Vail, Colorado
Encyclopedia
The Town of Vail is a Home Rule Municipality in Eagle County
, Colorado
, United States. The population of the town was 4,589 in 2005. The town was established and built as the base village to Vail Ski Resort
, with which it was originally conceived. Vail Ski Resort's first season was in December, 1962 and it is the second largest ski mountain in North America (after Whistler Blackcomb).
. The ski area was founded by Pete Seibert
and local rancher Earl Eaton in 1962, at the base of Vail Pass
. The pass was named after Charles Vail, the highway engineer who routed U.S. Highway 6 through the Vail Valley in 1940, and eventually became Interstate 70
. Seibert, a New England native, served in the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division
during World War II
, which trained at Camp Hale
, 14 miles south of Vail between Red Cliff
and Leadville. He was wounded in Italy at the Battle of Riva Ridge but went on to become a professional skier after he recovered.
Seibert, with other former members of the 10th Mountain Division, returned to Colorado after WWII with the intention of opening a ski resort. During the training for the ski troopers at Camp Hale he had bivouacked on Vail Mountain identified it as a ideal ski mountain. In the early 1960s, Seibert raised funds from a group of Denver investors, including Jack Tweedy, with Earl Eaton bought a ranch at the base of the mountain and eventually incorporated as Vail Associates. In 1962 the resort opened for its first season; it operated a gondola
and two ski-lifts in that season on the mountain owned by the United States Forest Service
. The village was established at the base of the mountain for local residents and offered logding for visitors. It quickly grew throughout the valley with housing added first in East Vail and then West Vail, and additional lodging added in Lionshead in the late 1960s.Vail Associates. Retrieved 3 November 2011 Within the first years the village had a ski shop operated by John Houserman, a hotel and restaurant operated by Pepi Gramshammer, and the mountain had a manager.
flows from east to west through the center of town.
The town is surrounded by the White River National Forest
and the Vail Ski Resort is leased from the United States Forest Service
. Mount of the Holy Cross
is visible from Vail Mountain.
It has a 5289 acres (21 km²) skiable area, 33 ski lifts, 193 marked skiing trails on three faces: the front side, the back bowls, and Blue Sky Basin. The seven back bowls are Sun Down Bowl, Sun Up Bowl, Teacup Bowl, China Bowl, Siberia Bowl, Inner Mongolia Bowl, and Outer Mongolia Bowl. Blue Sky Basin includes Pete's Bowl and Earl's Bowl—to commemorate Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton.
Vail is served by Eagle County Airport
near Gypsum
, 30 miles to the west. Native Americans used to call the area near the airport the "hole in the sky" because storms seemed to avoid it. Vail is modeled on European ski towns, many of which are car-free, and the town is partially pedestrianized. The town operates the largest free shuttle bus system in the United States and has one hybrid-electric bus. At each bus stop, a sign reports when the next two buses will arrive.
The In-Town Shuttle provides service every five minutes during peak winter times, and every 15 minutes off-peak, between Golden Peak, Vail Village, the business district, and Lionshead, with live schedule information provided at bus stops by Global Positioning System
technology, which tracks buses. Other routes centering on the Transportation Center service the East and West Vail districts on a scheduled, but less frequent basis.
Eagle County provides bus service from the Transportation Center with service to Vail, Leadville, Minturn, Eagle-Vail, Avon, Beaver Creek, Edwards, Eagle, Gypsum and Dotsero.
runs east-west through the middle of Vail and is the only road to or from Vail, with exits at East Vail, at the base of Vail Pass, the town of Vail, and West Vail. From the east, the highway comes from Denver
, 97 miles away, passes through Loveland Tunnel and over the Continental Divide
, by-passing Loveland Pass
, and over Vail Pass, dropping down into Vail Valley. To the west, it meets Highway 6 and Highway 24 at Dowd Junction, passes through Avon
, Edwards, Colorado
, and Eagle
, through Glenwood Canyon
traveling and on to Grand Junction
, and reaches Utah
, where it ends at the intersection with Interstate 15
.
