Wide expanses of ranchland pasture enlivened by the South Platte River and set off by dramatic mountain peaks and rugged terrain—this is the real Park County Colorado. Breckenridge area real estate in this valley located between the Front Range and the Ten Mile Mosquito Range is indeed popular; in the 90s, the county ranked 5th nationally for population growth. Properties and homes for sale in Park County are larger and more affordable than in neighboring ski resort counties that are only 25 minutes away. The average price for a Park County house for sale is under $250,000.
Though deluxe ranches and secluded, multi-million-dollar log homes for sale in Park County, Colorado extend throughout its borders all the way to Pike National Forest, most of the 17,000 residents are clustered in real estate in the Park County communities of Fairplay, Alma, Lake George, Placer, Como, Hartsel, Jefferson, Guffey and many more.
Fairplay
Perched at an altitude of 9,953 feet, Fairplay is the county seat. It is the largest community in the grassland basin of Colorado known as South Park, sitting on a hillside on the eastern side of the Middle Fork South Patte River near the junction of U.S. Highway 285 and Colorado State Highway 9. Most of the residences in town are located on the hillside east of Colorado State Highway 9, in the vicinity of the schools and Park County Courthouse. The majority of the streets in town were finally paved in 2005.
The center of the town is its retail-business district along the highway along with its historic town on the bluff above the river along Front Street—the town being founded way back in 1859. The northern extension of Front Street along the river has been preserved and is the site of relocated historic structures and a museum called South Park City, intended to recreate the early days of the Colorado Gold Rush. The town has become mildly famous in recent years as the town depicted in the South Park animated television series on Comedy Central. Although the geographical references contained in several episodes imply that Fairplay is the model for South Park, it is much smaller and more rustic than its fictional counterpart, which has a more suburban character.
Fairplay holds the wonderful festival of Burro Days on the last weekend of July. The event celebrates the town's mining heritage and the main feature of the festival is a 29-mile burro race over rough terrain and elevation gain from downtown Fairplay to the 13,000-ft summit of Mosquito Pass. The Fairplay race is considered the World Championships of Burro Racing.
Alma
Located 20 minutes from Breckenridge, at an elevation of 10,355 feet, Alma is the highest incorporated town in the Unites States! Its first Post Office opened in 1873, when mining kept the town going. This charismatic though relaxed town (pop. 180) boasts several businesses including a coffee house, health food store, a consignment store, a saloon and more.
The town of Lake George
Lake George is a town located on Highway 24 northwest of Colorado Springs, and several miles northwest of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. The town was a railroad stop named after a lake in New York. The lake itself freezes solid in the wintertime, which made it ideal for railroad workers to cut large blocks of ice for refrigeration. Also related to the town's railroading history when Chinese labor was used, there are Chinese bread ovens in the nearby hills. Camp Alexander, the Scout camp for Pikes Peak Council, is also close by as is the Elevenmile Reservoir.
Placer Valley
This is a beautiful subdivision located just east of Hoosier Pass in the far northern part of Park County and just this side of the Summit County line. The Middle Fork of the South Platte River divides the subdivision into considerably different areas of terrain, vegetation, views and sunshine angles. Some lots have views of Montgomery Gulch and the Reservoir; others look toward Hoosier Ridge. The southern views are of peaks beyond Fairplay.
Another note about affordability: In 2000, Colorado voters amended the Colorado Constitution and created a senior property-tax exemption. For those who qualify, 50 percent of the first $200,000 of actual value of the property is exempt. The median income in the county is $51,899.
© Copyright 2005-2008 by IMC & RealEstateColorado.com
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