Almanac: Minturn Colo.

Population

Town 1,066; Eagle County, 32,000

Elevation

7,817 feet

Price Of A Median Single-Family Home

$261,000

Property Tax

$4,680

Main Business

Tourism

School Population

200

Local Ski Areas/Vertical Rise

Vail 3,335 feet; Beaver Creek 4,040 feet

Average Annual Snowfall

Vail 335 inches; Beaver Creek 337 inches

Season Pass

$1,425 for a nonrestricted pass to Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge; $1,125 for a restricted pass; $875 for a merchants pass.

Lift Ticket

$59 for a one-day pass to all four Vail-owned resorts

Best Local Events

Halloween on Main Street brings out hordes of kids, offering a picture-perfect vision of small-town life. Old West Days in mid-February prompt the local cops to stage fake gun battles on Main Street, while shopkeepers dress in Victorian dress.

Locals’ Favorite Restaurants

Breakfast or lunch at Bonjour Bakery (970-827-5539), a plain-looking café where the native French owners deliver the valley’s best pastries and french toast. Breakfast burritos at the Turntable Restaurant (970-827-4164), Minturn’s unofficial railroad museum packed with pictures and mementos. Pizza and BLTs at Cougar Ridge Cafe (970-827-5609), a funky hole-in-the-wall adorned with photos and drawings of the elusive cougars that stalk the nearby cliffs. Locals Appreciation Night at the Minturn Country Club (970-827-4114), the original cook-your-own steakhouse, which draws scads of locals for an early-season munch fest.

Locals’ Favorite Hangouts

Cougar Ridge Café’s “Minturn After Hours” brings out local musicians to play from 9 pm to midnight every Thursday. Celebrate après-ski at the Saloon.

Best Places to Stay

The Minturn Inn (970-827-9647) is a cozy, reasonably priced B&B with rooms overlooking Lionshead Rock. The Turntable Restaurant (970-827-4164) rents inexpensive rooms by the day, week or month.

Information

(970) 827-5645, vail.net/community/minturn/index.html