Single Californian in Steamboat Springs (Craig, Glenwood Springs: best towns, Home Depot, living)

[traildigger]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone can speak about the single/social life in Steamboat Springs. I am thinking of relocating for a job offer from Northern California to Steamboat. I am not a huge fan of winter, but I do love the outdoors. I love mountain biking and trail running. Would I be miserable in Steamboat with the cold and long winters? Also please feel free to share any thoughts on the social aspect of living there like meeting new people etc. since I would be a female moving alone.

Thanks!

[lalahartma]

If you are not a fan of winter you would have to commit to loving winter if you lived in Steamboat. It's a small, isolated town, but the social life might be fun if you hooked up with tourists.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

DO IT!

I moved to Steamboat in the 70s from Washington DC to be a ski bum, and lived there for three years. I had a great time skiing all winter and enjoying the hiking/off-roading/fishing in the beautiful summers. Don't worry about the social aspect of living there -- it's a resort town and there's always new people and things happening.

However, if you are not a big fan of winter, then it may not be for you. Snow could start falling as early as October and stick around until May. But there's a lot of sun and the skies are the most beautiful blue you've ever seen.

[Dogmama50]

Steamboat is a great town. People are friendly, for a small town there are lots of social things to do, however there is no escaping winter, they have already gotten 100+ inches of snow this year. It's a fairly isolated area, Glenwood Springs is a couple hours away (Target, Lowes, Pier 1) Gypsum (Costco) and Avon (Super Walmart, Home Depot) are about an hour and a half. When you live in the mountains you get use to traveling for hours to get something that may have been down the road before, I don't mind it, but know that some conveniences are compromised up here.

Also to put some perspective on the weather. Today the sun is shining, just a few clouds in the sky, the temp is only 22 degrees but I was just outside in a fleece, jeans and gloves playing with the dogs for an hour without getting cold. Winter is not gloomy, but it can be very snowy.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by traildigger

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone can speak about the single/social life in Steamboat Springs. I am thinking of relocating for a job offer from Northern California to Steamboat. I am not a huge fan of winter, but I do love the outdoors. I love mountain biking and trail running. Would I be miserable in Steamboat with the cold and long winters? Also please feel free to share any thoughts on the social aspect of living there like meeting new people etc. since I would be a female moving alone.

Thanks!

You will have to get used to winter as winters there are long and hard with very cold temps. I thought Vail was cold and had long winters until I went to Steamboat. I definitely got cabin fever there as if you get tired of Steamboat the nearest other town of interest is an 1.5 hour away(I don't count Craig as being a town of interest).

The summer however you would enjoy as it is more temperate than most places in the USA and the summer weather is very nice.

It's a small, isolated resort town with a small year round population. Most people from tourists and seasonal workers will come and go with the seasons. If you are a younger female below 35, there will be more men available than the other way around, so you can probably do well. However most males you will encounter if they live locally will probably have a few different jobs or just be a seasonal tourist or worker that will leave. If you are looking for a more unconventional man, you will be in luck. If you are looking for men on a career track, with the latest clothes and toys, a nice pad, etc. this isn't the place for you.

Also you will have to learn to ebb and flow with the seasons. For six months of the year, the town will be relatively dead in the off season and you will have to content yourself with the locals and you might enjoy the quiet anyways after the tourist seasons.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by traildigger

Hi,

(snip) I am not a huge fan of winter, but I do love the outdoors. I love mountain biking and trail running. Would I be miserable in Steamboat with the cold and long winters? (snip)

You've already set the #1 parameter why the 'boat will be a very uncomfortable experience for you.

Winters are typically long and harsh cold here and the surrounding areas; it's not uncommon for the valleys around Steamboat to still have substantial snow cover on the ground through late May.

I'm used to Vail and that area of Colorado for mountain living, and Steamboat is way colder than that for me. It's already at 0 F tonight, just after sundown, in Steamboat, and it will get colder before sunrise.

[traildigger]

I appreciate all the comments. They have really helped me understand what winter and life in Steamboat might be like. I think I could manage the winters since I grew up in Minnesota, but since I have lived in CA I have learned that I really like summer and being able to bike and run outside all year round.

But it does sound like a great place to visit!

[80skeys]

i wouldn't call Colorado winters "dreary.' Cold and snowy, yeah, but dreary no.

[traildigger]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

I definitely got cabin fever there as if you get tired of Steamboat the nearest other town of interest is an 1.5 hour away(I don't count Craig as being a town of interest).

How long did you live there?

[dude_reino]

Female, eh? I'd say single life will be very, very lucrative in Steamboat.

Contrary to popular belief, winter in Steamboat is actually quite mild. On sunny days it can reach 60 degrees in town. Summers are AMAZING--probably one of the best towns in Colorado during summer.