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Grand County

2009 Grand County Needs Assessment

Grand County is located just 67 miles from Denver via Highway 40 over Berthoud Pass, which reaches an elevation of 11,315 ft. The county is 1,870 square miles located in a high mountain park known as Middle Park. Approximately 75% of the land in Grand County is publicly owned. The county includes Arapaho National Forest land and three Wilderness areas: Indian Peaks, Byers Peak and Vasquez. The City of Denver Water Board owns 17,000 acres of land, and nearby Rocky Mountain National Park sets aside 265,727 acres of natural land and wildlife habitat for the public to enjoy. The town of Grand Lake in northeast Grand County is at the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Highway 34, known as Trail Ridge Road, runs from Grand Lake, through the park, to the town of Estes Park at the eastern entrance to the park. The road reaches an elevation of 12,183 feet and is closed by snow in winter.

Demographics

The population of Grand County is primarily white non-Hispanic (93%). The next largest ethnic group is Hispanic (4.4%). The majority of residents of Grand County (93.9%) speak English at home.

Economy

Tourism in the main source of industry in eastern Grand County (referred to as the Fraser Valley), and jobs in the retail and service sector dominate the workforce. Ranching and agriculture are the primary industry in western Grand County. Industries providing employment for the county as a whole are as follows: arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services (22.8%), construction (14.2%), retail trade (11.5%), and educational, health and social services (11.4%). In Grand County, the median household income in 2007 was $55,862. (Colorado median household income is $55,212.) The 2008 cost of living index in Grand County was 90.8. (U.S. average is 100.)

History

Originally, the area was inhabited by both the Ute and Arapaho Indian tribes and was discovered by pioneers around 1820. Grand County was created on February 2, 1874 and was named after Grand Lake and the Grand River, an old name for the Colorado River, which has its headwaters in the county.

Grand County has a rich skiing history. The first ski hills in the county were built in Hot Sulphur Springs in 1911, and Carl Howelsen introduced ski jumping to the town before coming to Steamboat Springs. In 1912, Hot Sulphur Springs hosted the first official winter sports carnival in Colorado to include a ski jumping tournament. A special train brought spectators from Denver. The Denver press reported on the event, and the sport of skiing was born in Colorado.

Winter Park Resort was also one of Colorado’s first ski areas, beginning during the 1920s. During the early 1930s, George Cranmer of Denver Parks and Recreation suggested a plan to create a winter sports area at what was then known as West Portal. By 1937, Grand County Skiier the United States Forest Service (USFS) had built a ski jump with a few trails at Cooper Creek nearby the railroad. The following year, ski trains from Denver shuttled skiers to the area. In 1939, West Portal was renamed Winter Park, and the first J-bar tow went into operation. Lift tickets for the first season cost $1, with a total of 10,692 skier days.

Today, Grand County is also home to SolVista Basin ski area at Granby Ranch, which offers beginner to intermediate terrain for skiers and boarders. Like many other ski areas in Colorado, the entire region is now marketed as a four-season vacation destination to a national audience.

Health Services

Grand County is served by Kremmling Memorial Hospital, a Level IV Trauma Center with physicians staffing the Emergency Room 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Several medical clinics serve the eastern portion of the county.