Aspen (Colorado)

Pitkin County

08-03620

Aspen is a small town in the U.S. state of Colorado, the county seat of Pitkin County and is located about 200 km southwest of Denver on Roaring Fork River. The city is one of the most popular ski resorts in the United States in the 19th century and was the center of a silver - mining area.

Aspen is as specified by the Forbes - institute the richest city in the United States and also one of the richest in the world. The average price of a house in Aspen stands at over 1.5 million dollars. Since 1949, every summer is performed the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen.

Geography

Aspen is situated about 65 km south-east of Glenwood Springs in a river valley between the Elk Mountains and the Sawatch Range, part two mountains of the Rocky Mountains. Through the city of the Roaring Fork River, a tributary of the Colorado flows. Within the Roaring Fork Valley Aspen is surrounded on three sides by mountains: to the north lies the Red Mountain in the east of Smuggler Mountain and to the south of Aspen Mountain.

Climate

History

1879 silver deposits were discovered after a contract had been made ​​available to the tribe of Ute the western part of Colorado for the first time. Due to difficult access to the mining industry developed slowly, only when the railway line was extended from 1877 to Aspen, the population grew to 12,000 inhabitants. At the height of the silver boom in 1892 was promoted silver ore worth nine million dollars. In the same year the present City Hall was built.

Sports

Every year in late November in Aspen instead of two races of the Alpine Ski World Cup (mostly giant slalom and slalom) of the ladies.

Infrastructure

In Aspen is the Aspen / Pitkin County Airport, from where there are connections to the Denver International Airport.

Twinning

Aspen has six sister cities:

  • France Chamonix, France
  • Switzerland Davos, Switzerland
  • Germany Garmisch -Partenkirchen, Germany, since 1966
  • New Zealand Queenstown, New Zealand
  • Argentina San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
  • Japan Shimukappu, Japan

Well-known residents

  • Cher, Charlie Sheen, Kevin Costner and Bill Joy have homes in Aspen.
  • John Denver spent much of his life in Aspen.
  • Lance Reventlow spent much time at his home in Aspen.
  • Mina Loy, British writer and widow of the Dada artist Arthur Cravan, spent her final years.
  • The Austrian ski pioneer Friedl Pfeifer ran a ski school in Aspen and was instrumental in the promotion of winter sports in the region.
  • Hunter S. Thompson ( founder of Gonzo journalism ) lived in Aspen ( Woody Creek ) and was a candidate in 1970 even for the office of sheriff.
  • Lance Armstrong lives and very often trained in Aspen.
  • Aron Ralston mountaineer and author lives in Aspen since 2002. Since then he is known, he spent five days in Blue John Canyon ( Utah) locked up due to a boulder and self -amputated his arm.

Sons and daughters of the town

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