ASPEN

city, seat of Pitkin County, west central Colorado, U.S., on the Roaring Fork River at the eastern edge of the White River National Forest (altitude 7,907 ft ). Founded by prospectors c. 1878 and named for the local stands of aspen trees, it became a booming silver-mining town of 15,000 by 1887 but declined rapidly after silver prices collapsed in the early 1890s. Aspen's revivalas a recreational and cultural meccabegan in the late 1930s and was due in large part to the enterprise of Walter Paepcke, a Chicago industrialist. Nearby are some of the high points of the Rocky Mountains, including Capitol, Creek, Snowmass, and Maroon peaks (all exceeding 14,000 feet ). Aspen's facilities for skiing and other winter sports make it a popular winter resort. The Aspen Music Festival and the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies are summer attractions. Ballet West and the Aspen Theatre Institute are in the city. Inc. 1881. Pop. (1990) 5,049.