the fire, or up on the slopes. But whether conditions clear or not, still a long drive from either to any town of appreciable size. That can be a plus or minus, depending on how you look at it.

Speaking of access, either Breckenridge or Vail will enjoy far better access to the front range and all that offers in services, etc. However, were you me, I'd think once, twice and at least three times before overlooking the interstate bisecting Vail. I'm not saying it will be an overpowering presence everywhere in Vail, but if minding such things then at least a thorough on the ground investigation would be in order. Too bad, because otherwise Vail has a lot to offer by way of skiing, aprés skiing, etc.

Breckenridge does as well, minus the interstate. It enjoys a beautiful location, a great ski mountain with ready access to other options in Summit County. Due a lot of emphasis on local Victorian architecture, Breckenridge is arguably one of the most picturesque towns in Colorado. If looking for the most possible activity and services Breckenridge and Vail would be the two best choices of these four.

In aesthetics Crested Butte and Telluride are no less alluring, and can hold their own to an extent with culture and nightlife. But they are each small isolated towns, so without the larger market which would allow a place such as Aspen or Vail to offer that much more. One will also probably find them more insular and down-home, despite all the tourists at times, due their isolation. Both have beautiful settings, as all do, although the high box canyon of Telluride is something else altogether.

One can learn a lot from posing such a question remotely. But each of these towns is unique enough in circumstance and ambience that merely picking one because all Colorado mountain ski towns would be a mistake. In actually visiting each in person you will gain a better sense of this, and which at last feels most like home.

It should prove a pleasant excursion to do so.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by devsitee

First, yes I know they are all resort towns but it really doesn't bother me. I wouldn't mind moving to a place where there are some new faces around each season. I also realize they are all rather expensive but I'm not concerned about that either. I am single, 33, no kids, no responsibilities and I really want to live in a mountain town. I'm looking for a mountain town that has some culture, nightlife, and is aesthetically pleasing.

All the places you mentioned have as much culture and nightlife as can be expected for mountain resorts.

Crested Butte is asthetically pleasing in a very-high-altitude, 10,000 foot kind of way. The town is right about treeline, so the surrounding mountains are rocky and devoid of trees.

Crested Butte and Telluride are the most isolated of the four mentioned, meaning off the beaten track, not located along a major freeway or near major towns.

All four see quite a lot of tourists and residents rotating in and out.

If the choice were mine, it would come down to how isolated I wanted to be. Did I want to be close to Denver (Breckenridge)? Did I want to be on a major freeway a couple hours from Denver (Vail)? Or do I really want to be off the beaten track in a less populated area of the state (CB or Telluride)?

If mountain Colorado prices were no problem for me, I personally would choose Aspen. Breckenrigde has too much traffic and too many boaters. Vail is cramped. Crested Butte is too dang high up, and Telluride is too far away from everything!

[suzco]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

. . .

Crested Butte is asthetically pleasing in a very-high-altitude, 10,000 foot kind of way. The town is right about treeline, so the surrounding mountains are rocky and devoid of trees.

. . . Crested Butte is too dang high up. .

Of the four towns the OP mentioned, the difference in elevation is not major.

Crested Butte is not the highest - Breckenridge is. (Talking about the towns, not the ski areas themselves - you might be thinking of the base area of the ski hill at Crested Butte.)
The elevation of each of the towns:
Breckenridge 9600
Crested Butte 8900
Telluride 8750
Vail 8022