Aspen

What You'll Love About Aspen

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  History & Culture

  Aspen, Colorado was founded by miners in 1879, and originally named Ute City after the nearby Ute Indian tribe. A silver nugget weighing 2060 pounds and consisting of 93% pure silver was found in the Smuggler Mine. Aspen had acquired schools, banks, churches, an opera house, and a population of 15,000 when silver was demonetized in 1893. The longest chair lift in the world was built on Aspen Mountain and in 1950, Aspen hosted the World Downhill Ski Championships, marking its emergence as one of the world's premier ski resorts.
  
  Aspen is located in Pitkin County. Aspen is 198 miles from Denver, and 40 miles from Glenwood Springs and I-70. Known the world over for it's ski resort, Aspen has a full-time population of approximately 7,400 residents. The downtown area has been largely transformed into an upscale shopping district that includes high-end restaurants, salons, and boutiques. The median age of residents is 45, and the median household income is $72,973.
  
  There are several options for schools, public, charter and private schools are all present in town. The public schools are in the Aspen School District and are very highly rated. Colorado Mountain College also has a campus in town.

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  Recreation

  In addition to skiing in the winter, Aspen offers many other seasonal recreational options including hiking, road biking, mountain biking, camping, paddle boarding, golf and tennis. The nearby White River National Forest offers 2.3 million acres of trails, camping, hiking, mountain biking and hunting. There are many other options for a quick day hike in and around Aspen for varying fitness levels. The Aspen Ski company boasts 4 impressive mountains for winter sports enthusiasts. Aspen Mountain is directly adjacent to the downtown area and offers a gondola which also runs during the summer months. Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk Mountain are also located in Aspen, with the latter being host to the annual X Games in January.

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  Weather

  In Aspen, the summers are comfortable and dry, the winters are freezing and snowy, however, Aspen can have over 300 days of sunshine per year so it is truly a weather paradise. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 7°F to 73°F and is rarely below -7°F or above 80°F.
  
  The growing season in Aspen typically lasts for 2.8 months (86 days), from around June 16 to around September 10.