| Aspen, the largest city in Pitkin County, Colorado, | | | | B. Wheeler, has been an enduring symbol of culture |
| was founded in 1880. Located high in the | | | | and pride for the people of Aspen through the ages. |
| west-central part of the Rocky Mountains, Aspen is | | | | The opening of the opera house on April 23, 1889, |
| the fifty-third largest city in the state. Renowned | | | | was hailed as "one of the most notable events in the |
| globally as a winter and summer resort, Aspen was | | | | history of Aspen's most eventful year." Today, it |
| founded as a mining camp in the Colorado Silver | | | | plays host to a wide range of acts spanning the |
| Boom. It takes its name after the aspen trees that | | | | spectrum of entertainment, from jazz wizards to |
| grow in abundance in the region. The city really came | | | | country stars to legendary rock groups like The |
| into its own as a skiing haven post-World War II, | | | | Eagles and INXS. The Wheeler opens its arms to film |
| with the foundation of the Aspen Skiing Company by | | | | festivals, Broadway plays, professional opera and |
| Walter Paepcke. | | | | ballet, and the U.S. Comedy Arts annual festival, as |
| Apart from being a mecca for winter and summer | | | | well as academic lecture series, school plays, and local |
| sport buffs, this mountain town is also a thriving | | | | community events. |
| center of high-quality visual and performing arts. | | | | The city of Aspen has an enviable reputation of |
| Aspen has been home to world-class organizations | | | | being the watering hole of the rich and famous. It |
| like the Aspen Institute, Aspen Music Festival and | | | | boasts an upscale shopping district as well as a |
| School, and the Aspen Center for Physics for over | | | | culinary experience that ranges from swish eateries |
| half a century. Recent additions to the cultural scene | | | | to easy-on-the-wallet family establishments. The city |
| are the Aspen Film fest, Aspen Writers' Foundation, | | | | has acquired a distinct character, sporting a mix of |
| Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Theatre Aspen, Aspen Art | | | | upscale luxury homes and condos with legacy |
| Museum, and Jazz Aspen Snowmass. | | | | residences as well as mobile-home parks. |
| The fabulous Wheeler Opera House, built by Jerome | | | | |