Few counties in the nation enjoy as much name recognition as Summit County, Colorado. The reason is obvious: Summit is home to four internationally known ski resorts located in different towns in one county. “Summit County” has become synonymous with Colorado’s high country and represents the pinnacle of the nation’s ski and hospitality industry. There are approximately 27,000 year-round residents.

Transportation

Getting around Summit County has never been easier. The Summit Stage (www.summitstage.com) provides free bus service throughout Summit County year round. The stage serves 1.75 million riders annually. Service is available to the ski areas, shopping centers, medical centers and residential areas in Summit County. Buses have ski/snowboard racks in winter and bike racks in summer. Free guidebooks with detailed route maps and schedules are available on all Stage buses, at Stage Transit Stations and at tourist offices. 

Access to Summit County is easy with Interstate 70 and Denver International Airport less than two hours away. Colorado Mountain Express (www.ridecme.com) offers both shared ride shuttles and private car services.

Healthcare

St. Anthony Summit Medical Center has been Summit County’s primary healthcare resource since 1978. Today, Summit Medical Center (www.summitmedicalcenter.org)offers the region’s highest level of emergency care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. St. Anthony Summit Medical Center is the mountain base for Flight For Life, (www.flightforlifecolorado.org) Colorado, the nation’s first civilian medical helicopter founded by St. Anthony Hospitals in 1972. Comprehensive care also includes services to meet a large range of general health care needs.

Education 

Summit County High is a 4A school with 9 - 12 grade students totaling more than 700. Summit High is centrally located at Farmer’s Korner, in unincorporated Summit County just two miles south of Frisco. Summit High and Summit Middle School (Frisco) are fed by seven neighborhood schools: Breckenridge Elementary, Dillon Valley Elementary, Frisco Elementary, Silverthorne Elementary, Summit Cove Elementary and Upper Blue Elementary (http://summit.k12.co.us). The local school district performs well on Colorado’s annual testing; two schools have achieved Colorado’s highest levels in recent years. Summit County also is home to Colorado Mountain College (www.coloradomtn.edu), which has campuses in Dillon and Breckenridge. 

Climate

The average annual snowfall varies greatly within Summit County: Arapahoe Basin receives more than 30 feet per year; Copper Mountain receives nearly 20 feet; while the town of Silverthorne gets just more than 10 feet. At 40º north and 9,000 feet above sea level, the valleys of Colorado’s central Rocky Mountains are have very low humidity. Even the lowest temperatures do not seem terribly cold, nor do the hottest days seem uncomfortably warm. The average summer daytime temperatures range from the mid-60s to the mid-70s. Further, 300 days a year of sunshine tend to make every day a little bit brighter.