Here comes Hayden: One of Colorado’s last down-valley ski towns to pop is having its moment

Town leaders are preparing for an influx of newcomers while working to maintain their ranching heritage and small-town vibe.

HAYDEN — Mathew Mendisco plucks his beer mug, No. 67 and flagged with a Sasquatch sticker, off its hook at the Yampa Valley Brewing Company and heads to the bar for a refill. 

Mendisco, Hayden’s town manager, chats with the bartender, then waves at the three other people sitting in the brewery after work on a Tuesday. He knows all of them. One of the guys at the table is married to Mendisco’s dentist, who is also the dentist for the rest of the town. 

This is why Mendisco lives here, in this tiny town of 2,100 people about 25 miles west of Steamboat Springs along the Yampa River. Having his own mug with a long-running tab is cool, but he’s here for the sense of community and small-town identity that he and other Hayden residents are working to build.