{"product_id":"a-town-built-by-ski-bums-the-story-of-carrabassett-valley-maine-9781684751792","title":"A Town Built by Ski Bums: The Story of Carrabassett Valley, Maine","description":"\u003cp\u003eLocated 60 country miles from Interstate 95, Carrabassett Valley, Maine doesn't look like a classic rural New England town. Only a handful of buildings pre-date 1950. Settlement is concentrated in two areas separated by six woodsy miles: \"the valley,\" with its 1960s A-frames and camps, and \"the mountain,\" where the Sugarloaf ski resort has built a maze of contemporary condominium and housing developments, along with hotels, restaurants, and boutiques. But with just 673 year-round residents, the town of Carrabassett Valley -- not Sugarloaf -- owns a Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed golf course, a 2,000-acre ski-touring and mountain-bike park, an airport, a riverside rail trail, an advanced fitness center with indoor climbing wall and skate park, a handsome modern library, and a park with outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, and playground. Yet the town's tax rate has never exceeded $8.40.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat's because Carrabassett Valley doesn't just look different from other towns; it does things differently. The two dozen ski bums who founded the town in 1972 laid out a vision for an outdoor recreation economy achieved through creative investment, and townspeople have focused unwaveringly on pursuing it ever since. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVeteran journalist Virginia M. Wright worked with the Carrabassett Valley History Committee to delve into the surprising history of a town most passersby think is just Sugarloaf. She looks at the early days of when it was created, at how the town's unique approach helped it weather both boom times and down turns. Through it all, the town has become one of New England's premiere outdoor destinations. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Down East Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/05\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781684751792\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 278\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.65d","brand":"Virginia M. Wright, Town Of Car Town of Carrabassett Valley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44625848271029,"sku":"9781684751792","price":25.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_c382710a-0755-4712-9be6-41d3f31da004.jpg?v=1725978405","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/a-town-built-by-ski-bums-the-story-of-carrabassett-valley-maine-9781684751792","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}