America's Best Small Ski Towns

Set among the endless snowfields and working cattle ranches of the Elk Mountains, “The Butte,” as residents call it, started as a rough-and-tumble coal-mining camp in the late 19th century. Coal gave way to ski resorts in the 1960’s, but this headstrong community held tight to its saloons and false-front stores, eschewing development in favor of Historic District status. Good move: stately Victorian houses and antique streetlights still line the town’s 37 blocks, and a proud tradition of locally owned businesses continues.