housing and employment in Summit county

[snowboardfast]

I might consider moving to Summit county if my current job goes away? The biggest problem for me moving there would be finding a place to rent that would allow cats as I have 3 of them. Is there much employment year round? anyone know of a good website to investigate this? Don't need a job yet but am looking into other options. I did try Craig's list but didn't see much employment available.

[Snowman]

Its slim pickins here in the high country. Jobs are sparse, unemployment is high, people are hungry and leaving in droves. I wouldn't recommend moving here unless you willing to work for paupers wages or have a fat bank account. Logging is always an option if your willing to put your nuts on the line day in and out; but, I personally wouldn't recomend it, its very hard on the body. Take a look in the Summit Daily or the Sky High Daily (both available online) and you will get some idea of what your up against. Oh, and about the cats. Many small furry family pets rapidly turn into coyote snacks up here. Almost humourous how many reward flyers there are on the bulliten boards for lost/missing pets.

Think Snow!

[snowboardfast]

Thank you for the reply Snowman. I knew I would get an honest and realistic answer from you. I figured it might not be good up there for employment although I might have to start all over again and work cheap even in Denver. Hopefully not. It used to be there were more jobs up there than people to fill them- at least that was what a person told me a while ago. Tourism must be way down for now?

[Guest]

Snowman paints a fairly negative picture, but I don't think its THAT bad. He lives in Grand County where things are a bit more sparse than they are in Summer. I moved from Summit to Aspen about 6 weeks ago, so I'm not sure what the summer is bringing there.

Your best bet is to secure work and lodging in the off season for the upcoming season. Look for work now and get a place secured before October 1. It will probably be hard to find any work that starts anytime prior to the winter season, but its not out of the question.

As far as the cats go, I have one too. It is much easier to get a landlord to agree to renting a place to a tenant who has cats than dogs, although three of them might be tough. I don't think it will be impossible, although expect to run into problems with HOA places who don't allow renters to have pets at all. You will have better luck in Blue River outside of Breck or in Silverthorne/Dillon than right in Breck and Frisco. Rental rates are more reasonable in those areas. I'd recommend Silverthorne/Dillon over Blue River, which is pretty isolated between Breck and Hoosier Pass. You will also find a lot of listings in Alma or Fairplay who will allow pets, but talk to Ace about living on "that" side of the pass.

Snowman is right about the Summit Daily for jobs. Sky High is owned by the same company, so if you look at the online jobs for Summit, it will include all jobs listed with the company who runs a bunch of papers, so you can search a large mountain region. Craigslist isn't used as widely in the mountains as it is in larger metro areas, but keep checking it out as well. Searching CL and Summit Daily jobs regularly will give you the most comprehensive listing of available jobs.

Lastly, if you want to do it find a way to make it happen and do it. There's no time like the present, especially if your life is at a flux point. Don't let obstacles deter you from doing something that you would otherwise regret NOT doing when that small window of opportunity came about, so make it happen if its what you want.

Good Luck!

[snowboardfast]

Thank you for more info. I am not going to do this right away just yet. It would be nice to live in the mountains to avoid having to drive long distances to go snowboarding. We will see how I can make things work in Denver. I hope I will be able to go snowboarding this winter? It will depend on my work situation. I enjoy the type of work I am doing and would like to stay with it if I can as I have been doing it for a long time. Just thinking about options if things fall apart in Denver.

[Snowman]

But, having the best snow and most sunshine of anywhere on the planet makes up for meager employment opportunities. And, I like to tell myself the this next snow season is gonna be off the charts for snow! Self employment is usually the way to go up here, who wants to work for the man?!:(

Think Snow!

[snowboardfast]

Looks like things are going to be okay. I had to take a slight pay cut but that is better than starting over doing something else. Also the people I work for are very nice and good to work for. I want to help them make their busness continue for many years as this is year 80 for this store and I am proud to be part of this. I will probably be riding this winter. Again thank you for your help Angie and Snowman. One thing you can count on on this forum is people here are great and are willing to help . Now everyone go out and bike ride and longboard to be ready to snowboard this winter!

[Michelle]

Angie said it right, don't delay in doing something that you want to do. The mountains are an amazing place to live, and yes you do have to sacrifice a few things in order to live up here, but it is SOOOOOO worth it. If you are coming up here to ride, you can start looking around for jobs and places to live. Most people piece-meal jobs to get them started, but some people are lucky and get nice jobs that will last. We're growing, and there are year round full time jobs available if that's what you want. There's also some pretty cool seasonal jobs to be had.

Places to live with 3 cats will be tough, sorry to say. one cat maybe, but Angie's right - some people don't have a choice as the HOA will not allow renters to have pets. However, I've seen a lot of places for rent lately with "pet negotiable" on the ad so they are possible.

If you have questions, feel free to send me an email. We'll be riding this winter Wed nights at Keystone, come out and play!