Winter Park is ?The Mountain Bike Capital of the USA?. and development company, Coyote Creek is only 90 minutes outside Denver. Though, primarily a ski town, Winter Park is becoming a four-season town. The desire for mountain homes is making Winter Park a popular place to live, driving the Winter Park real estate market.
Winter Park is located in Grand County, Colorado. It lies at 9100 feet. The area is surrounded by the Arapaho National Forest and three beautiful Wilderness areas. Close by, the Rocky Mountain National Park offers 265,727 acres of natural land and wildlife habitat for public enjoyment. In the Fraser Valley are three different ecological zones offering fantastic views and surroundings for .
David Moffat founded Winter Park as a workers camp during construction of the Moffat Tunnel while building the transcontinental railroad from Denver to the Pacific. Winter Park began as two small settlements, Old Town and Hideaway Park. The Fraser Valley in which Winter Park is located has a rich heritage of Ute Indians, logging, pioneers, mining, ranching and the railroad.
Winter Park offers the best powder skiing in the nation. Cold and long winters at high altitude are perfect conditions for winter recreation. Average annual sunny days is 250, average snowfall is 231 inches, the average high is 54 degrees, average low is 12.
Tourism drives the Winter Park economy. Retail and service businesses are the major employers. In addition, the Winter Park real estate market is vibrant because so many are seeking mountain homes.
Work in the town is very seasonal. Winter park enjoys low unemployment rates. The average median household income is $44,000, much higher than the national median of 41, 994 (2000 census).
Winter Park is a small town of 662 people with 129 families. Seasonal work fluctuates the population, as well as, second-home owners vacationing in their mountain homes.
Located in the Arapahoe National Forest, moose, elk, deer, porcupines, bear and mountain lions make their home in the mountain region.
3000 acres of skiing landscape offer terrain parks, groomers, bumps, steeps and deeps. In 2006, snow fall was an ideal 365 inches. There are other popular sports ? cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing.
In the summer with 250 sunny days a year there is mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, backpacking and river rafting. There is also a full cultural life with concerts and festivals; the Alpine Art Affair takes place in July.
Smart buyers are taking advantage of opportunities in Winter Park real estate. Booming business and proximity to Denver are increasing the potential for Winter Park real estate, at the same time it is still affordable. As the area has grown, affordable housing needs have to. In Winter Park, 80% of homes are owned by second home owners wanting mountain homes.
The median value of owner occupied housing units is $334, 400; median asking price $541,000. Winter Park real estate ranges from $120, 000 to $2,500,000.
