Vail is a small town with a large seasonal economy: the Town of Vail counts about 5,000 permanent residents and about 5,000 part-time residents of vacation properties, and says valley employers hire more than 4,000 employees at the winter peak. That mix shapes housing, transportation and the calendar more than any single lifestyle detail.
Who lives and works here
The Town of Vail was founded as a ski resort in 1962, incorporated in 1966 and has a council-manager government with a seven-member council. The resort economy offers numerous jobs, especially in ski season, and many employers offer housing assistance, free transportation, parking programs and competitive wages and benefits. Full-time, year-round positions are available too, and the guide to how to get a job at Vail Resorts covers hiring at Vail Resorts.
Housing is the hardest part
The town treats homes for year-round residents as infrastructure and runs its own housing department for that reason. Its main tool is Vail InDEED, which buys deed restrictions on existing homes so they stay occupied by local residents. The program carries no appreciation cap, no income cap and no household-size requirement, with a stated goal of 1,000 net new deed restrictions by 2027, and the town already has nearly 1,040 deed-restricted homes in total.
For-sale housing is also built and sold through a lottery, with prices ranging from about $175,000 to $810,000 depending on type and location. Residences at Main Vail added 72 rental homes, fully occupied by December 2023, and the Timber Ridge redevelopment will add 302 residential options, with occupancy starting in the 2025/26 ski season. None of that tells you what a typical market-rate home costs. For the cost side, see the guides to what it costs to live in Vail and how expensive Vail is.
Getting around without a car
The town's welcome page calls its bus system one of the largest free transportation systems in the country. The East Vail and East Vail Express buses begin at 6 a.m., with 15-minute service through most of the day to trailhead stops including Booth Falls and Main Gore/Bighorn. There are also about 17 miles of recreation paths. If you drive, parking is charged: in summer 2026 the town's Vail Village and Lionshead structures charged $2 to $10 by duration from May 29, with entries after 3 p.m. free, overnight parking at $45 and season passes for sale online. Rates change, so check the town's parking page for the current season.
Altitude
Vail sits at an average elevation of 8,150 feet. The CDC's clinician guidance for high-altitude travel names Vail among Colorado resorts with lodging at 8,150 feet, says altitude illness can develop before acclimatization is finished, and advises avoiding alcohol for the first 48 hours. The guide to how high Vail is gives the village, mountain and airport elevations.
A year in Vail
| Season | What the official sources say |
|---|---|
| Winter | Vail Resorts lists 5,317 acres on Vail Mountain (the town's welcome page gives 5,289 skiable acres, so figures vary by source). Vail Mountain planned to open on November 13, 2026, weather permitting. |
| Spring | Many restaurants, bars and nightlife spots close for part or all of the off-season, so it is worth calling ahead to confirm hours. |
| Summer | In 2026 Vail Mountain's summer season ran June 12 to September 27. The Vail Farmers' Market runs every Sunday from mid-June through early October, and the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are open daily from dawn to dusk with free admission and a suggested donation. The area has more than 100 miles of hiking trails. |
| Fall | Hiking season runs May through November; leaf-color dates vary by year and are not fixed here. |
Trail options are listed with distances in the guide to where to hike in Vail.
Where to ask about current programs
The housing department, the Vail Local Housing Authority and Vail InDEED handle current program questions; housing@vail.gov is the InDEED contact.
