If you’d like to read a brief history of Aspen,
this quick explainer from Coloado Public Radio is good (though there is no mention of
the Ute people, the original inhabitants of Aspen and other parts of the Roaring Fork Valley). In essence, it transformed from former mining town with a decent ski scene into hideaway for the ultra-wealthy (this is a simplification) some time between the 1980s-90s. The economy relies heavily on luxury tourism, and tourism doesn’t operate without workers. I should know – I grew up in Napa, another tourism economy.
Just how expensive is it to live in Aspen? Let’s set the scene a little bit. According to
Realtor.com, the median listing (not sale) home price in Aspen, CO was $3.2M in July 2022, trending up 92.5% from last year. Yikes. Rent is pricey, too. According to
Zumper, “The average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Aspen, CO is currently $6,750. This is a 4% decrease compared to the previous year.” Double yikes!!!
Let’s say you’re working as a valet at a hotel, earning tips but making minimum wage. Clearly, a near-$7,000 monthly rent isn’t in the budget.
Through my initial research, I found a few things. First, there is an independent housing agency in the area called the
Aspen/Pitken County Housing Authority (APCHA) that provides affordable housing. Second, there are a number of employers in the area that provide low-cost housing to their workers – particularly seasonal employees. Here’s a
cool example of tiny homes built on a campground to house ski season workers!
I tried searching a few of the sites and found basically
no apartments available, but perhaps there are some that aren’t publicly listed. Let’s just assume the
local news stories are true when they say there aren’t enough places for workers to live.
What’s fascinating is that, in a town where there’s no shortage of money, there’s not enough funding to build a
planned affordable housing community. Of course, funding a construction project is challenging and to build homes (and apartments and condos and the like) that rent or sell for way less than market value is even more challenging (it’s not like they turn a huge profit).
My takeaway from all of this is more philosophical than anything. Wealthier classes of people can’t live the kind of lifestyle they want if there’s no one around to power the services they rely on – from housekeepers to servers, health care providers and retail staff. And yet as the cost of land makes it increasingly difficult for working class people to survive, who should bear the burden?
I don’t have a good answer, but I do think it’s interesting to see how this plays out in Aspen.
As I hinted at on my Close Friends stories on Instagram, I plan to share a video tour of the house we stayed in! Look out for that in a few weeks after Geoff’s parents are no longer staying there. Funny enough, a lot of the furniture and decor in the space are from pretty affordable retailers, so I hope to do a little Shop The House roundup soon, too.
Until next time,
🧡 Dominique
