Winter Park Community Profile
The towns of Winter Park and Fraser are part of the large mountain county of about 1,864 square miles, called Grand County. This county as a whole includes rural areas and 6 incorporated towns and has a population of approximately 13,000. The Winter Park and Fraser area is referred to as The Fraser Valley and is in the eastern portion of Grand County. The town of Winter Park has an elevation of 9,110 feet and Fraser sits at 8,550 feet, the average elevation for the county is 7,360 feet. The Arapaho National Forest and three wilderness areas encompass the Fraser Valley and help to support the recreation-based economy of The Valley. Winter Park Ski Resort is located in the town of Winter Park and it has 3,060 total skiable acres. Rocky Mountain National Park is also nearby with another 265,727 acres of natural and wildlife land that is set-aside for the public to enjoy. And enjoy it, they do. Grand County offers just about every Colorado recreation activity you can think of throughout the year. More information on Grand County visit the Grand County Government site.
The area climate benefits from an average of 250 sunny days a year. These sunny days help to lessen the impact of the rather cold temperatures that the region gets in this high altitude environment during the winter. The average annual high temperature is 54 degrees Fahrenheit and the average low temperature is 14 degrees Fahrenheit. The large number of sunny days that the area receives coupled with an average annual snowfall of about 345 inches on the slopes makes the Winter Park Ski Resort very appealing to skiers and snowboarders. The summer season in the area is also amazing, with countless days to get out and enjoy the mountains in the warmer weather.
The Fraser Valley was first inhabited by the Ute and Arapaho Indian Tribes and was discovered by pioneers around 1820; the first settlers arrived around 1850. A transcontinental railroad line from Denver to the West Coast was finished in 1905 after being pioneered by David Moffat. The tracks that went over the top of Rollins Pass were used until 1928 when the 6.2 mile Moffat Tunnel was opened. The railroad helped the logging industry as well as the ski industry to flourish in Grand County. The first ski hill in the County was built in Hot Sulphur Springs in 1911. The ski train especially helped the Winter Park ski area, which opened in 1940, to gain popularity.
The Town of Winter Park has a population of about 720 and consists of about 7.5 square miles. Fraser, with a population of about 730, is 6 square miles and provides many of the services to the region including a grocery store, library and town hall. The towns, as well as the ski area, have been an attraction to many Colorado residents for many years. With the recent acquisition of the ski area by Intrawest Corporation the region is quickly becoming a year round vacation attraction for destination travelers as well. Grand County has 2 airports one in Granby and one in Kremmling. However, most guests to the area fly in and out of Denver International Airport, which is located 67 miles southeast of Winter Park. This is a one and one-half hour drive on I-70, U.S. Highway 40 and over a mountain pass called Berthoud Pass.
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