Summit County (Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone: ski resort, apartment, condo)

[amyd721]

My boyfriend and I are looking into moving to Summit County. I am an EMT and he is a Sherriff. Can anyone share some info about the area??

THANKS!!!

[Fuzz]

What kind of info?

LOTS of outdoor activities year-round.
Housing is very expensive.
May or may not have permanent residents as neighbors depending on neighborhood.
Not the stereotypical wilderness setting (think suburbia in the mountains), but wilderness is accessible. On the flip side, this means that most amenities are available without a long drive.
Long winters.

[Sockeye]

Its your typical mountain ski resort atmosphere. Lots of second homeowners and a somewhat transient workforce.

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by amyd721

My boyfriend and I are looking into moving to Summit County. I am an EMT and he is a Sherriff. Can anyone share some info about the area??

THANKS!!!

It's all gonna BURN!! Burn, baby, BURN!!

Seriously...have you been following the pine beetle devastation in the area?

In this economy, I don't know how long they'll be able to maintain the current staffing levels of the police & fire agencies. You should at least have a backup plan if you are unable to secure employment in EMS/law enforcement.

[wanneroo]

One thing with summit county is I found it to be too high up in elevation especially Breckenridge at 9600 ft.

[breaksraver13]

My partner is an EMT and it is EXTREMELY hard to find work in that field.......He had to get a crap job working for a hotel at Keystone to get "in" the system and after 2 months got a job with Keystone Emergency Services.

It is very expensive in Summit County no matter how you look at it, our 500-600 sf. apartment runs $1200 month with utilities.

There is plenty to do when it comes to outdoor activities.....Personally, I couldn't be happier here.

[amyd721]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

It's all gonna BURN!! Burn, baby, BURN!!

Seriously...have you been following the pine beetle devastation in the area?

In this economy, I don't know how long they'll be able to maintain the current staffing levels of the police & fire agencies. You should at least have a backup plan if you are unable to secure employment in EMS/law enforcement.

Pine Beetle?? To be honest with you we have just started to look into moving out of Maine. Rest a sure we would not make that far of a move without employment.


Does anyone have anything positive?

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by amyd721

Does anyone have anything positive?

I think living in those ski areas can be a lot of fun if you are young without kids. It's also great if you are independently wealthy. I did it for 7 years and don't regret it. However there are a lot of downsides to living there long term. I liken it to a place that is great to visit, not so much fun to live there.

Mostly the living costs are very high versus what you earn. Of the younger people quite a few have second jobs to make ends meet. I usually worked on average 80-100 hours a week. I found I was working so much to be able to save money that I never really enjoyed whatever amenities there were. Housing per sq ft is expensive and you have to watch where you do live as many of the apartment/condo areas are pretty transient with a lot of noise or other nonsense.

In terms of "good" jobs, I find you have to be in the trenches a bit and earn your spurs as a "local" and make connections. It's not like a big city with a plethora of job choices and a faceless society. But it is possible. I had opportunities to move up in the company I worked for. My sister started as a waitress in Vail in 2001 and she has a very nice job now and my future brother in law also started on the bottom about 12 years ago and worked his way up to a good job as well.

Summit County is a bit high up and the valley opens to the north so it seems the cold air just rushes in there. If you love winter then you will like it a lot as wintry conditions run OCT-MAY with spring, summer, fall crammed into May-Oct.

There are a lot of downsides about living there rather than being a visitor, but if you are willing to make the sacrifices necessary then it could be a good experience.

[breaksraver13]

Originally Posted by amyd721

Pine Beetle?? To be honest with you we have just started to look into moving out of Maine. Rest a sure we would not make that far of a move without employment.


Does anyone have anything positive?

Yes the Pine Beetle has made it's nasty presence here in Summit Co. but you have to look past it and see the natural beauty that is here.

I'm not trying to be negative.....Moving to Summit Co. was the single greatest decision that I have ever made in my life, for once I stopped b***hing about something and really did something about it.

I just know that I can relate due to my partner being an EMT and having a very difficult time finding work. Just know that you can make it work, we did, he just had to do something crappy for a very short time to get him through till he could find the right job.

I wish you the best of luck, and if you move to Summit Co. I hope that you can find the happiness that I have found here.

---Here is a picture taken from the top of Buffalo Mtn.(which is across the street from my apartment) but you can see the beetle kill, look for the reddish-brown trees........Sorry the picture came out a little hazy!

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by amyd721

Pine Beetle?? To be honest with you we have just started to look into moving out of Maine.

I was considering moving TO Maine.

Why do you want to leave? If you already have jobs and a place to live, why risk coming to a more expensive, crowded place?