In West Vail, Highway 6 (which still exists as a service road between East Vail, Vail, and West Vail) merges with I-70 at Dowd Junction. I-70 roughly follows the original Highway 6 route until the two highways diverge again in Silverthorne
, 31 miles to the east.
found 4,531 people, 2,165 households, and 762 families living in the town. The population density
was 999.0 people per square mile (385.3/km²). There were 5,389 housing units at an average density of 1,188.1 per square mile (458.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.13% White, 0.29% African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races
, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.20% of the population.
There were 2,165 households in which 11.8% had children under the age of 18, 30.0% were married couples
, 3.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 64.8% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 people and the average family size was 2.62 people.
The population age distribution was 9.9% people under the age of 18, 14.8% from 18 to 24, 47.9% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. There were 140.1 males for every 100 females, and 143.0 males for every 100 females age 18 and over.
The median household income was $56,680, and the median family income was $66,389. Men had a median income of $33,534 versus $32,065 for women. The per capita income
for the town was $42,390. About 1.8% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those aged 65 or over.
.
, a joint program with area ski programs for students in grades 8-12 who are involved in competitive skiing and snowboarding. Private schools in Vail include Vail Mountain School (K-12), Vail Christian High School (9-12), St. Clare of Assisi Catholic School (K-8), and The Vail Academy (PK-8). Higher education is available at the Vail Eagle Valley campus of Colorado Mountain College
.
newspaper is published by Colorado Mountain News Media. Alternative news and information sources include Vail Mountaineer
.
A broadcast translator for public radio station KUNC
allows listeners in the Eagle Valley to listen at 99.7 FM.
Two specialty television networks have stations in Vail, Plum TV
and Resort Sports Network
. The latter, branded as TV-8, also broadcasts on the low-powered UHF station K45IE
. The Ski Channel
is available only on DirecTV
on Channel 1860.
During the mid 1970s, Vail became known as the Western White House
of President
Gerald Ford
, when he conducted much of the nation's business from The Lodge at Vail hotel. The national media followed Ford to Vail and often broadcast television pictures of Vail's mountain slopes.
Eagle County, Colorado
Eagle County is the thirteenth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county is named for the Eagle River. The county population was 41,659 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is the Town of Eagle...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States. The population of the town was 4,589 in 2005. The town was established and built as the base village to Vail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado, next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
, with which it was originally conceived. Vail Ski Resort's first season was in December, 1962 and it is the second largest ski mountain in North America (after Whistler Blackcomb).
History
Vail was incorporated in 1966, four years after the opening of Vail Ski ResortVail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado, next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
. The ski area was founded by Pete Seibert
Pete Seibert
Peter W. Seibert was an American skier and the founder of Vail Ski Resort in Colorado. In 1980 he was inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame....
and local rancher Earl Eaton in 1962, at the base of Vail Pass
Vail Pass
Vail Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. The pass was named for Charles Vail, a highway engineer.Vail Pass lies on the boundary between Eagle and Summit counties, between Vail on the west and Copper Mountain on the east. It provides the route of Interstate 70...
. The pass was named after Charles Vail, the highway engineer who routed U.S. Highway 6 through the Vail Valley in 1940, and eventually became Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
. Seibert, a New England native, served in the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division
10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain Division is a light infantry division of the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. It is a subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and the only division-sized element of the U.S. Army to specialize in fighting under harsh terrain and weather conditions...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, which trained at Camp Hale
Camp Hale
Camp Hale, between Red Cliff and Leadville in the Eagle River valley in Colorado, was a U.S. Army training facility constructed in 1942 for what became the 10th Mountain Division. It was named for General Irving Hale....
, 14 miles south of Vail between Red Cliff
Red Cliff, Colorado
Red Cliff is a Statutory Town in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 289 at the 2000 census. The town is a former mining camp situated in the canyon of the upper Eagle River just off U.S. Highway 24 north of Tennessee Pass...
and Leadville. He was wounded in Italy at the Battle of Riva Ridge but went on to become a professional skier after he recovered.
