The ultra-exclusive mountain hideaway the one percent have turned into a summer playground
The luxury hotspot that's seducing the ultra-rich has long been known as a winter hub for the wealthy, who come to ski and après-ski in the town's many resort chalets.
Nestled deep in Colorado 's San Juan Mountains, Telluride has turned into the latest summer destination for billionaires, celebrities, and Silicon Valley moguls.
Telluride offers privacy and exclusivity without the fuss of many summer getaway areas.
'I've seen the transformation first hand,' local luxury realtor Brian O'Neill told DailyMail.com.
He's watched the town — once sleepy in the summer — morph into a playground for the one percent.
'It's funny, the same saying has always gone around here. I came for the winter and stayed for the summer,' O'Neill said.
People stay for the $20 million ranches, private hiking trails that start from your front door, and, for celebrities, a paparazzi free summer.
With limited commercial flights, Telluride is perfect for private jets, which isn't a problem for its residents, including Oprah Winfrey, who owns four properties there.
The upcoming arrival of a Four Seasons — the first five-star hotel and luxe condo development in over 15 years — is a sign of what's to come.
'This project is going to have a significant impact on the sophistication of our community,' says O'Neill, who is handling sales for the property.
'The developer is amazing… they're creating something that not only elevates Telluride but maintains its low-key vibe.
'You go to Aspen where people want to be noticed. You come here and people don't really care where they came from – New York, Miami, or LA. They're low-key folks with a great appreciation for that.'
He says many of the Four Seasons' residences have already been snapped up by elites fleeing California, Florida, and the Southwest for Telluride's cool mountain air.
The fun-filled summers are also starting to heat up the local real estate market.
'We do 57 percent more real estate sales in the summer than in the winter,' O'Neill told DailyMail.com. 'Occupancy rates are higher too.
It's grown so much, the area has a packed calendar of summer events.
'Everybody in Telluride said, "We need a more year-round economy,"' O'Neill said.
'Festivals started coming and are now almost every weekend. We have our own self-proclaimed title: the festival capital of the world.
Some of the festivals include the iconic Telluride Bluegrass Festival, MountainFilm, jazz, blues, wine, science talks, and even mushroom hunting.
Telluride is built for families, too.
They can bike outside, easily ride the local rivers on inner tubes, zip-line, bungee, and jump on trampolines in Mountain Village.
Locals can sip coffee outside of the charming cafés that line Main Street while admiring a backdrop of 14,000-foot mountain peaks.
Visitors can hike the Via Ferrata or explore the ghost towns left behind on the old mining roads.
Telluride has shed its winter only reputation and has become a summer destination too
'There's just a lot of merit to what you can do here that you don't have the option to do elsewhere,' said O'Neill.
'You can hike, fly fish, rock climb, mountain bike, downhill bike, cross-country bike.
'You can go to a food and wine event, then go to a science talk. We even have an incubator for startup companies. It's endless.'
He added that the town probably has more quality restaurants per capita than anywhere — maybe even more than Aspen.
That includes the legendary New Sheridan Hotel, where visitors can belly up to the 122-year-old bar once frequented by outlaws and miners.
But, O'Neill warns, rentals don't come cheap.
'If you want to rent a house or condo in town, you're gonna spend $500 to $1,000 a night,' he says. 'It's not cheap.'
For those wanting to make it permanent, Telluride is a wonderful option.
'We have our schools annually ranked in the top 10 percent of the state,' O'Neill said.
'This year we had kids go to Columbia and Berkeley. Great teachers want to live in a great place.'
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