A Great Place for a Mountain Home – Winter Park, CO
Colorado has seen increasing numbers for population growth in the last few years, thanks in no small part to increased immigration from other states. It’s clear that the people of America are starting to take an increased interest in this beautiful state, and the reasons are numerous; in fact, you could be forgiven for asking why not to move to Colorado! It’s a state that’s abundant with opportunity, nature, a variety of landscapes and a rich social climate. Of course, for all of those that move to Denver for business and opportunity, there is that lone drawback: the influx of others that are moving there as well. A great way to mitigate this issue is by buying a second home, and there’s no better place to do that than Winter Park.
While the reasons that Winter Park is a great place to purchase a second home are numerous and we could list them infinitely, we’ve narrowed it down to the 5 most important factors.
#1 – Driving and Distance
While the continuous population growth in Colorado is exciting for a variety of reasons, there is one thing for certain. More people means more traffic. The well-trodden I-70 corridor that stretches from Denver to the major ski resorts nearby, such as Breckenridge and Vail, is one of the least favorite parts of Colorado for people who like to ski. With thousands of people making the commute every weekend to enjoy their winter mountain sports, frustrating traffic is an inevitability. So if you add a few thousand more cars with new Colorado residents into the mix, you can only imagine that this adds to the headache. One of the greatest things about choosing Winter Park as your ski destination and second home location is the fact that you can avoid the worst parts of the dreaded I-70 drive! This allows you more time to enjoy your mountain hobbies and you will always arrive at your mountain getaway with less stress!
#2 – Price and Affordability
Purchasing a home near a ski resort often carries with it the idea that you might face pretty steep costs in acquisition. This is certainly true for areas such as Breckenridge and Vail, but much less so in Winter Park. A cursory glance at the Zillow page for Vail indicates that you’ll regularly run around $700k for even something such as a condo, and looking more towards the millions if you want any kind of acreage. By contrast, Winter Park has full homes available starting at $299k, making them much more affordable for consumers of almost any degree.
#3 – Skiing
No conversation about Colorado would be complete without mentioning skiing. While there are a number of fantastic ski resorts across our great state, the quality of Winter Park is best known by locals rather than tourists. So much so, that you could probably glean it from the name! The smooth slopes that line the mountains in Winter Park are top-tier and refreshingly understated, sparing them from the crowding that can occur with household-name resorts like Aspen or Vail. This means that you can grab some snow time unhindered by the notoriety of overwhelming tourism while still being in one of the best skiing ranges that Colorado has to offer.
#4 – Biking and Summer Activities
Not to be outshone by its snowy activities, Winter Park is actually a prime location for many of the greatest summer activities and offers a wealth of options for adults and children alike. Winter Park is dubbed the Mountain Bike Capital of the US, and for good reason– there are over 600 miles of trails available and biking events that go on for the length of the summer, so the active readers won’t want for good stimulation.
Of course, there are also a number of activities that are available if you’re less bike-inclined. There is hiking, wine tasting, even snow-tubing (all of the fun of snow sports from a seated position!) Not to mention that Winter Park has some of the best food in all of Colorado, so you can see the sights with a belly full of amazing cuisine.
#5 – Community
When you’re considering an area for a place that you might live, it’s only as a strong as its community. The good news is that Winter Park is founded on community, and the relative seclusion from tourism that it enjoys helps to keep this community tight and small. This is something that you really sacrifice with a big name like Vail or Aspen– all that prestige means that you’re going to have less interconnection with the other members of the community. Tourism in the area is modest, but the community is robust and friendly, as you might imagine would be the case in an area with so many events. For those who are looking for a more personal place to get away from the city, the community in Winter Park is second to none.
As you can imagine, there are even more reasons than these to consider a home in Winter Park, but these are the foremost reasons that make this area truly unique in all of Colorado!
