Back أسبن (كولورادو) Arabic اسبن ARZ آسپن، کولورادو AZB Аспен (Каларада) Byelorussian Аспън Bulgarian Aspen (Colorado) Breton Aspen (Colorado) Catalan Аспен CE Aspen (kapital sa kondado) CEB Aspen Czech
Aspen, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Aspen (2005) | |
 Flag  Logo | |
 Location within Pitkin County and Colorado | |
  Aspen Location of the City of Aspen, Colorado.  Aspen Aspen (Colorado) | |
| Coordinates: 39°11′28″N 106°49′03″W / 39.1911°N 106.8175°W[3] | |
| Country | United States of America |
| State | State of Colorado |
| County | Pitkin County[2] |
| Settled | 1879 |
| Incorporation | 1881 |
| Named for | Aspen trees around the city |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| Area | |
| 3.858 sq mi (9.992 km2) | |
| • Land | 3.858 sq mi (9.992 km2) |
| • Water | 0.000 sq mi (0.000 km2) |
| Elevation | 7,891 ft (2,405 m) |
| Highest elevation (At SW corner of city boundary) | 8,460 ft (2,580 m) |
| Lowest elevation (Roaring Fork at N corner of city) | 7,660 ft (2,330 m) |
| Population | |
| 7,004 | |
| • Density | 1,815/sq mi (701/km2) |
| • Metro | 79,043 |
| • CSA | 134,774 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code | 81611, 81612 (PO Boxes) |
| Area code | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-03620 |
| GNIS pop ID | 204686 |
| GNIS city ID | 2409743 |
| Website | aspen.gov |
Aspen is the Home Rule City that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States.[5][6] The city population was 7,004 at the 2020 United States Census.[4] Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Mountains' Sawatch Range and Elk Mountains, along the Roaring Fork River at an elevation just below 8,000 feet (2,400 m) on the Western Slope, 11 miles (18 km) west of the Continental Divide. Aspen is now a part of the Glenwood Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Founded as a mining camp during the Colorado Silver Boom and later named Aspen for the abundance of aspen trees in the area, the city boomed during the 1880s, its first decade. The boom ended when the Panic of 1893 led to a collapse of the silver market. For the next half-century, known as "the quiet years", the population steadily declined, reaching a nadir of fewer than 1000 by 1930. Aspen's fortunes recovered in the mid-20th century when neighboring Aspen Mountain was developed into a ski resort, and industrialist Walter Paepcke bought many properties in the city in the 1950s and redeveloped them. Today it is home to three institutions, two of which Paepcke helped found, having international importance: the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Aspen Institute, and the Aspen Center for Physics.[7]
In the late 20th century, the town became a popular retreat for celebrities. Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson worked out of a downtown hotel and ran unsuccessfully for county sheriff. Singer John Denver wrote two songs about Aspen after settling there. Both figures popularized Aspen among the counter-cultural youth of the 1970s as an ideal place to live, and the city continued to grow even as it gained notoriety for some of the era's hedonistic excesses (particularly its drug culture).[citation needed]
Aspen remains popular as a year-round destination for locals, second-home buyers and tourists. Outdoor recreation in the surrounding White River National Forest serves as a summertime counterpart to the city's four ski areas. Prime residential real estate in Aspen is the most expensive of any ski resort in the world on a per-square-foot basis, according to a study of 44 global ski resorts.[8] Aspen is the world's second-highest-rated ski resort in terms of "the quality and reliability of their conditions and their capacity to withstand climate change."[9]
- ^ "Active Colorado Municipalities". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ "Colorado Counties". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
- ^ a b "Aspen, Colorado". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. August 12, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.[not specific enough to verify]
- ^ "Colorado County Seats". State of Colorado, Department of Public Health and Environment.[not specific enough to verify]
- ^ "Aspen Center for Physics". Aspen Center for Physics. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ "Savills Prime Residential Index". www.savills.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ Savills (November 30, 2021). "Which ski resort is most resilient?". Savills. Retrieved April 2, 2022.