Telluride
Real Estate

Town of Telluride2

Neighborhood: The Town of Telluride

The Town of Telluride is an authentic western gold and silver mining town and one of a few National Historic Landmark District’s in America. To the north, the closest traffic light is 40 miles away. To the east, the closest traffic light is over 200 miles away. To the south, it is over 75 road miles away and to the west it is 130 miles away. The closest major cities are a six+ hour drive yet there are several nonstop commercial jet flights into the nearby Montrose airport from around the country. Nestled in a dramatic box canyon surrounded by 13,000 and 14,000 foot mountains, Telluride is consistently rated as one of the best small towns and top ski resorts in North America by several media rankings. Telluride is the epitome of a small-town setting, which eliminates the need for a car in any season, just six blocks wide by 15 blocks long with a year-round population of 2,325 people (2019), at an elevation of 8,750 and connected by an innovative and free gondola transportation system to its sister town of Mountain Village. Telluride is the county seat for San Miguel County, one of the least populated counties in Colorado with a total county population of 8,191 (2018). Because of the topography surrounded by National Forest along with forever open space along the valley floor west of this Victorian-era town, there will never be a sprawl of cookie cutter malls and buildings. The quaint nature, bolstered by a ski area descending into the town, is preserved forever.

Town of Telluride Property Stats

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Activities in Telluride

Telluride is blessed to be amid a vast array of amazing natural activities such as skiing, hiking, biking, fishing, rafting on one of the West’s last undammed rivers – the San Miguel, climbing, ice skating, horseback riding, four wheeling, camping and more. The area is also within a day’s drive to several National Parks and Monuments including Black Canyon, Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands, Canyon De Chelly, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Hovenweep and Dinosaur. Telluride is located on the San Juan Scenic Skyway, often recognized as one of the top 10 scenic drives in the entire country. This 236-mile loop joins the towns of Telluride, Durango, Ouray, Silverton, Dolores and Ridgway.

Festivals

Telluride’s festivals are second to none and have been around longer than most others in the Rocky Mountains. They include three film festivals (different genres), several music festivals (Bluegrass, Jazz, Rock, Blues) and several other top-notch festivals that keep the calendar of events overflowing with options throughout the year. 

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Incredible Scenery

Colorado is a state surrounded by beautiful backdrops yet Telluride is perched in the top echelon of incredible scenery, set in a rare one-way in and one-way out box canyon and surrounded by the largest concentration of 13,000- and 14,000-foot mountains in North America, and framed by several waterfalls including Colorado’s longest freefalling waterfall at 365 feet. If the Telluride valley was discovered today in its natural state it would undeniably be designated a National Park.

Fly Fishing

I tell people all of the time that you won’t find Telluride listed in Chris Santella’s book “fifty places to fly fish before you die.” Why is this something to boast about, you ask? Fly Fishing Telluride is unlike fishing anywhere else in Colorado. You will not find “combat fishing” scenarios like on the Frying Pan River near Aspen or the proverbial “rubber hatch” of boats floating down the Roaring Fork; instead, you will experience quite the opposite. If you are looking for solitude along some of Colorado’s most pristine rivers, then look no further than the San Miguel and Dolores rivers. Here you will find unmatched beauty, tranquil, cool, trout filled waters and a chance to unplug from the constant connections of life, if even just for a few hours. If you are checking fishing destinations off of your bucket list and the ‘fifty places to fly fish before you die” is a personal goal, then fishing the Gunnison River (a day trip from Telluride) is a must. The Gunnison River is the only Colorado fly fishing destination listed in Santella’s fabled book and fishing this magical place holds the opportunity to fish for Colorado’s only true rainbow trout. If you would like to get away for a couple of days and truly get lost in the fairy-tale of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (named for the lack of light pollution and its unique star gazing potential) then a multi-day float fishing trip through the Gunnison Gorge is for you.
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Community

The Telluride community has a remarkably positive intimacy since the population is so limited, people quickly pitch in to lend each other a helping hand. For over 130 years San Miguel County has a colorful history with a high concentration of people with notable and news-making skills. Award winning restaurants, longstanding community events, small town friendliness, innovative institutions including the library and schools underscore the depth of quality. In fact, the Telluride School District has consistently been rated a top school district in Colorado for several years and personnel from the school system have earned top state honors for best Teacher, Librarian, Athletic Director and Superintendent of the Year.

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Mike Shimkonis & Asa Van Gelder

Shimkonis Partners