Will the boom ever bust? Maybe, Travis says. Maybe when the buyers are all dead. Or at least too old to want a palace in the mountains. Retiring baby-boomers are driving this real estate rush in the mountains, and when they’re done buying real estate, the generation doesn’t seem to have the numbers to follow suit.
...Others are less optimistic. Courtney White, an opinion writer for Headwaters News, joins the chorus of skeptics who believe rising energy costs will spell doom for the mountain resort boom. It’s an idea gaining currency among peak oil adherents who worry the days of cheap oil are dwindling and with them, the boom economy fueled by cheap travel and cheaper imports.
“Think about the two-hour one-way daily commute into Los Angeles for work, or the costs associated in reaching that second home in the woods, or just driving to the grocery store,” he writes. “And it’s not just about driving – fossil fuel permeates nearly every aspect of suburban development and maintenance. When costs rise, we may reconsider our behavior. We may have to.”
New West Boulder
