Telluride

Two towns in one, Telluride and Mountain Village offer a contrast in Colorado's past and progressive present. A National Historic Landmark District with Victorian-era architecture, Telluride rests at the base of the Telluride Ski Mountain and is surrounded by 13,000-foot (almost 4,000-meter) peaks. Telluride is connected to the much more recent Mountain Village by a free gondola. Located mid-mountain at 9,500 feet above sea level, Mountain Village overlooks some of Colorado's most magnificent peaks. While once a bustling mining center, the modern day economy of Telluride relies primarily on a year-round tourism industry with many well-known festivals--such as the Telluride Blugrass Festival and the Telluride Film Festival--filling the summer months, while benefitting from a growing ski industry during the winter months. Both its strength and its weakness, Telluride's isolation has provided a challenge to those promoting the ski area as a world class resort.