DC to Aspen, advice please (Glenwood Springs, Rifle: to rent, houses, safe area)

[Mangokiwi]

Hello-
Early 30's female here, considering moving to Aspen for a full time job.

I am looking for the lowest cost housing available that is also in a safe neighborhood for a single female (trying to save money here!).
I realize I may need to commute to Aspen everyday. I don't have a 4WD vehicle though.

Also I am curious about the dating scene, can anyone comment about that?

Thanks in advance for your replies

[Dogmama50]

Look at living in Basalt and Carbondale but don't expect any deals financially, both are great towns to live in and rent is expensive. Look at craigslist and the Aspen Daily for ideas about prices. Overall it is a very, very, very safe area.

You don't need a 4WD car to drive into Aspen, hwy 82 is well maintained, but you will need good tires in the winter and driving skills to avoid the people who don't know how to drive and more importantly stop. There is a bus that runs from Glenwood Springs to Aspen and if you don't have a parking spot with your new job you may want to consider taking it.

I can't give a lot of insight on the dating scene, except that there are a lot of men in mountain communities who are just there to be ski bums even well into their 40's. My single friends have always had some trouble finding career oriented men to date.

In regards to your full time job, be sure that it is exactly that. Many resorts consider 10 months full time and you are bound to take all your vacation time to try to fund the off season gaps. If you've never lived in a resort before there are big differences from a city that may or may not be for you.

[Lugnuts]

Originally Posted by Dogmama50

I can't give a lot of insight on the dating scene, except that there are a lot of men in mountain communities who are just there to be ski bums even well into their 40's. My single friends have always had some trouble finding career oriented men to date.

+1. Absolutely true. The vast majority of single men will be man-children. The career oriented men leave for careers since their are few, if any, to be had up here.

[sunsprit]

a couple of observations:

the Aspen area hasn't been inexpensive or with housing bargains for many years. When the pressures on the Aspen town area became very expensive, the nearby valley areas got pressured. My friends who'd enjoyed housing in the area for relatively low cost ... which still meant working two or three jobs all year 'round to survive ... were on the streets and looking for roommates after awhile. If for no better reason than after decades of ownership (deaths in the family or distribution of estate or marital assets), most of my friends with housing purchased on the cheap a long time ago have now resold into the boom economy. The new owners can't afford to rent out the places that cost them 7-figures for the same price points that the folk who bought in for low 6-figures (or less!) bought them.

Aspen has an almost full-time atmosphere of "party central". Folk who don't live there full time come to visit and enjoy the town, the amenities, the skiing, etc. Their attitude spills over to those folk who are the local worker bees. I've watched a lot of marriages that were prior to moving to Aspen not survive ... and many relationships that always seemed to be a revolving door. It's hard to be surrounded by friends coming to visit ... or other folk who are spending a lot of money to be there and have a great time on vacation.

and you don't really know how many "close friends" and "relatives" you've got until they find out you've got a place in Aspen. Once the word is out, you'll be swamped with everybody and your long-lost uncles, cousins, and their friends coming to visit you. And when they're couch surfing at your place and wanting to party ... it's all the more difficult to roll up the "welcome mat".

PS: the "dating" scene is similar for men as it is for women. Few, if any, career minded folk are here or seeking permanent relationships.

[SkyDog77]

Given that a large portion of Aspen's homes are 2nd or even 5th houses, you get a very seasonal population swing there. If you have been there in the spring after the mountain closes, or in the fall before it opens, it is dead. The town feels completely different.

The other thing is that it can be hard to form relationships in resort towns because the population is so transient. People don't often end up staying long because of the cost of living.

Don't get me wrong, I love Aspen. I think I could be plenty happy living there year round, and there is certainly a reason why people with basically unlimited money and choices choose to own a home there. It's amazing. It's just a very different place and if you are there as a worker, it's a very different life than if you are there to play.

[Idunn]

This is anecdotal, but I understand that some people working in Aspen commute from as far removed as Rifle, being about 1.5 hours distant, one-way. If far closer, even a daily commute from Basalt might grow wearisome, although it is otherwise a fine town. Either it or Carbondale would be nice towns as home, if unfortunately their lower cost of housing is only in relation to sky high Aspen. Thus why some workers end up in Glenwood Springs (also fine, if all that farther removed), or beyond (being even less desirable).

However one might be fortunate in securing subsidized housing and in that or other ways live within Aspen itself. Definitely preferable, if not requiring too many compromises.

The bottom line is most everyone working in Aspen is doing so at some not inconsiderable personal sacrifice, because they otherwise like being there (well, at least some of the time). Or one might presume as much, otherwise why put up with the often inevitable long commutes and high cost of living?

