EagleVail, a ‘fantastic new development’ in 1973, is ‘a-turning’ 50

EagleVail, the somewhat peculiar unincorporated metropolitan district that lies between Minturn and Avon off of Interstate 70, is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2023. The community, which contains just short of 1,500 homes, about half of which are occupied by part-time residents, was founded around the golf course developed by Fred Green.

On February 6, 1973, the election for the creation of EagleVail Metropolitan District unanimously passed a vote by seven officials selected by the District Five court.

“With the growth that has engrossed the area and the obvious ‘close-to’ saturation point rapidly approaching the original confines of ‘old Vail,’ the immense popularity and resulting crowding of Vail’s excellent golf and tennis facilities, and the need for more stretching room, a group originally known as Partnership Investments of Colorado, Inc., acquired a large part of the Jack Oleson ranch just below Dowd Junction, and is now (soon) offering a planned area for sale in the form of residential and commercial property,” reported the Vail Trail on Sept. 1, 1972, in an article entitled “A Fantastic New Development is ‘A-Borning.'”

At the front of the golf boom

While today’s Eagle County residents might find this description of the area to be a bit hyperbolic, the overcrowding of the Vail neighborhoods is what drove the development of much of the rest of Eagle County in the second half of the 20th century.

“When EagleVail was formed, there weren’t many houses at all. There were only a handful of homes in EagleVail initially. They got built up over time, I think especially in the 80s and 90s,” said Tim McGuire, chairman of the EagleVail Metro District Board. “The amount of homes you see here today, there was only a fraction of that when EagleVail was originally formed. When it was formed, there weren’t enough residents — and especially full-time residents — to really even consider becoming a town at that time.

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EagleVail contained little to no residential use prior to its official establishment in 1972. For reference, although people have been living in the area far longer, Avon was not officially incorporated until February 24, 1978.

Fred Green, the founder of EagleVail, was a real estate developer who saw the amount of use the Vail golf course received and the opening that created for the development of more golf courses in Eagle County.

“When Vail was formed and their golf course was developed, Vail was really growing, and then there was another need for a golf course in the valley,” said Steven Barber, the district manager for EagleVail. Thus, EagleVail — which was originally Eagle-Vail, with a dash — was born as a family-oriented community created around a golf course. The land was formerly part of the ranch owned by Oleson, who passed away at the age of 97 in Eagle in 2022.

“Fred had a lot of forethought knowing that we needed another golf course, because he was big into golf and development, but also creating a community around the golf course that was rich in amenities for this community,” Barber said. “If you look at any other community in the valley, no other community has as many amenities for the folks that live here as EagleVail does.”

Barber has been working for EagleVail since he moved to Eagle County in 1999 with a background in golf course management.

“From golf, to swimming, to tennis to trails to parks to pavilions to ponds to streams — the list goes on — I give those guys the credit and the forethought to recognize early on that EagleVail is not just about living here and working, but it’s about the play feature and the quality of life, early on, that continues today with the board’s direction to maintain these numerous amenities, and to see what’s next for future generations,” Barber said.

A special place to live

Initially, the founders’ goal was for EagleVail to provide its own water and fire services, while partnering with the county on issues such as law enforcement. As EagleVail’s community grew, however, it became too costly and unsustainable to provide these services for residents, and EagleVail partnered with the Eagle River Water Sanitation & District and the Greater Eagle Fire Protection District, according to Barber.

“EagleVail is the place to live. I’m so glad to see these young families out here,” said Karen Leake, one of the longest-standing residents of EagleVail.

Leake moved to Vail in 1972 with her husband and three children. When EagleVail opened to residential housing, Leake and her husband purchased a plot in EagleVail, where they built a house and moved in 1976. At that time, her kids were in grade school, and there were no other kids in the Metro District.

“I was so glad when people started moving here,” said Leake, who still lives in the house she moved into in 1976. “We might have been the reason why they did, because we were the only young family who lived here at that time in EagleVail.”

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In 1973, lots in EagleVail were priced between $12,500 and $30,000, depending on the size. Adjusted for inflation, that would be between $90,000 and $220,000 today. Today, EagleVail has just one undeveloped plot left, as all available space in the district has now been put to use, according to Barber.

Leake’s daughters attended Battle Mountain High School in Minturn, and then EagleVail when it moved in 1975.

“The schools weren’t real good when we moved up here,” she said. “The teachers weren’t the best because nobody came up here to teach. Nobody wanted to live up here in the snow. They’re much better now.”

Leake, who was in her 40s when she moved to EagleVail, took up golfing, and loved the sport so much she started the EagleVail ladies league in 1980, a program that still runs — and that Leake still plays in — every Tuesday to this day. Nowadays, her eyesight is going, but the friends that she plays with will drive her to the location of each ball so she can hit it to the next tee. “I have the best friends in the world. They all keep track of my ball,” she said.

Leake also volunteered at the Daisy Golf Tournament for 30 years, including running the program, which features about 100 golfers, for a while. The tournament was in honor of Daisy Palmer, the wife of John S. “Bud” Palmer, the professional basketball player and one of the founders of EagleVail, who passed away from cancer in her 40s.

“They were beautiful people,” Leake said of the Palmers. “They had parties at his house. One of my friends fell backwards in the pool. My kids always liked to hit Daisy’s house on Halloween for trick-or-treating.”

The Palmers were not Leake’s only EagleVail-related brush with celebrities. As a result of her affiliation with the area, she said, “I got to meet Clint Eastwood,” who was known to golf in EagleVail competition. “But he was interested in my daughter, not me. I had to say, ‘down, boy.'”

Though today’s EagleVail might physically look much different from its ranch origins, the goals of the community have stayed true to the original developers’ plans. Barber credits the commitment of EagleVail’s community with making it such a special place to live.

“From the board to the staff to our guests and our residents, people care, and at the end of the day, they want what’s best for EagleVail, and it shows in all of the hard work and the volunteer efforts that have taken place today and yesterday to be where we are, celebrating 50 years,” Barber said.

As for the future of EagleVail, McGuire sees a continued commitment to the same values that have allowed EagleVail to support its residents thus far.

“It’s really great to see a mature community that has become well established in the valley, and is known as a really great place for families to live and work. We’re extremely proud of the amenities we’ve built over the 50 years we’ve been here. We prioritize continuing to be a great place to live, work, and play,” McGuire said.

For EagleVail residents, there will be a 50th birthday party for the community at the Pavilion on Sunday, August 27, from 4-7 p.m.