Homes of Breckenridge

Tourist towns can be split into two sides. Those who work the town and those who visit the town. A thin veil separates the two, yet one desperately relies upon the other. As the tourists wash in and out of the town, those who work the town are the stable stones keeping the town flowing. Breckenridge is known for being the most popular ski resort, having the highest peak in North America, and great skiing. There is an immense variety of housing in Breckenridge including the mega mansion vacation homes to historical houses preserved to trailer homes. Each home provides a different story to this town. It provides the story of those who are waited on and those who are serving. Every story has similarities and differences of the reasons they all ended up in the same place and each of them can explain the story of the town itself. Breckenridge’s population is 5,000 people, but more than 3 million people come to visit. This consent stream of people changes the entire town’s culture. There is an othering when it comes to the locals versus  the tourists. The locals rent he way the tourists act, the way they drive, that fact they took their parking spot, their entitlement, essentially blaming all problems on the tourists. It comes down to knowing the red license plate means they rented the car: tourist. With this many people visiting, the tourists define the town instead of the locals. Even though the locals resent the tourists coming in, the tourists are what give the town relevance and business. There is another side of this story including those who are not the ones working the town, but rather the wealthy, often retired, couple moving out to Breckenridge to finally relax within the snow capped peaks. All of these multilayered relationships of differing status are set behind the same mountain range. Everyone wakes up to the same towering peaks and falls asleep to the same constellations.