TRUCKEE, Calif. — With an ever-expanding downtown and more than a dozen ski resorts plotted nearby, it’s no secret that Truckee is considered a sanctuary for skiers and snowboarders.

In fact, according to a social media-driven poll conducted by Curbed Ski, as a ski town, Truckee stands above the rest.

In capturing the title of the 2015 Curbed Cup Ski Town of the Year, Truckee won a bracket consisting of 16 of the top ski towns in the nation.

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In the tournament, Truckee defeated well-known ski havens Steamboat Springs (Colo.), Whitefish (Mont.) and Crested Butte (Colo.) before edging Sun Valley (Idaho) by 369 votes in the championship round. More than 3,700 votes were cast in the final round.

“We’re seeing a lot of people move here because they want to live the lifestyle.”Brinn TalbotTahoe Donner

For Brinn Talbot, marketing director at Tahoe Donner in Truckee, the accolade confirms her belief that Truckee has “really arrived into its own identity” as a ski town.

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“It’s great to have that recognition amongst the competition throughout the United States,” Talbot said. “I’ve been here over 20 years, and the last 15 years there has been a lot of amazing changes in Truckee.”

Upgrades in shopping and dining experiences, Talbot said, are a few of the most significant changes she’s seen in Truckee over that span.

Above all, though, Talbot pointed to Truckee’s location as its biggest strength.

“I think a big part of it is the access (Truckee provides),” she said. “Access to 17 world-class ski resorts that are nearby, its access to outdoor recreation. Up at Tahoe Donner, we’re seeing a lot of people move here because they want to live the lifestyle.”

Colleen Dalton, marketing and communications director for the Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce, couldn’t agree more.

“Truckee has really come into its own as a nationally known destination that competes with a lot of the big boys,” Dalton said. “It’s all about the access … one of our greatest attributes is location, location, location.”

It didn’t hurt, either, that the Curb Cup contest got under way in mid-December, right around the time the region started seeing a spike in snowfall.

“When the contest was running we started getting the storm over the holidays,” Dalton said. “It sure helped that we were getting a lot of snow, especially after all of these drought years. So we got a little weather mojo with the contest.”