Seibert, with other former members of the 10th Mountain Division, returned to Colorado after WWII with the intention of opening a ski resort. During the training for the ski troopers at Camp Hale he had bivouacked on Vail Mountain identified it as a ideal ski mountain. In the early 1960s, Seibert raised funds from a group of Denver investors, including Jack Tweedy, with Earl Eaton bought a ranch at the base of the mountain and eventually incorporated as Vail Associates. In 1962 the resort opened for its first season; it operated a gondola
Gondola
The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...
and two ski-lifts in that season on the mountain owned by the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. The village was established at the base of the mountain for local residents and offered logding for visitors. It quickly grew throughout the valley with housing added first in East Vail and then West Vail, and additional lodging added in Lionshead in the late 1960s.Vail Associates. Retrieved 3 November 2011 Within the first years the village had a ski shop operated by John Houserman, a hotel and restaurant operated by Pepi Gramshammer, and the mountain had a manager.
Geography
Vail's average elevation is 8,150 feet (2484 m) above sea level. The town has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²), with no lakes (there is, however, at least one pond). Gore CreekGore Creek (Colorado)
Gore Creek is a tributary of the Eagle River, approximately long, in Eagle County in central Colorado in the United States. It drains an area of the Rocky Mountains at the south end of the Gore Range through Vail Valley. It rises on the Eagle County-Summit County border along the high crest of the...
flows from east to west through the center of town.
The town is surrounded by the White River National Forest
White River National Forest
White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through it. It also contains the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, largely considered the birthplace of the U.S...
and the Vail Ski Resort is leased from the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. Mount of the Holy Cross
Mount of the Holy Cross
Mount of the Holy Cross is the northernmost 14,000-foot mountain in the Sawatch Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It is located in the Holy Cross Wilderness near the ghost town of Holy Cross City and in Eagle County. It was named for the distinctive cross-shaped snowfield on the...
is visible from Vail Mountain.
Vail Mountain
Vail Mountain rises from 8,120 feet (2,476 m) to 11,570 feet (3,527 m), giving a vertical height of 3,450 feet (1,052 m).It has a 5289 acres (21 km²) skiable area, 33 ski lifts, 193 marked skiing trails on three faces: the front side, the back bowls, and Blue Sky Basin. The seven back bowls are Sun Down Bowl, Sun Up Bowl, Teacup Bowl, China Bowl, Siberia Bowl, Inner Mongolia Bowl, and Outer Mongolia Bowl. Blue Sky Basin includes Pete's Bowl and Earl's Bowl—to commemorate Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton.
Climate
Vail has pleasantly warm summers and cold winters because of its elevation. Depending on the classification used, it is either an alpine or subarctic climate. The temperature rarely rises above freezing point from late November to late February. The town receives an average of 200 inches of snowfall per season, with even more in the surrounding mountains. Roads may close occasionally during heavy snowfall. Summer temperatures can reach the 80s Fahrenheit, but are more often in the low to mid 70s. Combined with mountain breezes, this makes summers refreshing and cool.Transportation
Eagle County Airport
-External links:*, official site*, Eagle Vail Airport*, Eagle Vail Airport : Shuttle, Taxi* at Colorado Department of Transportation...
near Gypsum
Gypsum, Colorado
The Town of Gypsum is a Home Rule Municipality located in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,654 at the 2000 census. Gypsum is the location of the Eagle County Regional Airport , a popular regional airport used in the winter to transport skiers to nearby Vail...
, 30 miles to the west. Native Americans used to call the area near the airport the "hole in the sky" because storms seemed to avoid it. Vail is modeled on European ski towns, many of which are car-free, and the town is partially pedestrianized. The town operates the largest free shuttle bus system in the United States and has one hybrid-electric bus. At each bus stop, a sign reports when the next two buses will arrive.
The In-Town Shuttle provides service every five minutes during peak winter times, and every 15 minutes off-peak, between Golden Peak, Vail Village, the business district, and Lionshead, with live schedule information provided at bus stops by Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
technology, which tracks buses. Other routes centering on the Transportation Center service the East and West Vail districts on a scheduled, but less frequent basis.
Eagle County provides bus service from the Transportation Center with service to Vail, Leadville, Minturn, Eagle-Vail, Avon, Beaver Creek, Edwards, Eagle, Gypsum and Dotsero.
