Rock musician John Oates sold his Little Woody Creek Ranch in Woody Creek, Colorado, near Aspen, for $6.9 million. The property was originally purchased by Oates and his wife Aimee in 1994 as raw land with two old cabins, which they transformed into a ranch over nearly three decades. Situated on 4.3 acres, the ranch served as their Colorado getaway until recently when they decided to spend more time in Nashville, leading them to sell the property after listing it for $6 million in 2017.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
When John Oates first laid eyes on the property in Woody Creek, Colorado, just outside Aspen, it wasn't much to look at.
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it → lay → Aspen
The musician had another house in mind, an Aspen townhouse that sat right downtown.
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that → have → mind
But his girlfriend at the time, and soon-to-be wife, Aimee, saw something different.
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girlfriend → see → something
“She grew up on a farm in Illinois, a farm girl from the Midwest, and when she saw the house in town she liked it and all, but she said, ‘Boy, I wish we could have chickens.’
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we → grow → chickens
I knew right then we needed some land,” Oates told The Land Report earlier.
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Oates → know → Report
They started looking for properties with the help of his friend, a realtor in town.
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They → start → town
," he told the outlet.
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he → tell → outlet
The couple thought it felt right and bought it.
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it → think → it
By 1997, Oates and his wife had transformed the land into what became known as Little Woody Creek Ranch.
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what → transform → Ranch
After owning it for nearly three decades, the couple sold the Aspen ranch for $6.9 million, Realtor.com reported.
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Realtor.com → own → million
The Little Woody Creek Ranch they built
Pic credit: Aspen Associates Realty
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they → build → Ranch
After purchasing the 4.3-acre property in 1994, the couple started building their dream abode.
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couple → purchase → abode
For nearly three decades, the Oates family used the ranch as their Colorado escape.
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family → use → escape
Between their primary home in Nashville and this sprawling mountain refuge, they split their time between the two, returning to Colorado for holidays and getaways.
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they → sprawl → holidays
The rock 'n' roll legend called Woody Creek the ‘bohemian suburb of Aspen’.
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legend → call → Aspen
Because he felt right at home.
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he → feel → home
In Manhattan, he lived in Greenwich Village, which is flooded with artists, musicians, actors and all types of creative people.
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which → live → people
This Colorado ranch had the same vibe.
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ranch → have → vibe
“I felt right at home in Woody Creek from the very beginning.
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I → feel → beginning
Don Henley lived down the road.
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Henley → live → road
Don Johnson lived not far from him.
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Johnson → live → him
Jimmy Ibbotson from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band lived up the road from us; still does.
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Ibbotson → live → us
And Hunter Thompson lived across the street.
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Thompson → live → street
My closest neighbour was Bob Beattie, the legendary ski coach, who we shared a lane with.
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we → share → lane
It was this really great community of well-known but down-home people,” he told the outlet.
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he → know → outlet
The accessibility also attracted the Oates family.
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accessibility → attract → family
It’s about eight miles from downtown Aspen.
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It → ’ → Aspen
“The good news is you don’t have to take Highway 82, which is the main highway.
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which → have → Highway
That can get very crowded in-season.
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That → get → season
McLain Flats Road parallels Highway 82, and you can literally just drive in and out of town with no traffic.”
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you → parallel → traffic
Listing the property
Pic credit: Aspen Associates Realty
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Listing → list → property
In 2017, the couple listed the property for $6 million.
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couple → list → million
The couple decided to list it after they realised that they were spending less time in Colorado.
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they → decide → Colorado
They were spending more months in Nashville.
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They → spend → Nashville
The ranch no longer needed to sustain horses or the lifestyle it had supported for decades.
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it → need → decades
So they decided to list it.
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they → decide → it
"Longtime Woody Creek residents, John and Aimee Oates have decided to relocate to downtown Aspen and put their 35-year home on the market," the description listed by Scott Davidson of Christie's International Real Estate read.
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description → decide → Estate
For months, the ranch didn’t find a prospective buyer.
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ranch → find → buyer
It sat on the market for months, even after price cuts.
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It → sit → cuts
By the end of 2018, they pulled it from the market.
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they → pull → market
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
