Telluride and Southwest Colorado Feature

The town's independent spirit is shaped not only by its mining legacy, but by the social ferment of the 1960s and early '70s. Before the ski area opened in 1971, Telluride had been as remote as it was back in Cassidy's day. It was even briefly included on the "Ghost Town Club of Colorado" itinerary, but that was before countercultural types moved in, seeking to lose themselves in the wilderness. By 1974 the town's orientation had changed so radically that the entire council was composed of hippies. An enduring Telluride tradition called the Freebox (Pine Street and Colorado Avenue), where residents can sort through and take whatever used clothing and appliances they need, remains as a memento of those times. (One memorable day, just after a fur shop had the temerity to open in town, surprised residents found a wide selection of minks, sables, and chinchillas at the box. After the mysterious break-in, the furriers got the point and moved on.)

Despite such efforts at keeping visible signs of wealth away, more and more locals are finding they can no longer afford to live here. And thanks to the construction of the Telluride Regional Airport in the mid-1980s, it has drawn even more people. Today Telluride is an upscale alternative to Vail and Aspen, and celebrities who need only be identified by their first names (Arnold and Oprah, for example) have been spotted here.