By contributing writer Winslow McCurdy.
The choice to live somewhere as unrepentantly gorgeous as the Roaring Fork Valley probably seems straightforward to anyone lucky enough to visit. Slanting mountains set an epic scene for skiers, mountain bikers, anglers and drinkers alike, all like-minded in their desire to spend more time outside than in. Yet what sets Aspen apart is what can look like a constant yearning for the pretentious, a perceived playground for the pompous.
Aspen itself boasts an enormous range of activities and beauty beyond its wealth-centric stereotype. Its worldwide renown as a ski town makes it a hotbed for visitors from across the country and the globe, drawn to world-class music, food and art events that seem to happen every week. There’s always something new to try, making it an addictive lifestyle unlikely to bore even the most enigmatic resident. Even for its natural beauty alone, simply saying the name Aspen at a party gets a reaction. And the town has a refreshingly wide range of residents who seem to agree on only one thing: Aspen is a jewel hidden in the secluded Roaring Fork Valley.
However, many year-round Aspenites live within the underbelly of Aspen’s work and leisure culture, most simply, the service industry. So there’s a fascinating dichotomy between two kinds of lives being lived simultaneously in Aspen: the righteously outdoorsy and the self-righteously wealthy.
Some residents enjoy the cathartic release of rich-spotting: women embracing “Aspen style” in ankle-length furs while their husbands gallivant in the Bentley that, like their $22.7 million home, sees use two weeks a year. It’s part of the experience. But not all of Aspen’s full-time residents are enthusiastic about that Aspen facade and the flaunting of wealth on their doorstep, often so much so that they don’t want to be associated with that lifestyle at all. They choose to live in Carbondale.
Aspen vs. Carbondale
The choice to move downvalley, a term that carries some colloquial baggage of its own, isn’t as one-track as the bottom line of buying a home (Carbondale’s median home value is a third of Aspen’s). It’s a decision about culture. If you enjoy easy access to top-quality culture with high ticket prices, high-end retail, massively luxurious homes and the stylish people who go with them, it’s time to bust out the checkbook. Seeing and being seen on the streets of Aspen is indeed a lifestyle choice. But if you’re looking for more land, a relaxed community atmosphere, fun locally sponsored events, a sanctuary insulated from the megarich and, most importantly, a place to grow your dreadlocks without fear of societal scorn, Carbondale will welcome you with open arms.
Roughly a 30- to 40-minute drive from downtown Aspen, Carbondale is smaller and simpler than the famous mountain playground, and its character differs from the nearby and seemingly similar towns of Basalt, Willits, El Jebel and Glenwood Springs. Its main drag feels like a 19th-century frontier outpost, lined with welcoming wooden storefronts occupied by small businesses. Local saloons and small restaurants are within easy walking distance of one another, and local events fill the streets with residents of all ages.
It all happens organically. The streets don’t swell with terrible drivers on big event weekends, bars don’t fill with vacationing drunks and neighborhoods aren’t closed off by mansions and private gates. Carbondale’s residents have sought out an alternative way of life in a valley so beautiful they wouldn’t dare leave. Carbondale offers employment outside the hectic service industry, a welcome option for anyone burned out on discovering just how rude people can be the moment they walk into a restaurant. It’s a place to have kids, raise a family and live a normal life. Carbondale restores reality to life where Aspen can unconsciously drain it away, a refreshing alternative for anyone who has spent too long outside the real world.
A Changing Town
That, too, is changing. The gradual gentrification that has slowly eroded crunchier, alternative communities across the United States has its sights set on Carbondale. Lower rents attract young people who want a taste of the Aspen life without paying for it. Aspenites who want more space for less money and don’t mind the drive are relocating. And as public transportation improves connections across distances, the link between the two towns will likely only grow stronger. Carbondale’s residents will resist, of course. Events like the full moon rides and First Friday community art and drinking celebrations will endure for the alternative seekers, but there could soon be a few more Bentleys on the streets.
The opinions expressed by contributing writers are their own.