Highways
Interstate 70Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
runs east-west through the middle of Vail and is the only road to or from Vail, with exits at East Vail, at the base of Vail Pass, the town of Vail, and West Vail. From the east, the highway comes from Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, 97 miles away, passes through Loveland Tunnel and over the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
, by-passing Loveland Pass
Loveland Pass
Loveland Pass, elevation 11,990 ft. above sea level, is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado, U.S.A.....
, and over Vail Pass, dropping down into Vail Valley. To the west, it meets Highway 6 and Highway 24 at Dowd Junction, passes through Avon
Avon, Colorado
Avon is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous town in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,561 at the 2000 census. Avon is the gateway to the Beaver Creek Resort which lies about two miles south of the town. It was the previous site of Vail Resorts before the...
, Edwards, Colorado
Edwards, Colorado
Edwards is a census-designated place in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. Edwards is the principal community of the Edwards Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,266 at the 2010 census...
, and Eagle
Eagle, Colorado
Eagle is a Statutory Town in and the county seat of Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,032 at the 2000 census.The town was made famous as the location of the Kobe Bryant sexual assault trial.-Demographics:...
, through Glenwood Canyon
Glenwood Canyon
Glenwood Canyon is a rugged scenic canyon on the Colorado River in western Colorado in the United States. Its canyon walls climb as high as above the Colorado River. It is the largest such canyon on the Upper Colorado...
traveling and on to Grand Junction
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
, and reaches Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, where it ends at the intersection with Interstate 15
Interstate 15 in Utah
In the U.S. state of Utah, Interstate 15 runs north–south through the southwestern and central portions of the state, passing through many of the population centers of that state, including St. George, Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, the latter three being part of the urban area known as...
.
In West Vail, Highway 6 (which still exists as a service road between East Vail, Vail, and West Vail) merges with I-70 at Dowd Junction. I-70 roughly follows the original Highway 6 route until the two highways diverge again in Silverthorne
Silverthorne, Colorado
The Town of Silverthorne is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous town in Summit County, Colorado. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,610.-Geography:...
, 31 miles to the east.
Demographics
The 2000 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
found 4,531 people, 2,165 households, and 762 families living in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 999.0 people per square mile (385.3/km²). There were 5,389 housing units at an average density of 1,188.1 per square mile (458.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.13% White, 0.29% African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.20% of the population.
There were 2,165 households in which 11.8% had children under the age of 18, 30.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, 3.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 64.8% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 people and the average family size was 2.62 people.
The population age distribution was 9.9% people under the age of 18, 14.8% from 18 to 24, 47.9% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. There were 140.1 males for every 100 females, and 143.0 males for every 100 females age 18 and over.
The median household income was $56,680, and the median family income was $66,389. Men had a median income of $33,534 versus $32,065 for women. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $42,390. About 1.8% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those aged 65 or over.
Economy
The Vail economy relies on tourism. While much of the industry is based on winter sports, Vail is also a summer resort and golfing center. Summer activities include guided hikes, mountain biking, horseback riding, carriage rides and fishing. Vail is also developing as a cultural center, with various art and music venues active throughout the summer. The town has a developed culinary center, with a variety of restaurants.| District | I-70 Exit | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| East Vail | East Vail | Single-family homes |
| Golf Course | Vail, East Vail | Golf course, Ford Park, low density homes |
| Golden Peak | Vail | Mountain portal, multi-family homes |
| Vail Village | Vail | Mountain portal, retail, resort, transportation center & public parking, Colorado Ski Museum. Ski lift access to the Mid Vail mountain complex. |
| Business | Vail | City government, hospital, banks, offices, inter-faith chapel, low density homes |
| Lionshead | Vail | Mountain portal, retail, resort, library, ice arena, public parking. Ski lift access to Eagle's Nest and Adventure Ridge mountain complexes. |
| Sandstone (North of I-70) | Vail, West Vail | Mixed-use: Retail, offices, grocery stores, post office, grade school, homes |
| Proposed (EverVail) | West Vail | Mountain portal, resort |
| Cascade Village | West Vail | Mountain portal, resort |
| West Vail | West Vail | Single-family homes |
Notable cultural events
- Vail Film FestivalVail Film FestivalThe Vail Film Festival is a four-day film festival that has taken place annually in late March or early April in Vail, Colorado since 2004. The 2011 Vail film festival took place March 31 - April 3 in Vail, Colorado...
