Down and Out in Telluride

In America's tourist boomtowns, low wages and high rents are leaving the working class out in the cold

Don't take it personally. Your restaurant manners were impeccable; your gratuity was generous to a fault. Then why did the waitress sneer at you, and why were the waiters so ill tempered? In fact, what was it with all the snarly help, all the way along your Rocky Mountain holiday this summer? They couldn't all have got out of bed on the wrong side, could they? No. That would assume they all had beds. On the contrary, many of these people, out of necessity, were sleeping in dirt. It would put you in a bad mood too.

"Most of my friends...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!