Getting to Know the Val Valley: Eagle

A historical old Western town with an expansive mountain backdrop, Eagle is located 30 miles west of Vail, 20 miles west of Avon (the gateway to Beaver Creek) and 3 miles east of the Vail/Eagle Airport. The beginning of the ?down valley? area of the Eagle County, this charming town sits a notch up on the thermostat compared to up valley towns which?is appealing?to those who love the valley and the outdoors it offers, but grow tired of longer alpine winters.

Once considered a slow and sleepy town, Eagle has grown into its role as the county seat. Its traditional Main Street retains the charm and hospitality of a 1940's small town while newer developments have brought a movie theater and bowling alley. Like most locals, I find myself there several times a week and agree with Eagle residents that it?s not a matter of ?getting used to the drive?, as up valley residents say. Once you fall in love with the community, the drive becomes part of the charm and, as we all know,?people in other areas of the country spend hours driving through traffic to go shorter distances ? at least here it?s beautiful and traffic free.

Within Eagle you can find every price range and size home, from 1 bedroom condos to 7 bedroom single family homes. With prices starting significantly lower than up valley areas, first time home buyers find options in Eagle that aren?t available elsewhere. Up valley residents in need of more space turn to Eagle for larger homes with larger yards?a little breathing room from the neighbors. Some call the large number of locals moving to Eagle the Mass Exodus and we too have found more and more of our friends moving down valley for warmer weather and more space.

Outside of a couple ranch areas, the town of Eagle consists primarily of 4 residential communities: Eagle proper, Eby Creek the Terrace and Eagle Ranch.? Eby Creek sits on the north side of the valley on a mesa that looks out to the north east and other neighborhoods that make up Eagle sit just to the south along the valley floor. On the south side of downtown Eagle, the Terrace stretches along the north side of Brush Creek and Eagle Ranch sprawls through the valley south from Brush Creek.

For more information on the Eagle or other Vail Valley real estate contact Karen Gilbert at ?970-331-1482? or karen@gatewayland.com or visit my website at www.karensellsvail.com.