GUNNISON

When William Spicer first moved to the valley in 2009, he bought the cheapest house he could find on the market. The home was small, but he loved it. “Now it’s worth twice what I paid for it,” Spicer said. “I don’t think I could afford to buy it now, if I hadn’t bought it 10 years ago.” During the height of the pandemic, throngs of newcomers migrated away from crowded cities to the mountains, a phenomenon referred to as the “mountain migration.” The sudden influx of peo...