— in March or early April, annually - Vail Lacrosse ShootoutVail Lacrosse ShootoutThe Vail Lacrosse Shootout is a lacrosse tournament held annually in Vail, Colorado, composed of six age brackets for men- Chumash , High School , Elite , Masters , Supermasters and Grandmasters , and three for women- Chumash, High School and Elite. Play typically runs from the end of June into...
- Late June-Early July Ford Park. - Vail Valley Music Festival - featuring the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- Vail International Dance Festival - summer dance festival featuring major ballet and contemporary dance companies. Notable companies include the New York City BalletNew York City BalletNew York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
, the Paul Taylor Dance CompanyPaul Taylor Dance CompanyPaul Taylor Dance Company, is a contemporary dance company, formed by Paul Taylor, an American choreographer of the 20th century. One of the early touring companies of American modern dance, the Company has "performed in more than 500 cities in 62 countries" and still spends more than half of each...
, and the San Francisco BalletSan Francisco BalletThe San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States...
.
Museums and other points of interest
- Betty Ford Alpine GardensBetty Ford Alpine GardensThe Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are the world's highest botanical garden, located at 183 Gore Creek Drive, Vail, Colorado, USA, at an altitude in the Rocky Mountains...
- Colorado Ski Museum
- Steadman-Hawkins clinicRichard SteadmanJ. Richard Steadman, M.D. is a specialist knee surgeon, practising in Vail, Colorado and a Clinical Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He is best known medically for his work in the area of microfracture surgery, and publicly for treating injured...
— World renowned clinic for knee injuries - Vail Ski ResortVail Ski ResortVail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado, next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
Government
Vail has a council-manager form of government and is led by a seven member town council elected at-largeAt-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
.
Education
Vail's public schools are part of Eagle County School District RE-50, with high school students attending Battle Mountain High School. Eagle County Schools also offers the Vail Ski & Snowboard AcademyVail Ski & Snowboard Academy
The Vail Snow & Snowboard Academy is a public school operated as part of the Eagle County Schools District, in Eagle County, Colorado, United States, that provides students in grades six through twelve with a flexible schedule that allows them to participate in skiing and snowboarding training...
, a joint program with area ski programs for students in grades 8-12 who are involved in competitive skiing and snowboarding. Private schools in Vail include Vail Mountain School (K-12), Vail Christian High School (9-12), St. Clare of Assisi Catholic School (K-8), and The Vail Academy (PK-8). Higher education is available at the Vail Eagle Valley campus of Colorado Mountain College
Colorado Mountain College
Colorado Mountain College is a network of seven junior college campuses in western Colorado. Three of the campuses are residential campuses with student residence halls and cafeterias, and are located in Steamboat Springs, Leadville, Edwards and Glenwood Springs...
.
Media
The Vail DailyVail Daily
The Vail Daily is a free, 15,000 circulation newspaper in Eagle County, Colorado, published seven days a week. The Vail Daily is distributed in stores, coffee shops, restaurants, bars and workplaces and also has a comprehensive online website. The Vail Daily covers the Colorado communities of...
newspaper is published by Colorado Mountain News Media. Alternative news and information sources include Vail Mountaineer
Vail Mountaineer
The Vail Mountaineer is a 12,000-circulation free daily newspaper distributed in the Vail Valley Tuesday-Saturday. It was founded by Jim Pavelich, who started the Vail Daily in 1984 and sold it in 1993. The name "mountaineer" is a tribute to the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, which fought...
.
A broadcast translator for public radio station KUNC
KUNC
-External links:*...
allows listeners in the Eagle Valley to listen at 99.7 FM.
Two specialty television networks have stations in Vail, Plum TV
Plum TV
Plum TV is a lifestyle television channel launched in 2002 by Nantucket Nectars founder Tom Scott, along with producer Cary Woods and television executive Chris Glowacki. Most recently Tom Scott has become CEO again. So far his performance has been lackluster. of The programming is locally...
and Resort Sports Network
Resort Sports Network
Outside Television is a Direct-broadcast satellite network operated by Mariah Media which publishes Outside Magazine that creates and distributes outdoor lifestyle and resort-based sports programs to a network of stations across the United States-History:The network was founded in partnership by...
