Breckenridge Real Estate Listings of Houses and Homes for Sale in Summit County, Colorado

Breckenridge

Long before white settlers from the east crossed the Continental Divide, that land that is now Breckenridge was part of the summer hunting grounds of the nomadic White River and Middle Park Ute Native Americans. The Town of Breckenridge was born out of America's mid-19th century rush to settle the west during Pike's Peak Gold Rush.

General George E. Spencer formally created the Town of “Breckinridge” in November 1859 and named it after President James Buchanan's Vice President, John Cabell Breckinridge. By flattering the United States Government, Spencer hoped to gain a post office. He succeeded and the post office in Breckenridge became the first post office between the Continental Divide and Salt Lake City, Utah. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Spencer regretted that choice of a namesake as Breckinridge's sympathies were clearly with the South. He received a commission as a Confederate Brigadier General and the U.S. Senate expelled Breckinridge for treason. The embarrassed little town of Breckinridge quickly and quietly changed the spelling of its name to "Breckenridge," changing an ‘i’ to an ‘e’.

Mining was the driving force behind the initial settlement and growth of Breckenridge and the community was formally incorporated in 1880. Soon more substantial architecture appeared with comfortable houses, churches and a school built on the hillside east of Main Street. By 1882, Breckenridge secured a depot site for the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad and thereby brought rail service to Town. Breckenridge doomed a half dozen other rival company towns in the process, including Swan City, Preston, and Lincoln City. By 1882, Breckenridge added three newspapers and a cemetery. The town also managed to organize three fire companies to protect the vulnerable wooden structures.

Mining gradually declined and so did the fortunes of the town. World War II stopped mining completely so that resources could be applied to the war effort. After the war, population waned and for a while some thought that the town was in danger of becoming a ghost town. However, that all changed when so-called “White Gold” became the new driver of growth in Breckenridge.

In December 1961, Rounds and Porter, a Wichita, Kansas, lumber company, opened the Breckenridge Ski Area and a new-boom era began. Transportation improvements fueled the Breckenridge recreation rush. The Eisenhower Tunnel, on Interstate 70, was completed in 1973 reducing the drive time from Denver to Breckenridge to an hour and a half. As a result of the relatively easy access from the Front Range and Denver, recreational activities up here in the high country continue to become more and more popular. Just a few of the great outdoor activities are bicycling, hiking, golfing, fishing, snowshoeing and skiing.

Breckenridge enjoys a high-alpine climate. Tree line ends at 11,500 feet up in the neighboring mountainsides. The average snowfall is in excess of 300 inches, and the average winter daytime high temperature is 28°F. In contrast to the hardy winter conditions, Breckenridge has an average summer daytime high temperature of 70°F. With 300 days of sunshine a year, deep-powder, snowy winters and warm, low-humidity summers, a common local saying is, “We came here for the skiing, but the summers are why we stay.”

Throughout the year, there are lots of great things to do and you will be sure to enjoy The Lighting of Breckenridge. The holiday spirit begins with a truly old-fashioned celebration complete with steaming cups of hot cocoa, voices lifting into the night skies with choruses of “Silent Night” and visits from Santa during the lighting of the town tree on December 3, followed by fireworks.

Come summer, celebrate the Fourth of July with explosive entertainment, activities and family fun. The celebration in Breckenridge includes the festive Independence Day Parade on historic Main Street, fireworks (weather permitting), music, kids’ activities and much more.

Grab your stein, throw on your lederhosen, and get ready for Breckenridge’s Annual Oktoberfest. The event takes place on Main Street to commemorate a time-honored tradition of German heritage. The festival has become a Breckenridge mainstay and offers Oompah music, Bavarian foods and kids’ activities.

The Breckenridge Ski Resort offers up a lot for everyone. From the challenging terrain of the Lake Chutes, to the gentle rollers of Peak 7, the Breckenridge Ski Resort can put a smile on every level of skiers face. Breckenridge has become world renowned for its amazing terrain parks. Four professionally designed parks are filled with huge kickers, jibbing features, and several world class half pipes. On any given day, you’ll see renowned athletes honing their skills for the many freestyle events Breckenridge hosts.

Each year, the Budweiser Select International Snow Sculpture Championships features a world-class competition where blank canvases of snow become works of art. From a whimsical bouquet of enormous flowers, to thought provoking abstract shapes, sculptors form these masterpieces before thousands of spectators over the course of five days in the heart of town.

For those that love to hit the links, Breckenridge can boast that it is the only municipality in the world to own a Jack Nicklaus designed, 27-hole golf course. The course opened for play in 1985. During the summer 2001 golf season, the Town opened another nine holes also designed by Nicklaus and every bit as challenging as the original 18-holes. The new Elk nine as it is named, offers more elevation change than the Bear and Beaver nines.

The Breckenridge Kayak Park is located behind the Recreation Center, on the east side of Kingdom Park, between the Blue River pathway and Highway 9. The Park was completed in 2003 and consists of twelve features that are used by boaters. The Park is open to the public and is free of charge to use. This is just one of the great summer attractions that make Breckenridge a truly year-round place for outdoor fun.

Another thing that you will love about Breckenridge is its status as the heart of Summit County with a fantastic abundance of things to see and do within a very short drive. Keystone Mountain Resort is home to three magnificent mountain playgrounds—Dercum Mountain, North Peak and The Outback. It is noteworthy for being the only slopes in Summit County where you can watch the sunset on a pair of skis. Ski and ride until 9 p.m. on night skiing evenings giving you the longest ski day in Colorado.

For those that love fly-fishing, you will love to be so close to the Blue River, widely regarded as a fine fishery. Large trout, quality hatches and beautiful water are among the highlights and for the inexperienced, guides are available to show you the ropes.

The nearby ghost town of Montezuma had a population of 42 at the 2000 census. The town is a former mining camp that sits at an elevation of 10,200 feet, nestled among mountains above the resort town of Keystone. Although it is only minutes away from major ski resorts, Montezuma offers unparalleled access to expansive wilderness.

Another spot to visit is the mountain at the legendary Arapahoe Basin, known to locals as A-Basin. With one of the higher elevations of the Colorado Ski areas, the mountain stands tall with a summit elevation of 13,050 feet, meaning that late-season skiing and riding here is much later than in most other parts of the country.

Copper Mountain is yet another nearby legendary ski area. It recently opened the first Superpipe in North American to the delight of a number of world-class skiers and riders. Like most other ski resorts, Copper is open during the summer with rock walls, plenty of trails for hiking and biking and a fantastic mountain retreat.

Dillon is a lakeside, mountain resort community where energy explodes in the summertime. The Lakefront is full of activities from the Dillon Marina to the public parks to free events at the Lake Dillon Amphitheatre.