Stagecoach

From his townhouse in Stagecoach, Kurt Castor watches the sun rise, tracks storms that come into the valley, and has a perfect view of the immense lake where he sails and fishes.

"The view from my place is amazing," Castor said. "I just think it's just a beautiful area."

He said he has enjoyed living in Stagecoach so much during these past six years that even though he works in Steamboat for the ski resort, he is planning on buying a house in Stagecoach.

"The main reason I like it is that it's away from Steamboat and away from the chaos," Castor said. "It's peaceful here, and it's got a nice feeling of community."

A number of other people share Castor's sentiment. Stagecoach is one of the areas near Steamboat that is expected to grow a lot during the coming decades. It was initially planned out in the 1970s, when a few sets of townhouses were built, but growth halted during much of the 1980s because of an inadequate power supply.

With the expansion of utilities into the area in the mid-1990s, the pace of growth has quickened, and new subdivisions have sprung up around the area.

Now, homes in subdivisions such as Eagleswatch and Meadowgreen at Stagecoach, which were built in the last decade and sit on fully-serviced lots, sell for $225,000 to $375,000. These homes come with three-quarter-acre lots, and range in size from 1,800 to 2,800 square feet.

Developments with large, 35-acre lots also are becoming more common, and include Blue Valley Ranch, Morrison Divide Ranch, and the Meadows at Stagecoach. Developments such as Young's Creek Estates, Coyote Run and Lynx Basin Estates are split into slightly smaller lots.

Most of these homes on larger lots sell for $1 million or more.

Although Stagecoach is a 20-minute drive from Steamboat Springs, it is only five miles from the town of Oak Creek. Its access to National Forest land and to water recreation on Stagecoach reservoir is a selling point for many residents.

Another benefit of living in Stagecoach is the warmer climate, where there is less snow and cold weather than there is in Steamboat.

And, residents are quick to point out that the area is beautiful. Flat meadows with meandering creeks surround the lake, and everything is edged in by heavily forested hillsides and large stands of aspen trees. The horizon gives good views of pine forests and the nearby acres of wilderness.