Before it was a popular ski town, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, was a summer resort destination. Three hundred days of sunshine, world-class fly fishing and scores of natural hot springs made this spot about 160 miles northwest of Denver a warm-weather playground.

That was until the Steamboat ski resort opened in 1960s and put the town on the map of powder hounds with its 3,000 skiable acres across six peaks. Residents had long known about quality of the white stuff. A decade earlier a local rancher skiing the terrain that would come to be the resort coined the term “champagne powder” to describe how the dry and fluffy snow tickled his nose like champagne. The phrase stuck, and it’s now the trademark of the Steamboat resort.

Steamboat Springs sits on the western side of the Continental Divide surrounded by national forest and wilderness areas. The Yampa River flows through downtown.

The four-season retreat, popular with vacation homeowners and retirees, has come to be seen as a good value compared to higher profile Rocky Mountain ski resorts. It features the same breadth of residential options, including homes with backyard access to the mountains. They include working ranches, slope-side condominiums, mountain estates with private lakes, equestrian estates, game-hunting preserves and gated golf course developments.

The western heritage of Old Town Steamboat is evident in its streets and eclectic architecture. Many are early 20th century bungalow and craftsman-style residences that have been restored. In the Fish Creek Falls area, southeast of Old Town, river rock and timber residences on large parcels are common. Fish Creek is a high elevation area that boasts sweeping views of the surrounding hills and abundant natural light.

The Mountain area, as locals call the base of the resort, offers easy access to Steamboat’s ski trails. Luxury neighborhoods like Priest Creek Ranch and Dakota Ridge are here as well as clusters of condominiums. A paved Yampa Core Trail connects the area with Old Town making commuting by bike to downtown a popular option. One of the most exclusive neighborhoods is The Sanctuary where second homeowners seek out secluded sites for massive log mansions.