Summary | Why focus on communities?

I was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up and came of age in Crested Butte, Colorado. When I first laid eyes on its charming grid of dirt roads in the summer of 1969, I fell in love with this special place.

Having recognized Crested Butte as my first “sense of place,” it will forever be my spiritual home, and despite its dramatic changes, it is still a place that warms my heart. That attachment increased dramatically from his late 1970s to his early 80s. That’s when the town rose up as a nearly unified whole to fight an international mining conglomerate that announced plans to build a huge industrial molybdenum mine on Mount Emmons below Red Lady Bowl. 5 miles west of town.

The “Save the Lady” campaign I covered for the Crested Butte Chronicle had all the elements of “fighting the good fight.” It pits a small, vibrant community against an economic and industrial giant. After five years of intense fighting on all fronts, the mining companies withdrew. Crested Butte triumphed because of a community that called upon hidden resources that most people didn’t know existed. The most important of these was our love for each other’s place. A lasting inspiration came from witnessing small communities proclaiming and defending their right to self-government in a fundamental display of democratic principles.

In 1984, I mountain biked over the Elk Mountains for an interview with my new employer, the Aspen Times. As a reporter in Aspen, over time I discovered a more complex community built on multiple layers across historical eras. For many locals, the value of community existed in sharing love and protecting a place from the effects of commodification that had long threatened what many considered the soul of the town.

The Aspen Journalism Series on Regionalism, which I launched in December 2023, aims to expand the idea of ​​community along the 80-mile commuter corridor from Aspen to Parachute. Then, in his four-part series, he peeled back Aspen’s historical layers to reveal the community’s decades-long struggle for identity. This struggle surfaces regularly today in opinion columns and letters to local newspapers.

Launched thanks to a grant from the Aspen Business Center Foundation, run by the local McBride family, the series focuses on communities in Down Valley burgs including Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, New Castle, Silt, Rifle and Parachute. Continue to expand your expression. — A community that values ​​individual identity and individuality while recognizing regional connections. He has at least three more installments in the series (thanks to the Aspen Daily News for putting this series in print). In summary, this series hopes to instill a broader awareness of diversity, mutuality, and social cohesion based on the psychological and emotional needs of community at all walks of life.

– Paul Andersen

Paul Andersen is a journalist and book author who lives in the Frying Pan Valley and considers the Elk Mountains his earthly home.

The battle over ideas in Aspen: Community or product?

Generational questions remain unresolved as roots of elitism, counterculture, and capitalism usher Aspen into a new era of affluence

By Paul Andersen | February 11, 2024

Pepke’s experiment in a peculiar Enlightenment capitalism was a pivotal moment in the evolution of tourism in the 20th century West, proving to be a bridge between a more elitist past and a mass cultural future. ”

Data Dashboard: January Occupancy Impacted by Global Economy

Snowfall at Schofield Pass reached 19.5 inches of snow water equivalent on February 18, or 89% of median snowfall.

Aspen’s paid occupancy rate reached 69.3% in January, down from 79.3% last year. Meanwhile, Snowmass recorded a paid occupancy rate of 72%, down from 73.1% in 2023. Snowfall at Schofield Pass reached 19.5 inches of snow water equivalent on February 18, up from 17.6 inches the previous week. Lake Powell was 34.4% full on Feb. 18, down from 34.6% last week but up from 23% a year ago.

There are always stories that need to be followed up by journalists. Thanks to the generosity of our readers and funders, these Aspen Journalism investigative articles are published as a public service for you, our community, and our collaborators.

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