Bend Oregon v. Steamboat Springs Colorado
I’m taking a little vacation in Steamboat Springs, CO away from my home of Bend, OR and it’s a surprising parallel universe, the more I think about it. Maybe there are many western towns like these two…Boise, Reno, Truckee, Taos, Leavenworth, etc. My friends and I have conspired to compiled a list of similar features and dissimilar, as we wander around.
SHARED FEATURES
River running through it with inner tube rentals and trout fishing
Ski resort and nordic center near town
Plenty of drinking establishments
Pot dispensaries
Inflated real estate prices
Cowboy heritage with a big rodeo mid-summer
Waterfall trail tourist attraction (Bend=Tumalo Creek, Steamboat=Fish Creek)
Good bakery (Bend’s Sparrow bakery ocean rolls are the winners)
Downhill, lift assisted biking
Mountain, e, and cruiser bike rentals
Lakes nearby for boating and stand up paddling
Hippie grocery store that has gone more mainstream in recent years
Music festivals, seemingly, every weekend all summer
Drunk tourist making noise when bars close
Pickleball courts and culture with plenty of retired competitors
UNSHARED FEATURES
Food cart pods (Bend)
Ski jumping hill in town (Steamboat)
Costco (Bend)
Better barber shops (Bend) Although we have a 50/50 split on that because my nephew got a good one
100 year old western wear store (Steamboat) Although Portland Outdoor Store is deeper in terms of hats and boots
Alpine slide and long mountain coaster (Steamboat)