Vail, Colorado
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- There are also Vail, Arizona and Vail, Iowa.
Vail is a town in Eagle County, Colorado, USA. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 4,859.[1] It is famous for its skiing and other winter sports in addition to being a year round destination for outdoor activities.
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[edit] Geography
  Vail is near the eastern border of Eagle County, on I-70, within White River National Forest.
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Vail is located at (39.635757, -106.362984)GR1. It has an average elevation of 8150 feet.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.8 km² (4.5 mi²), with no lakes. There is, however, at least one pond in Vail. Gore Creek flows from east to west through the center of the town.
Mount of the Holy Cross is visible from the top of Vail mountain near the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola.
Vail is surrounded by the White River National Forest.
[edit] Vail Mountain
- See also: Vail Ski Resort
Vail Mountain has a maximum elevation of 11,570' and low of 8,120'. It has 5289 skiable acres, 33 lifts, and 193 marked trails. Vail has three faces: the front side, the back bowls and Blue Sky Basin. The seven back bowls are Sun Down Bowl, Sun Up Bowl, Teacup Bowl, China Bowl, Siberia Bowl, Inner Mongolia Bowl, and Outer Mongolia Bowl. Vail was ranked as the number one ski resort in a Ski Magazine reader's poll for the 2006/2007 season. [2]
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 4,531 people, 2,165 households, and 762 families residing in the town. The population density was 385.3/km² (999.0/mi²). There were 5,389 housing units at an average density of 458.3/km² (1,188.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.13% White, 0.29% African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.20% of the population.
There were 2,165 households out of which 11.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.0% were married couples living together, 3.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 64.8% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.62.
In the town the population was spread out with 9.9% under the age of 18, 14.8% from 18 to 24, 47.9% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 140.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 143.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,680, and the median income for a family was $66,389. Males had a median income of $33,534 versus $32,065 for females. The per capita income for the town was $42,390. About 1.8% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
The Vail valley is currently in the midst of a population boom. It is predicted that by 2020, the valley, including Vail and its environs will be home to 80,000 people. This is primarily because Vail, being a ski resort, makes most of its money off of real estate, thus ensuring that the people who buy houses in the Valley will patronize the resort for years to come, even if they only use their vacation homes once a year.
[edit] Transportation
Vail is served by Eagle County Airport, which is near Gypsum. Native Americans used to call the area near this airport the "hole in the sky" because storms seemed to avoid it. Vail is modeled after European ski towns, many of which are car-free. Vail is only partially car-free, but it is practical to vacation in Vail without a car. Parking is expensive and hard to find (some hotels have none). Instead, Vail hosts the largest free shuttle bus system in the USA and has one Hybrid electric bus(For schedules see Vail Transit, for estimated arrival times visit NextBus). At each of the several bus stops a sign tells you how long until the next two buses arrive.
Interstate 70 runs east-west through the middle of Vail. It is the only road to Vail. East of Vail along the highway is Vail Pass; west is Eagle-Vail.
[edit] Points of interest
- Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
- Steadman-Hawkins clinic world renowned clinic for knee injuries
- Vail Film Festival world-class annual film festival taking place in March
- Vail Ski Resort
[edit] Sister cities
- St. Moritz, Switzerland
[edit] References
- ^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (June 21, 2006). Retrieved on November 17, 2006.
- ^ http://www.skinet.com/skinet/photos/article/0,26964,1536279,00.html
[edit] External links
- Plum Vail
- Vail Daily News Official Website
- Vail Mountain Information
- Vail ski area Info from SnowGuide.org
- Official town of Vail Website
- Vail Film Festival Official Website
- 3dSkiMap of Vail Ski Resort
- Plum Vail
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
