How lucky am I to have people — and a place — that make saying goodbye so tough.

I’ll never forget how excited I was when Lisa Schlichtman called to offer me this job at The Steamboat Pilot & Today.

There’s sort of a trope in journalism that your first position out of college has to be in some undesirable place in the middle of nowhere. You can imagine my excitement when I found out mine would be one of the most desirable cities in the country.

After a year and a half here, I’m beyond excited to announce I’ve accepted a job at Rocky Mountain PBS. I’ll be relocating to Denver and starting the new role in March. I’ll be based in Denver, but the position is statewide, so I hope to be back and telling the stories of Steamboat.

This is the smallest city I’ve ever lived in, and it completely changed me as a person.

Steamboat taught me to take life a little slower, enjoy the small things and be a little kinder. Throughout my year and a half year, I’ve interviewed homeless people and people with immeasurable wealth, I’ve gotten paid to ski, toured some of the most beautiful houses I’ve ever seen, explored our beautiful scenery, told stories that brought tears to my eyes, and most importantly, felt like I’ve made a positive impact in this community.

I’ve had the great privilege of covering one of Steamboat’s hottest debates: short-term rentals. I’ve written around 20 stories on the topic, and I frequently get emails with people asking me about the nuances of what is and is not allowed.

As interesting as the topic is, it’s brought a lot of contention to our community, and I often feel bad that I’ve had to be the bearer of drama and contention. Even when stories have read as scandalous, I’ve always done my best to tell all sides and relay the information I believe our city residents need to know.

I am also so proud to say I got to participate in our Out of the Shadows series, where we invited tough but important conversations about mental health and its stigma. I got to know a few members of Routt County’s homeless community and tell their stories of interaction with the criminal justice system.

I’ve gotten to highlight stories of successes, tragedies and everything in between. I’ve done work I’m incredibly proud of, and I’ve gotten to do it alongside some of the best journalists in the state.

Most of all, I’ve gotten to share the magic of Steamboat.

Maybe someday the famous “Yampa Valley Curse” will bring me back. But for now, farewell and thank you. Please keep in touch. I can be reached at alisonberg28@gmail.com.