In resort towns, working class squeezed out as rich move in

[Judi Lynn]

In resort towns, working class squeezed out as rich move in

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press | January 12, 2015 | Updated: January 12, 2015 10:35am

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — At first, Loly Garcia didn't have to travel far to her jobs in the chic hotels of this fabled tourist town. She shared a tiny studio apartment with her father, brother and a cousin after arriving from El Salvador more than 20 years ago.

But after she married and wanted a home of her own, she had to drive 23 miles west, past tracts of empty land and vacant mansions whose owners visit only a couple of weeks a year, to the mobile home park where she now lives.

The drive eventually wore her down, and she decided to take lower-paying work closer to home. "That commute — it becomes 10 hours a week. It's like working an extra day," said Garcia, 49. "It's hard to live here."

The divide between the haves and have-nots in Aspen reflects a division that cuts across the country: The richest are getting richer while the rest of the population is essentially treading water. From 2009 to 2012, inflation-adjusted income for the wealthiest 1 percent of U.S. households surged 31 percent, according to economist Emmanuel Saez of the University of California, Berkeley. For everyone else, income inched up just 0.4 percent.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/In-resort-towns-working-class-squeezed-out-as-6009435.php

[yeoman6987]

1. Aspen has always been exclusive.

The commute stinks but she is happier being closer to work. She took quality of life over money. Good for her.