ClusterNorthern Colorado
3 resorts in Colorado, 2 Tier A resorts.
Overview
Steamboat Springs is the hub of this cluster. It is the seat of Routt County and the largest city in northwestern Colorado, with 13,224 residents at the 2020 census. It sits in the upper Yampa River valley on US Highway 40, about 150 miles northwest of Denver. The regional economy began with ranching and mining, which still have a large presence in the county. Today the city is a winter ski destination built around Steamboat Resort on Mount Werner, just east of town, and the much smaller Howelsen Hill, a ski jumping venue in town. Steamboat Springs has produced more Winter Olympians than any other town in North America. The city has a severe housing shortage. The median single family home price reached $829,000 in 2022, up from $529,000 in 2019, and a one bedroom apartment rents for around $2,100. In 2024, residents voted down a plan for nearly 2,300 affordable units meant for priced out workers. Routt County had 24,829 residents in 2020, and 37.1% of its housing units were vacant.
Sources: Howelsen Hill Ski Area (Wikipedia), Routt County, Colorado (Wikipedia), Steamboat Ski Resort (Wikipedia), Steamboat Springs, Colorado (Wikipedia)