Living in Steamboat Springs - How we followed our dreams to Steamboat

"Once you are really a local, there is even more going on than you even knew visiting as a tourist" Jessica S. 3 year local

See what it is like to Live in Steamboat from a family that moved here 3 years ago

We often dreamed what it would be like to be locals.  What would it really be like to be part of this mountain town?  Could it be as magical as when we visit, then worked remotely from here part time? Could we make friends?  What would it be like for our kids to grow up here?  Are the schools really as good as they say? Would it get old? Okay, we couldn't see it getting old but would we really take advantage of our dream town, and is it the best choice for our family?  We admired the people we knew that lived here and wished we did too but it seemed out of reach. Would we miss our friends? We had countless other questions. 

  We lived in Boulder, CO which is a pretty amazing town. It's on the edge of the mountains (but not really in the mountains) because you had to get in your car and travel to ski or to find other adventures. In Steamboat they were right out your back door.  We had lived in Colorado for 19 & 14 years and spent a lot of time in most of the cool mountain towns so we had a pretty good appreciation for the wonders of mountain life. Or so we thought.

  Even with all that, we still just didn't get what it would be like to live in Steamboat.  We had done many of the sports, eaten at the local's spots and been to countless parts of the valley.  Why? Because even though we had friends here and knew a lot about Steamboat we still weren't part of the tight knit small town community that makes Steamboat special.  We didn't get to see Alden and soon Neve grow up here. We didn't get to to see the weather and the wildlife reveal the magic of mountain life on a daily basis.  Most of all we didn't get to appreciate how many amazing things are truly normal in Steamboat.  We didn't get to be involved and give back to the town that we loved but didn't truly know or contribute to keeping it special.

  For the last 9 years we have gotten to experience all of that and more.  When we moved, our son Alden was 2 and Wendy was pregnant with our daughter Neve. Not the easiest time to pull up and move, but we decided we wanted Alden & Neve to grow up here. As soon as we made the decision to proceed and see if things fell into place we couldn't believe we had waited. It felt like the right decision then and we appreciate life here even more every year. 

  Alden is now 11 and Neve is 8. They both thrive here in school and in sports. What we dreamed of is normal for our family and maybe it can be for you too.  If you are thinking about Steamboat, one of my favorite things is sharing that dream and helping you decide if being here makes sense for your family and helping you be part of our favorite town.  It still gives me quivers when I think about the day we moved here.  If you dream about living in Steamboat, let's have a coffee, take a bike ride, a few runs on the ski mountain or just talk on the phone. You never know what will happen.

Discussion

#1 By Jon fury at 12/25/2019 4:22 AM

Interesting reading. Literally takes me back in time to many of my same thoughts and questions before making the move to da Boat in 1986 from Seattle. I too was fortunate to live in Boulder during college and felt similar - very cool town now city but..... Anyhow I was willing to risk the move with wife and two children (5 & 7) in tow. Wife hated the place. Me and the boys endured and have nothing but fond memories after they grew up and graduated we all moved on. My oldest makes frequent weekend trips back to his ol hometown to either ski or sled and he plans to get his own place there. As for me - am done with the winter lifestyle but glad I lived in a true ski town like no other. FYI also lived in PC UT after leaving SB it was nice but clearly different. I like your writing style and perspective.

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