Breckenridge CO Real Estate

There is an old saying about “good things coming in small packages.” Although one can strongly suspect that the statement refers to jewelry, the idea holds steadfastly true for the city of Breckenridge, Colorado, a city that packs an events and entertainment wallop despite its diminutive size. Public events are held throughout the year much to the delight of the city’s almost 3,000 residents and many out-of-town visitors. From the January International Snow Sculpture Championships to the summer hosting of the Fourth of July celebration, art fairs, National Repertory Orchestra and the Breckenridge Music institute, the city reigns supreme as a dynamic place for artists and music and untold fun.

Breckenridge Colorado real estate figures indicate that currently there are 1,673 homes available for resale and new homes in Breckenridge, including 45 of which are in the pre-foreclosure, auction, or bank-owned stages of the foreclosure process. According to the most recent Breckenridge CO real estate data, as of mid-July 2010, the average listing price for a home in Breckenridge was about $861,000, which represents an increase of 0.5%, or more than $4,000, compared to the prior week.

Breckenridge is known for the fact that it has many part-time residents who vacation in the area but have other homes elsewhere. Considered a popular ski resort during the winter months, it is known particularly as a place offering ski slopes along the Rocky Mountains of many varying difficulties. The ski area occupies four of the ten mountains that comprise the Ten Mile Range. It has hosted a World Cup race, and the Snowboarder Hall of Fame. The Winter Dew Tour is new to Breckenridge. It offers to snowboarders the unusual opportunity to ride on the biggest half-pipe in the United States.

Outdoor enthusiasts are drawn to the area, enthralled by the many hiking and biking trails, wild flowers, Blue River fly-fishing, boating and white water rafting along Lake Dillon. Last but not least are the attractive shops that lay scattered up and down Main Street.

Breckenridge, like many other Colorado cities, was founded in 1859 during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Its purpose was to serve miners working the richer placer gold deposits along the Blue River. Soon, hard-rock mining became part of the process as prospectors followed the gold source to the veins in the hills. Among the early prospectors was a man named Edwin Carter who became a naturalist and collected wildlife specimens, which he kept in his log cabin. Built in 1875, the cabin has been recently renovated by the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance and its many interactive exhibits are open to the public.

There is so much to see and learn in The Historic District whose matrix is Main Street. One museum worthy of mention is the fully restored Barney Ford House Museum, which was built by Barney Ford, a runaway slave.

Breckenridge was the film location of the 1989 comedy, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and some of the scenes in the film, Dumb and Dumber were also filmed there. While this may not be an indication of a movie-making enclave, Breckenridge CO can hold its own as a place of intense beauty, spectacular landscape and a healthy invigorating lifestyle.