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Routt County

2009-2010 Community Indicator Report

Routt County is a diverse environment offering breathtaking mountain vistas and picturesque ranch lands. Located in northwest Colorado, the county encompasses 2,231 square miles. Communities include Clark, Hahns Peak, Milner, Phippsburg and Toponas, the towns of Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa, and the city of Steamboat Springs.

About 50% of the land in Routt County is publicly owned. The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest makes up a large portion of the county. This includes the Mt. Zirkel, and Sarvis Creek Wilderness areas. Local State Parks are Stagecoach Reservoir, Steamboat Lake, Elkhead Reservoir and Pearl Lake. These public lands provide residents and visitors with scenic recreational areas for hiking, picnicking, boating, hunting, fishing and waterskiing.

During the winter months the resort town of Steamboat Springs thrives due to a world-class ski resort, while ranching, agriculture, forestry, mining and power generation provide a year-round economy in the surrounding areas. The entire county abounds with a variety of cultural events, outdoor activities and educational facilities, including two community colleges, three public school districts, several private schools and a renowned performing arts summer camp.

History

The Yampa Valley's hard winters and deep snows made year-round settlement difficult. The area long served as the Ute tribe’s summertime hunting grounds; later, trappers and mountain men pursued small game, selling the hides to the fur industry. Then, James Crawford arrived with his family in 1875 to file a homestead claim and establish what would become the town of Steamboat Springs.

More homesteaders soon followed. Some raised cattle or sheep, while others worked in the county’s gold and coal mines. Still others settled in towns, opening shops, businesses, even “spa” facilities at the mineral springs. Almost everyone relied on skis (then called "snowshoes") for essential wintertime transportation, but with the arrival of famed ski jumper Carl Howelsen in 1912, people started skiing for fun and recreation. Routt County has the West’s longest running Winter Carnival. Traditions such as ranchers bringing in their horses to pull kids on skis down Steamboat Spring’s main street have remained virtually unchanged for nearly a century. These same kids and ranchers gather each August for the Routt County Fair in Hayden.

Since 1915, Howelsen Hill has hosted breathtaking Winter Carnival stunts and competitions. In 1961, the opening of Storm Mountain, later renamed Mt. Werner, attracted skiers from around the world. Residents as well as tourists enjoyed skiing "Ski Town USA" and its trademark champagne powder, and, before long, Steamboat Springs held the record of producing more Olympic athletes than any other town in North America.

The Yampa root was a dietary staple of the local Ute Indians for centuries. Their beloved Bear River was later renamed the Yampa River in their honor and flows through the middle of Steamboat Springs, one of the last of the wild rivers of the American West. This water feeds the irrigated hay meadows of Routt County. For decades, agriculture formed the backbone of the Routt County community. High altitudes, short growing seasons and cool nights make this area ideal for growing greens such as spinach and lettuce and strawberries. South Routt was a major origination point for spinach in the 50s.

The image of a skiing cowboy continues to represent a typical Routt County resident—willing to work hard and enjoy the area’s natural resources through all of the seasons.

Demographics

According to the 2008 U.S. Census, Routt County has a total population of 22,880 people. Its population is 93.6% White, 0.6% African American, 0.8% Asian, 1.4% Other, and Hispanic or Latino of any race was 4.2% of the population. Females count for 46.3% of the population, while males make up the remaining 53.7%. In 2007, the median household income was $63,797, while the median single family home sold for $849,500.

Economy

Routt County’s economy is dominated by tourism, mining, agriculture and location-neutral businesses. In 2007, Routt County had an economic gain in personal income due to migration of $23.5 million, equal to the personal income of the county’s entire retail sector for the same period. In Routt County, construction, accommodations, food services and real estate/leasing account for 42% of all private sector jobs. Over the past six years the construction trades have become the county’s largest source of new jobs (1,054 companies in 2006). However, the recent economic downturn has seen many of these jobs disappear.

An increasing number of full and part-time residents throughout the county do not depend on the economic activity occurring within the region to make their living. This group has become an economic driver, and yet does not yet approach tourism, healthcare, construction or the nonprofit sector in terms of percentage of workforce. Agriculture’s share of Routt County’s total personal income has gone from almost 5% in 1970 to less than a half of one percent today. However, agriculture as an economic sector has been relatively stable in all three nearby counties over the past 35 years.

Routt County’s economy is interdependent on neighboring Moffat County; it draws significant employees from the city of Craig, who in turn imported $62 million in wages into their county in 2006, much of which came from employers in Routt and Rio Blanco counties. Obviously, this also impacts transportation, housing and other workforce issues. Traffic has increased 40% in the Yampa Valley, with the highest concentration of traffic in the region recorded in downtown Steamboat Springs.

Health Services

Yampa Valley Medical Center (YVMC) is a regional medical center and is the only nonprofit, non-tax-supported hospital in Northwest Colorado. With 89 physicians representing 33 specialties, the hospital delivers an average of 430 newborns, performs 4,200 surgeries and procedures, and sees more than 9,000 emergency patients annually. YVMC’s Emergency Department is designated by the State of Colorado as a Level IV Trauma Center.

In late 2009, YVMC will celebrate its 10th anniversary at its current campus on Central Park Drive, as well as the grand opening of its $13 million expansion project. The 32,000-square-foot addition will enhance Surgical Services and double the Family Birth Place, providing five new patient rooms, a family waiting room, and an expanded Special Care Nursery.

YVMC continues to expand other services, notably Cardiology and Cancer Care. With new diagnostic imaging equipment and a full-time cardiologist on the medical staff, YVMC performs full echocardiography services, nuclear stress testing and calcium scoring exams.