Everyone has heard of Aspen. But not many people know Aspen.

You may know this small ski town from the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or from Worth magazine's 2002 rankings of the richest towns in the country (Aspen at #2 and Snowmass Village at #8). What you may not know is that Aspen is an incredibly cosmopolitan outpost in the mountains that lets you choose between great restaurants, entertainment, culture and nightlife in addition to incredible outdoor activities. There is world-class skiing and dining out your front door and all of nature out your back door.

Paradise or Paradise Lost?
The cost of living is high, the cost of housing is even higher and many resort workers work two or three jobs to afford life in the valley. If one job is more your speed and you choose to live down the valley in Basalt or El Jebel, communities 20 to 30 miles away, then snarling traffic amidst construction is your daily nightmare. The highs are highs and the lows are lows and depending on what your skills are or whether or not you have a trust fund Aspen may or may not be the place for you. If you don't mind serving on bratty kids or the demanding wealthy in order to earn enough to enjoy the incredible riches here then Aspen is as close to perfect a place as you will find.

Here is the skinny to help you decide...

• Dining:****

  You will find few other places with as many excellent restaurants per capita, especially in a mountain town. There is truly world-class dining in Aspen, but it comes at a price. There are a few budget options in Aspen, Snowmass and down valley, but the lack of value dining is one of the top frustrations in town. With that said, you can choose between three world-class sushi restaurants in a town 1,000 miles from the ocean. And the Food and Wine expo in June is not to be missed.

• Entertainment:****

  Aspen is not on the cutting edge of rock or pop music, but given that it is a town of 10,000 people three hours from a major city Aspen does a good job of finding top notch bands.  You are more likely to find the Panic, Samples or Blues Traveler here than cutting edge alternative or popular rock bands.  There are three great places to see live music in Aspen and there is always something every night of the week. Aspen does provide you with two cool jazz spots (Syzygy and the Nell), two nightclubs, the HBO comedy festival, the excellent Snowmass Jazz Aspen festival during the summer, Thursday night free concerts (summer) and movie theaters keep locals occupied when the great outdoors gets old.

• Culture:*****

  See Entertainment. Aspen gets a solid five stars. For a mountain town in the middle of nowhere Aspen has an incredible number of cultural offerings from jazz to museums to galleries to Dance Aspen. But the fourth and fifth stars are attributed to the Aspen Music Festival - an incredible collection of world-class classical musicians and students who gather here all summer to amaze the town with their talents.

• Government:***

  Liberal, active and progressive with good intentions, but somewhat ineffective in solving the major issues in town of housing, transportation (light rail is at issue), traffic and the cost of living.

• News:****

  Two good local newspapers with excellent writing and coverage of local issues, though sometimes lacking in in-depth national coverage. Wouldn't be a problem if it was possible to get a reasonably priced copy of the New York Times.

• Outdoor Activities:*****
  Four top ski mountains, an incredible mountain bike trail network, whitewater rafting ten minutes away, unbelievable views, hiking trails, world-class golf and never ending sunshine. Really Incredible.

• Cost of Living:**

  High. Haven't shared a room or house since college? Well, unless Mommy and Daddy are funding your "I don't know what to do yet so I am moving to Aspen" years get ready to share. Housing is very expensive, cheap employee housing is limited and food and gas will eat up that $9.00 per hour paycheck in no time. When was the last time you paid $1.67 a gallon for regular gas?

• Work Opportunities:*****

  If you can find good, cheap housing in town you have it made, because there is nearly a 0% unemployment rate in Aspen. There is a constant stream of job openings in town. The types of jobs vary from cleaning toilets to waiting tables with a few professional jobs thrown in. The minimum wage here is higher (by law $5.50, in reality around $7.50) than cheaper towns and tip oriented jobs can pay very well. The downside is the off-seasons between mid April and June and mid-October and December when many restaurants and hotels shut there doors and send people on their merry ways. If you can't be frugal enough to pay your rent, live the high life and save for an off-season vacation then Aspen may not be the place for you.

• Intellectual Quotient:****
  Many, many smart, interesting people in Aspen with some very diverse experiences. Next time you visit Aspen, ask your waitron about his or her background. You may be surprised. Unfortunately, the mellowing effect of the great outdoors has taken the edge off of many of the great minds floating around town and there isn't the intellectual buzz that there could be.

• Housing Situtation*

  Tough. Look early. Look hard. Get to know the right people and then cross your fingers. Subscribe the newspapers before you come to get a head start on your hunt. Then get ready for New York prices and no availability, but with no roaches and much nicer people and views.

• Technology Quotient/Internet Access:*****
  There are several internet access providers in the valley offering a variety of services for very reasonable prices and there is a cyber cafe and internet hosting company in town that you can use to browse the internet or send email. There are also the Colorado Mountain college and Aspen Cyber Care who offer classes in computers and there are several small and large software companies carefully hidden around the area.