Economic diversity does not stare you in the face in this valley. Our friend remarks that when driving past the line-up of private jets at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, her 10-year-old son asks, “When are we going to fly on one of those?” She explains that few people in world can afford to do so.
“It’s an interesting challenge raising your child in an environment with the upper .5%.”
Yes, the cost of living in the Roaring Fork Valley is high. Fortunately, my husband and I bought into the real estate market 25 years ago. Also, Aspen Snowmass offers discounted passes for school-aged kids in the valley and the Aspen Valley Ski Club provides a very reasonable program so that they can learn how to ski from trained professionals. And local organizations are very generous with college scholarships. In Basalt High School’s 2017 graduating class, 37 college-bound students received a total of $330,000 in local scholarships alone.
There are challenges and expenses can be high, but the best things about raising a child in the Roaring Fork Valley are free.
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