Land Use, Population and Demographics
Map- City of Gunnison Land Use
Map- Gunnison County Land Ownership
Map- 1990 Density
Map- 2000 Density
As stated earlier, nearly 87% of County land is owned and managed by public entities including; the United States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation,Colorado Division of Wildlife,and the State of Colorado (Table 1).This is what brings most people to the Gunnison Area.
Most of the private lands are located in the valley floor and nearly 82% of this private land has no significant improvements. According to table 2, a significant amount of land (77% of private lands) is depicted as agricultural, though many of these parcels are not lands that generate significant income primarily associated with agricultural uses, and in a real sense are used for large-lot residential uses.
The elevation ranges in Gunnison County are dramatic, ranging from 5,880 feet to 14,285 feet. These dramatic elevation ranges allows for a wide variety of ecosystems and vegetation cover including; semi desert shrub lands, pinion juniper woodland, sagebrush shrub land, ponderosa pine forest, douglas fir forest, aspen forest, lodge pole pine forest, limber-bristle cone pine woodland and sub alpine engelman spruce forest.
Table 3 shows the population breakdown from 1880 to 2003, collected from the US Census web site. The County is in the process of completing a Comprehensive Plan, which is being done by Dave Michaelson, Long Range Planner. The Comprehensive Plan summarizes some basic demographic data based on the 2000 Census, comparing Gunnison County to the State of Colorado.
Some observations include:
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Persons below the poverty level was nearly 6 % higher than the State of Colorado.
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Median value of owner-occupied housing is higher than either the State or the Country as a whole.
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The population percent change from 1990 to 2000 in the County was nearly three times the national average, and 5% above the State of Colorado. Although the pace of growth slowed during the period of 2000-2002, early building permit data for the spring of 2004, the sale of the ski area and the subsequent speculative real estate market suggests that the growth rate may be accelerating.
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Gunnison County has a relative young demographic profile, with persons over 65 significantly lower than either the State or the nation.
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The percent of high school graduates and those with bachelor degrees is significantly higher than the State.
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Home ownership rates are below State levels, pointing to the gap between wages and housing costs.
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Median values of owner-occupied housing units are above State levels, while median households and per capita income lag behind.
For more information on detailed statistics please visit:
US Census
Bureau Colorado Quickfacts