The pristine Rocky Mountains of central Colorado is home to the breathtakingly beautiful ski town of Aspen. The city skyrockets to fame every winter as a winter wonderland for the global elite, famous for its posh nightlife and luxurious après-ski amenities. Aspen is a symbol of elegance, tradition, and wealth that embodies a celebrated cultural attitude. But what many visitors fail to notice is the seething irony lurking in the city’s darkest corners.
While Aspen is an undeniable symbol of success and extravagance, the truth is that many locals experience the economic and psychological difficulties of living in an elite ski town. On the surface, Aspen is a playground for the ultra-wealthy, with its powerful 4-wheel drive sports cars, picturesque mountain homes, and glamorous boutiques. But behind the bling and grand mountain peaks hides the sad reality of Aspen life: while rich people bask in luxury, its working class citizens remain stuck in a cycle of poverty and inequality.
The Irony of Aspen’s Image
Aspen is the richest city in Colorado and considered the playground for the rich, with the fifth most expensive housing market in the United States. Its residents are the highest-earning people in the state – the average income for individuals employed in Aspen is more than double the median income in the rest of Colorado.
Yet, this prosperity is overshadowed by the everyday struggles of the local working-class, who feel the burden of Aspen’s high cost of living. Rent prices are exorbitant, even for the most basic one-bedroom apartment in Aspen. The average cost for a one bedroom apartment is $3,300, which is nearly triple the median price in the state of Colorado.
To make matters worse, Aspen’s income inequality between the wealthy and the working-class has been growing in the past two decades. According to census data, the median income for the wealthiest fifth of the population increased by nearly two-thirds, while the median income for the bottom fifth of earners decreased by 18%.
The Growing Tourism Industry
Aspen’s tourism industry has skyrocketed in recent years, creating an influx of well-paid hospitality jobs, as well as high-end retail positions. However, these jobs don’t necessarily provide a living wage for locals. The overwhelming majority of jobs in Aspen are for seasonal workers, so times of peak tourism bring an increase in job openings, but this influx only lasts for a few weeks.
It’s a cycle that the working class of Aspen knows all too well. At the start of the peak tourism season, hopeful job-seekers flock to Aspen with dreams of making enough money to last through the rest of the year. However, once the season ends, most of the hired workers find themselves looking for their next job. Aspen’s seasonal jobs are not steady, let alone unionized, resulting in an unreliable income stream for locals.
The Impact of Gentrification
Aside from the cyclical and unreliable nature of the tourism industry, gentrification has wreaked havoc on working-class Aspenites. Many of the original citizens of Aspen have been pushed out by wealthy newcomers and investors.
Live music venues, independent businesses, and retail boutiques are disappearing to make way for luxury condominiums and overpriced restaurants. The entrance of the wealthy has created a current of unequal competition between locals and the influx of moneyed outsiders. Aspen’s working-class population is struggling to keep up.
Compounding this conflict is the fact that Aspen is largely a white population, with racism being present but not discussed. Social and economic privileges are often given to locals, while natives of lower classes feel alienated and unwelcome in their own community.
The Bright Side of Aspen
Amidst the economic difficulties, locals in Aspen retain a positive attitude. Sustainable sources of income and education are the two invaluable tools that are allowing an increased number of locals to stay in their hometown and prosper.
Many environmental companies, organic markets, and global nonprofits are continuing to seek employees. Programs like Pitkin County’s Open Space Community Development Fund have also pushed locals to invest in start-ups, small businesses, and conservation efforts.
On top of that, locals have access to education through the Colorado Mountain College’s Aspen campus, which offers education for a wide range of learning paths and degrees. Through the school’s unique Scholarship Assistance program, students of all socioeconomic backgrounds have the opportunity to secure financial aid for their education.
Aspen is a dichotomous summit that illuminates the inequalities on the slopes. The irony at work in Aspen is difficult to ignore, but it is abridged under the prosperous facade of the city. Working-class Aspenites bear the brunt of Aspen’s sky-high cost of living and economic inequality, yet they find resilience within the education and employment opportunities offered to them. Wages are modest, incomes are unpredictable, but residency in Aspen often allows the locals to pursue their passions and call the Rockies home. Aspen’s duality – the celebration of extravagance with deep-seated economic issues – are two faces of the same city, both of which draw travelers from around the world.
