Pace of Life
If you are accustomed to a fast pace of life, full of goods and services on
demand, living in Lake City will require some adjustment. Depending on
what you are used to, you could even experience full-fledged culture
shock. People who are able to self-entertain and/or who enjoy outdoor
recreation on their own are most comfortable in Lake City.
What we don’t have allows us to have the good and wonderful things that
we do have. There are no malls, traffic, crowds, lines, noise, pollution, or
bright lights.
What we do have: lots of wildlife in town, quiet, peace, relative safety from
crime, a real night sky, hiking, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing,
miles of trails, rock and ice climbing, an excellent library and school, parks,
friendly residents, loved children, loved dogs and cats, lots of locally-
concocted community events and arts programs, and a vast mountain
wilderness surrounding us.
Economics & Housing
For generations now, the main economic industry of Hinsdale County has
been, and still is, tourism. In addition, the construction of homes,
particularly for second-home owners, is very significant to the economy
here. Generally speaking, tourists are either here (during the summer) or
they’re not (in the winter). Winters are very quiet, and some businesses
close for the season while others have limited hours. Changes are occurring
to shift this situation a little, as more early-retirees and tele-commuters
move here, small non-tourism businesses arrive, and a few more winter
tourists visit.
In terms of income, a majority of it comes in from outside, in the form of
retirement funds and other money that is earned outside of Hinsdale
County. Unemployment is almost non-existent. Nearly all businesses are run
by local owner-entrepreneurs, and most of those businesses relate to
tourism or home construction. High speed DSL internet connections have
allowed several people to move here and retain their jobs elsewhere. Year-
round job openings are scarce, but summer jobs in the areas of food
service, cleaning, repair, and maintenance work are sometimes hard to fill
due to a lack of employees and a lack of housing for them. Many people are
so determined to live in Lake City that they simply do what they have to do
to make it work, and it often does.
The housing market is competitive, even if you are ready to buy. Rentals
exist but they sometimes don’t make it into the local newspaper, so it is
best to keep in touch with residents who hear of places becoming
available. Make friends, network, and keep trying. Most of us have stories
about how things just fell into place to make the move possible.
Chamber Members Contact Us
All contents © 2008 Lake City Marketing Board. All rights reserved.
Site contents & structure: Mary Carkin Media
If you are accustomed to a fast pace of life, full of goods and services on
demand, living in Lake City will require some adjustment. Depending on
what you are used to, you could even experience full-fledged culture
shock. People who are able to self-entertain and/or who enjoy outdoor
recreation on their own are most comfortable in Lake City.
What we don’t have allows us to have the good and wonderful things that
we do have. There are no malls, traffic, crowds, lines, noise, pollution, or
bright lights.
What we do have: lots of wildlife in town, quiet, peace, relative safety from
crime, a real night sky, hiking, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing,
miles of trails, rock and ice climbing, an excellent library and school, parks,
friendly residents, loved children, loved dogs and cats, lots of locally-
concocted community events and arts programs, and a vast mountain
wilderness surrounding us.
Economics & Housing
For generations now, the main economic industry of Hinsdale County has
been, and still is, tourism. In addition, the construction of homes,
particularly for second-home owners, is very significant to the economy
here. Generally speaking, tourists are either here (during the summer) or
they’re not (in the winter). Winters are very quiet, and some businesses
close for the season while others have limited hours. Changes are occurring
to shift this situation a little, as more early-retirees and tele-commuters
move here, small non-tourism businesses arrive, and a few more winter
tourists visit.
In terms of income, a majority of it comes in from outside, in the form of
retirement funds and other money that is earned outside of Hinsdale
County. Unemployment is almost non-existent. Nearly all businesses are run
by local owner-entrepreneurs, and most of those businesses relate to
tourism or home construction. High speed DSL internet connections have
allowed several people to move here and retain their jobs elsewhere. Year-
round job openings are scarce, but summer jobs in the areas of food
service, cleaning, repair, and maintenance work are sometimes hard to fill
due to a lack of employees and a lack of housing for them. Many people are
so determined to live in Lake City that they simply do what they have to do
to make it work, and it often does.
The housing market is competitive, even if you are ready to buy. Rentals
exist but they sometimes don’t make it into the local newspaper, so it is
best to keep in touch with residents who hear of places becoming
available. Make friends, network, and keep trying. Most of us have stories
about how things just fell into place to make the move possible.
Chamber Members Contact Us
All contents © 2008 Lake City Marketing Board. All rights reserved.
Site contents & structure: Mary Carkin Media
| Call Us: 1-800-569-1874 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| New! Download a copy of the Buying History Guide, a trove of information about owning a historic property in Lake City, including resources, tax incentives, guidelines, and more. This document is in PDF format and is 727 k in size. You will need the Adobe Reader program to view the file. Download Adobe Reader for free. For more information about this document, contact the Lake City Downtown Improvement & Revitalization Team (DIRT) at 970-944-3478 or visit them online. |
What It Means to Live in a
Frontier County
Most important to your decision-making about
moving to Lake City and Hinsdale County is that you
understand that we are geographically isolated, and
what that really means. Lake City is the only town
in the county of Hinsdale. We are the most remote
county in the lower 48 states, which means that we
have the fewest miles of roads per person, plus the
most land area located far from roads.
Statisticians refer to us as a frontier county, which
really does mean that we are on the cusp of
Wilderness. This physical situation impacts all
aspects of life here, including things like how far you
have to drive to buy necessities, what clothes you
wear, and what things you can grow in your garden.
Frontier County
Most important to your decision-making about
moving to Lake City and Hinsdale County is that you
understand that we are geographically isolated, and
what that really means. Lake City is the only town
in the county of Hinsdale. We are the most remote
county in the lower 48 states, which means that we
have the fewest miles of roads per person, plus the
most land area located far from roads.
Statisticians refer to us as a frontier county, which
really does mean that we are on the cusp of
Wilderness. This physical situation impacts all
aspects of life here, including things like how far you
have to drive to buy necessities, what clothes you
wear, and what things you can grow in your garden.