Mountain Migration
Are COVID Impacts on Housing and Services Here to Stay?
The Mountain Migration project sponsored by two well-established policy organizations, Northwest Colorado Council of Governments and Colorado Association of Ski Towns has a goal to understand how COVID has affected the ways our visitors, part-time, and year-round residents utilize the community and whether the changes are a short-term reaction to COVID or will last well into the future. Aspen, Snowmass Village, and Pitkin County, as well as in other Colorado mountain resort communities are the target areas for the study.
Over the last twelve months many mountain communities, including the Roaring Fork Valley, have seen population growth with new residents and those staying longer; increased popularity of short-term rentals; greater use and demand for our trails and open spaces; and more visitation during our shoulder seasons. This study aims to create robust information and data to better understand if the heightened interest in and usage of our mountain community will continue, what services and characteristics are most important to our community members, and how to best meet mountain communities’ needs moving forward.
If you are a long-time local, a new resident, or a part-time resident of Aspen, Snowmass Village, or Pitkin County, please consider taking 10 minutes to fill out this survey at www.polco.us/nwccog-survey and please share it with your friends, neighbors, and networks. The survey is open through March and the report is scheduled for publication in June. Each survey response is confidential, but the answers will be aggregated and the report will be public and widely distributed.