Aspen

City (pop., 2000: 5,914), western central Colorado, U.S. It is located on the Roaring Fork River at the edge of the White River National Forest, at an altitude of 7,907 ft (2,410 m). Founded by prospectors c. 1878, it was a booming silver-mining town by 1887 but declined rapidly after silver prices collapsed in the early 1890s. Its revival as a ski resort began in the late 1930s, and it is now a popular tourist town; it is also known for its cultural festivals, notably the Aspen Music Festival.