Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte are two separate towns

The names look like a typo waiting to happen, but Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte are two different towns, and the difference matters.

Crested Butte is the older town down in the valley, with the historic district and its wooden buildings. Mt. Crested Butte is a separate incorporated town a few miles up the road, built around the ski resort base. Each is its own municipality in Gunnison County, with its own town government, its own elected officials, and its own local rules. They are close neighbors and work together on some things, but they are not one place, and “Crested Butte” in everyday speech can mean either the town or the broader area.

Why this matters for a buyer or renter: which of the two towns a property sits in, or whether it sits in unincorporated county land in between, decides who sets the zoning, the short-term-rental rules, and parts of the tax bill. Mixing up the two can lead you to the wrong town hall and the wrong rulebook.

To confirm which municipality an address falls in and which government to contact, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and each town’s official site are the sources to check.