Sun Valley Idaho Luxury Real Estate

SUN VALLEY, IDAHO - AMERICA'S FIRST SKI RESORT - built in 1936

Sun Valley is a land of exceptional beauty and innovation - the first place to have a chair lift to the top of the mountain as well as have the first snow making equipment, not that it is needed. For over seventy years travelers have commented on this remarkable setting, as much a part of Sun Valley's mystique as its long association with movie stars and celebrities. Winter sports have been the draw; downhill skiing as we know it was invented here, yet summer has been growing year by year with the Sun Valley Symphony events, Opera, Sun Valley Center for the Arts Wine Auction and more. Five distinct ranges--the Pioneers, Smokies, Boulders, White Clouds, and Sawtooths--present a variety of geologic diversity and endless opportunities to ski, bike, boat, camp, fish, float, hike, or ride.

W. Averell Harriman, Chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad and, later, Governor of New York founded Sun Valley Resort in 1936. Harriman was twice a Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States and served as adviser to Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Jimmy Carter.

A selection of listings are presorted for you on the Wood River Valley Homes between One and Two Million, Sun Valley's  Luxury Homes and new developments in Sun Valley's Warm Springs Condos. These are just a  few from the Sun Valley market. All "listed" properties  may be seen by clicking on the Search Sun Valley's Multiple Listing Service button above. This link will take you to every property listed in the entire Wood River Valley including Sun Valley's Elkhorn Village, Sun Valley, Ketchum, Warm Springs, North Ketchum, Mid Valley, Hailey, Woodside, Bellevue; properties situated in Blaine County, Idaho.

You may also click on my luxury properties: Waterfront, Ranches, Sun Valley Condos  and  Townhomes.

In the early days of the resort, the founder, Avrill Herriman, wanted Sun Valley to reflect the famous European ski resorts he had visited and provide many outdoor winter sports for entertainment and exercise of the guests. Today the Sun Valley Lodge hosts weekly summer performances by Olympic athletes and World Champions every Saturday night on the original Sun Valley Ice Rink.

Sun Valley is not just an "Old West" mining town but a European Style resort village with Operatic performances and a summer symphony.   Sun Valley features numerous gallery walks and sleigh rides,  The Sun Valley Opera, The Sun Valley Summer Symphony, the famous Sun Valley summer weekly ice-shows,   The Sun Valley Center's Annual Wine Auction are an addition to the numerous and varied outdoor activities.  The Sun Valley Symphony will have a new, multi-million dollar outdoor theater in 2008, built by Earl Holding, owner of the Sun Valley Lodge. You can view more Sun Valley photos on the Sun Valley Scene as well as the Sun Valley History page or see some events on the Sun Valley Events  page.

COMMUNITY LINKS will take you to links for transportation to Sun Valley and many of the activities that make Sun Valley, Idaho unique.

Both the Luxury Real Estate Market Page and the Multiple Homes Market provide a helpful perspective into the difference between the national real estate market and resort real estate markets. "IGNORE THE HEADLINES, EXCEPT THIS ONE", Time Magazine, has good investment tips.

The term "SUN VALLEY" usually refers to the areas near the ski mountains of "BALDY" and "DOLLAR". Today Sun Valley is incorporated as a city as is Ketchum, yet due to the popularity of the area becoming known as "Sun Valley" the resort market typically encompasses both Ketchum and Sun Valley as well as areas both north and south of Ketchum. Around Sun Valley, an article written for the New York Times newspaper, mentions a few local things to do in Sun Valley in addition to outdoor athletic activities.

You'll see why Sun Valley, Idaho, the first destination winter resort in the United States has been called America's Shangri-La. As new events unfold they will be shared on The Sun Valley News & Podcast , which expands more into "events at large".