I knew one fellow who did custom construction work in Aspen, with a shop near there. Being self employed and an employer, he was of the small upper echelon who could take advantage of all the money floating about the area, making a handsome living from it. But he lived in Carbondale.

The expression I've heard, with likely more than a little truth to it, is that in Aspen the millionaires are being pushed out by the billionaires. Having first heard it decades ago, when all was that much less expensive. There is a vast gap between those who can afford to live and play in Aspen, and all others working for them in one way or another. While such a scenario exists to one extent or another in all Colorado mountain resort areas, Aspen takes it to another level, with few contenders.

Most everything everyone has pointed out thus far seems about right. Unless an absolutely stellar position, you'll likely be making some sacrifices to accept it. Could be worth it, and all the more if in return for two or three years of interesting memories, something one might treasure from their time in Colorado's high country. But unless twenty something and carefree, one might wish to consider the costs and whether such an adventure might derail other plans and avenues possibly taken instead.

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by Mangokiwi

Hello-
Early 30's female here, considering moving to Aspen for a full time job.

I am looking for the lowest cost housing available that is also in a safe neighborhood for a single female (trying to save money here!).
I realize I may need to commute to Aspen everyday. I don't have a 4WD vehicle though.

Also I am curious about the dating scene, can anyone comment about that?

Thanks in advance for your replies

Are you a professional who can command a very high salary? If not, I'd cross Aspen off my list. The housing coasts in Aspen are up in the stratosphere. And most all the towns within a reasonable commuting distance from Aspen such as Glenwood Springs are very expensive, as well. What kind of vehicle do you have? Are you an experienced mountain/snow driver? Me, I'd want a 4wd with snow tires. At the very least, outfit you current vehicle with good snow tires all around. Better safe than sorry. Can't comment on the Aspen dating scene.

Have you considered Telluride? It's a resort town just like Aspen, so most people can't afford to live smack in the middle of Telluride either. However, lower cost housing can be found in the town of Norwood, less than an hour'a drive away. For that matter, if you lived in Norwood and worked in Telluride, you could just catch the bus service between the two towns, so you wouldn't have to worry about needing a 4wd to get to work safely. Let "Galluping Goose" transport do all that scarey mountain driving for you. Can't comment on the dating scene in Telluride, either, but the wealthy flock there in droves. Maybe you could find yourself a rich BF or husband in Telluride.

[wanneroo]

Aspen is probably one of the most extreme towns in the USA. Extremes in attitudes, income, wealth, status, life goals, political beliefs, religion, you name it. It's not just that it's a wealthy town, but a lot of weirded out wealthy people move there. The hollyweird and music crowd is there as well.

This is not a career town or a normal town with a regular economy. This is a tourist town, 2nd home town, winter time hollywood town, ski town, party town. There is just about nothing here that would be similar to most towns or cities in the USA.

It can be fun, I especially enjoy it in the summer time, but it is very expensive.

The dating scene? Well, quite frankly how hot are you? To attract a rich man or sugar daddy you better be pretty damn hot because there is a lot of competition. I worked a lot of jobs in Aspen, saw the inside of the scene there and a lot of these guys had a couple of hanger on gals aiming to be the next mistress or hopefully, wife. If you are not hot or a multimillionaire, then you have the local men. Again not a career area so you've got guys that are probably working multiple jobs or just straight out bumming it and just getting by. These guys are probably living here because they do NOT want a normal lifestyle of "settling down".

If I got offered a great job in Aspen, then I would give it a go, just know what you are getting into.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Given that a large portion of Aspen's homes are 2nd or even 5th houses, you get a very seasonal population swing there. If you have been there in the spring after the mountain closes, or in the fall before it opens, it is dead. The town feels completely different.

The other thing is that it can be hard to form relationships in resort towns because the population is so transient. People don't often end up staying long because of the cost of living.

Good point. I found that most people have or would have a hard time adjusting to a seasonal lifestyle where it is slammed for months and then dead for 2 months. That's just head explody for most Americans. Most people like their safe 9-5, M-F year round jobs and just can't wrap their head around such a seasonal flux. There is also a catch 22 in that in order to survive the off season well you have to work your butt off during the winter and summer season and well, that's when you can actually ski or the weather is nice enough to do summer activities.

In retrospect now I found it very hard to form long lasting romantic relationships because there was such a turnover in people. Most people are tourists, seasonal employees or 2nd home folks and they come and go like we change our socks.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by Lugnuts

+1. Absolutely true. The vast majority of single men will be man-children. The career oriented men leave for careers since their are few, if any, to be had up here.

That's a bit harsh. As long as they pay their bills and can do it year after year, I don't see the issue if they don't want to "settle down" in the suburbs.