S T E A M B O AT
TODAY
FRIDAY
JULY 31, 2009
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
®
Vol. 21, No. 182
RO U T T
Steamboat Springs
Kevin Bennett testing waters Former City Council president could run for District 1 council seat > Page 11
FREE
C O U N T Y ’ S
DA I LY
N E W S PA P E R
House of Cards ♦
♦
The rise and fall of Routt County’s real estate economy
Explore Steamboat
Your guide to what to do this weekend
I
Part 1: Steamboat goes all in
t was the best of times, and everyone wanted a piece of the action. Fueled by a retiring baby boomer generation with money to spend and an affinity for mountain resort property, Routt County’s real estate market ballooned to unfathomable levels in the middle part of this decade. Investors, speculators, retirees and working-class residents gobbled up what they could, aided by the loose lending practices that had become commonplace across the country. The local economy flourished. But the good times of 2007 are a distant memory, replaced by a national recession, a stagnant housing market and a shrinking local work force. The bubble has burst, and the future of the real estate development market in Steamboat and ski towns like it might never be the same.
> Page 19
Nation
Poll: Obama’s rating drops after race comments > Page 34
Story by Tom Ross | Photos by Matt Stensland
Sports
Rugby squad vies for title Steamboat to face Breckenridge in Mountain League Championship > Page 45
Correction
Inside:
Tait Dixson was incorrectly identified in the page 23 story, “Dixsons ride for a cause,” in Thursday’s Steamboat Today. Read the full, corrected story on page 46.
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■ INDEX Briefs . . . . . . . . .10 Classifieds . . . . .51 Colorado. . . . . . .27 Comics . . . . . . . .50 Crossword . . . . .49 Happenings . . . . .7
Horoscope . . . . .50 Nation. . . . . . . . .34 Scoreboard. . . . .48 Sports. . . . . . . . .45 ViewPoints . . . . . .8 Weather . . . . . . .31
■ WEATHER
A storm possible. High of 77.
Page 31
Part 1 of a five-part series from the Steamboat Pilot & Today
■ THERE’S MORE ONLINE For around-the-clock updates, breaking local news and sports scores, videos, photos and an interactive community forum, visit www.steamboatpilot.com.