Are you trying to move to a great ski town? This week, OnTheSnow gave their picks for the best eleven United States ski towns to live in. The list features some notable names and a few surprises. The unraked list, which includes the closest ski resorts to the towns and cities, is below.
1. Aspen, Colorado (Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass)
2. Bend, Oregon (Mt. Bachelor, Hoodoo, and Willamette Pass)
3. Bozeman, Montana (Bridger Bowl and Big Sky Resort)
4. Crested Butte, Colorado (Crested Butte Mountain Resort)
5. Jackson, Wyoming (Snow King, Jackson Hole, and Grand Targhee)
6. Manchester, Vermont (Bromley, Stratton, and Magic Mountain)
7. North Conway, New Hampshire (Cranmore, Attitash, Wildcat, King Pine, Pleasant Mountain, and quite a few more)
8. Ogden, Utah (Snowbasin, Nordic Valley, Powder Mountain)
9. Park City, Utah (Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley)
10. Taos, New Mexico (Taos Ski Valley)
11. Truckee, California (Northstar, Palisades Tahoe, Sugar Bowl, Mt. Rose, Tahoe Donner, etc.)
It’s a solid list, but living in quite a few of these towns (Aspen, Crested Butte, and Jackson in particular) is unattainable for most ski bums and people in the middle class. Other places, like Bozeman, have locals freak out whenever you mention them as a good place to live. I just visited North Conway, but I feel like their more focused on building new hotels rather than affordable housing. Living in nearby towns like Glen and Bartlett is cheaper and a less traffic-filled experience.
The OnTheSnow article does admittedly say though “that this [list] is for those individuals, couples, and families who are considering a full-time move to the mountains to live in a ski town. So that means we’re not talking about the ski bum lifestyle here.”
There are some decent places to consider from this list though, as Ogden is often overlooked in Utah compared to the skiing mecca of Salt Lake City, and Bend also has some somewhat affordable housing options. What do you think of the list?
Image Credits: Benjamin Rascoe (Featured Image), Ian Wood (Header Image), Caleb Jack