. The latter, branded as TV-8, also broadcasts on the low-powered UHF station K45IE
K45IE
K45IE is a low-power television station in Vail, Colorado, broadcasting locally in analog on UHF channel 45 as an affiliate of Resort Sports Network. Founded September 17, 1992, the station is owned by Vail Resorts. The station brands itself as TV8, and its signal can be seen throughout the Vail...
. The Ski Channel
The Ski Channel
The Ski Channel is a Video On Demand Cable, Satellite and Telco television network distributed on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Verizon FiOS, Brighthouse Networks, Cablevision, RCN, AT&T U-Verse and Cox Communications. The technical term for a channel of this type is VODnet...
is available only on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
on Channel 1860.
During the mid 1970s, Vail became known as the Western White House
Western White House
The Western White House is a term applied to additional residencies of the President of the United States. It was used for the Crawford, Texas ranch of George W. Bush, known as Prairie Chapel Ranch, and has also been used by other chief executives for their homes, including Presidents Lyndon B....
of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, when he conducted much of the nation's business from The Lodge at Vail hotel. The national media followed Ford to Vail and often broadcast television pictures of Vail's mountain slopes.
Famous residents
- Michael BloombergMichael BloombergMichael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
- Toby DawsonToby DawsonToby Dawson is an American mogul skier. He won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Toby Dawson is a featured athlete on the sports medicine show Athlete 360.-Early life:Dawson was born in Busan, South Korea as Kim Bong-seok....
- Gerald FordGerald FordGerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
part-time (also lived in Beaver CreekBeaver Creek, ColoradoBeaver Creek is an unincorporated community in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. Beaver Creek is located immediately south of the town of Avon and encompasses the Beaver Creek Resort and adjacent business, lodging, and residential areas. The U.S...
, Grand RapidsGrand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
and Rancho MirageRancho Mirage, CaliforniaRancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal population can exceed 20,000. In between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the eight cities of the Coachella...
) - John GlennJohn GlennJohn Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
part-time (also lives in ClevelandCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
and OrlandoOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
) - Brad LuddenBrad LuddenBrad Ludden is a professional Kayaker born in Kalispell, Montana on May 8, 1981. He started traveling internationally to kayak at age 12 and has been to over 40 countries and completed over 100 first descents....
- Sarah SchleperSarah SchleperSarah Schleper is an American alpine skier who has competed since 1995. Her lone World Cup victory was at a slalom event in Switzerland in 2005....
- Richard SteadmanRichard SteadmanJ. Richard Steadman, M.D. is a specialist knee surgeon, practising in Vail, Colorado and a Clinical Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He is best known medically for his work in the area of microfracture surgery, and publicly for treating injured...
- Ryan SutterRyan SutterRyan Allen Sutter was the "winner" chosen by Trista Rehn on the TV show The Bachelorette. Sutter, a Colorado firefighter, and Rehn were married in a televised wedding on ABC on December 6, 2003...
- Trista Sutter
- Lindsey Vonn part-time (also lives in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and AtlantaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
) - Seth MorrisonSeth MorrisonSeth Morrison of Summit County, CO is a professional skier. He has won numerous competitions and appears in many ski movies. He was born in Murray, Kentucky. Morrison has survived avalanches, a helicopter crash, and miles of vertical on huge Alaskan faces. He is the oldest member of the K2 Factory...
See also
- Colorado municipalitiesColorado municipalitiesThe U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...
- Edwards Micropolitan Statistical AreaEdwards Micropolitan Statistical AreaThe Edwards Micropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Micropolitan Statistical Area located in the Edwards area of the State of Colorado. The Edwards Micropolitan Statistical Area comprises Eagle County and Lake County, Colorado. The Micropolitan Statistical Area had...
- Vail Lacrosse ShootoutVail Lacrosse ShootoutThe Vail Lacrosse Shootout is a lacrosse tournament held annually in Vail, Colorado, composed of six age brackets for men- Chumash , High School , Elite , Masters , Supermasters and Grandmasters , and three for women- Chumash, High School and Elite. Play typically runs from the end of June into...
External links
- Town of Vail website
- Vail Valley Partnership, The Chamber and Tourism Bureau