Montrose County
* Images
2 and 5 courtesy of Ouray Chamber Resort Association
Kane Scheidegger
Montrose County is home to a
population of 39,527 over 2,200 square miles in the
Uncompaghre River and Paradox Valleys.
In 1883,
Montrose County was formed as a result of
the splitting of Gunnison County. From the beginning, the business of servicing the Ouray and
Telluride mining districts developed as an important
Montrose industry. The Dave Wood Transportation Line
moved to Montrose and established a large freighting and
transfer firm close to the railroad depot and provided
for a ready market of food stuff, encouraging an
increasing number of farmers and merchants to relocate
to the county. Land had opened for settlement under the
preemption act and access to water for domestic and
irrigation use quickly became critical.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Bureau of Reclamation
created a project to build the seven-mile-long Gunnison
Tunnel, resulting in a source of irrigation water for
the Uncompaghre Valley from the formerly inaccessible
regions of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. The
project turned the valley into fertile growing lands for
many types of agriculture, and President Howard Taft
came to Montrose to dedicate the project in September of
1909.
Montrose County grew to become a
thriving agricultural center and year-round recreation
hub, housing the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National
Park and the Gunnison Gorge National Recreation and
Wilderness Areas, and coming to serve as a
transportation center for the San Juan Mountains.
Largely comprised of National Forest, Bureau of Land
Management, and National Park lands, the main cities and
towns include Montrose, Naturita, Nucla, Olathe, and
Paradox.
Demographics
The 2006 census estimate for
Montrose County indicated that the population was
38,559, a 15.3% increase since the 2000 census. In 2000
there were 13,043 households and 9,312 families residing
in the county, and the population density was 15 people
per square mile. There were 14,202 housing units, at an
average density of six per square mile. The racial
makeup of the county was 89.96% White, 0.31% Black or
African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.42% Asian,
0.07% Pacific Islander, 5.74% from other races, and
2.49% from two or more races. 14.86% of the population
was Hispanic or Latino of any race. In the county, the
population was spread with 26.8% under the age of 18 and
15.2% aged 65 or older.
Economics
The median income for a household in the county was
$35,234, and the median income for a family, $40,849.
Males had a median income of $29,945 compared to $21,423
for females; the per capita income for the county was
$17,158. About 8.90% of families and 12.60% of the
population were below the poverty line, including 16.50%
of those under age 18 and 9.80% over 65.
Health & Emergency Services
Montrose Memorial Hospital was established by the
Montrose County Commissioners in 1949. Today it operates
as a beautiful, modern, 75-bed Regional Medical Center.
Located in the City of Montrose, MMH provides a full
range of medical services to meet the county’s’
healthcare needs.
Montrose County has many programs that promote the
health and well-being of individuals and the community.
These programs include:
- Children With Special Health Care Needs
- Communicable Disease Control
- Emergency Preparedness
- Environmental Health
- EPSDT
- Family Planning
- Food Service
- Grant programs that focus on prevention and
early intervention of disease
- Healthy Steps
- Immunizations
- Nurse Family Partnership for new mothers
- Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program
- Women’s Wellness Connection
Helpful Links
www.montrosechamber.com/
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/08085.html
http://www.city-data.com/city/Montrose-Colorado.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montrose_County,_Colorado
http://www.cityofmontrose.org/index.aspx
http://www.co.montrose.co.us/
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