Aspen, Colorado

Aspen is the largest city and county seat of Pitkin County, Colorado. Founded as a mining camp in the Colorado Silver Boom, the city is now a ski resort and cultural center, named because of the abundance of aspen trees in the area. The city emerged as a skiing mecca following World War II and the foundation of the Aspen Skiing Company by Walter Paepcke, a Chicago industrialist who sought to create a utopian community of the mind and body. Paepcke's legacy of the Aspen/Snowmass resorts, along with such institutions as the Aspen Institute, have made the city a year-round international destination for recreation, business, and intellectual discourse. In the late 20th century, the city developed as an off-beat haven for misfits, attracting such free spirits as John Denver and Hunter S. Thompson, who was glorified by many locals for his embodiment of the "freak power" ethic of the community.

Related Topics:
Pitkin County - Colorado - Mining - Colorado Silver Boom - Ski resort - Aspen - World War II - Aspen Skiing Company - Walter Paepcke - Chicago - Utopia - Aspen/Snowmass - Aspen Institute - John Denver - Hunter S. Thompson

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This historic character of the city has been challenged in recent decades by skyrocketing property values and the proliferation of second homes, increasingly shut low- and middle-income workers out of the city and creating a large pool of commuters from nearby bedroom communities such as Basalt and Carbondale. At the same time, in stark contrast its historic character, the city has emerged into international fame as a glitzy playground of the wealthy and famous, associated with such notable celebrities as Kevin Costner (who maintains a residence near the town) and Donald Trump. The downtown has been largely transformed into an upscale shopping district that includes high-end restaurants, salons, and boutiques. The booming real estate market has forced the city to struggle between permitting growth and restricting it. The city today remains a quirky mix of high-end luxury homes and condos intermixed with legacy residences and mobile home parks populated by an old guard of Aspen residents struggling to maintain the unique character of the city. A vote of city residents in April 2005 affirmed a previous commitment to annex the nearby Burlingame parcel in order to construct rental residences in attempt to retain a healthier mix of economic classes in the city.

Related Topics:
Bedroom communities - Basalt - Carbondale - Kevin Costner - Donald Trump - Real estate - Mobile home - 2005

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