Hotchkiss (Grand Junction, Delta, Paonia: appointed, school, organic)

[RockChester]

What's Hotchkiss like? I've done some research on relocating to Colorado and Hotchkiss is a small town in a temperate climate, relative to other parts of the state. It's not terribly far from Grand Junction but beyond that, I have no idea. Until I travel to the state and have a look around for myself, it's all theoretical but anyone have experience with living there? How is it for biking, are there trails nearby? I'm guessing it's a bit remote so Wi-Fi choices are limited and Trader Joe's is a long drive but the town has a lot of appeal for me.

[jim9251]

Small quiet town. Honestly you'll be considered just another outsider by locals. If you're wanting to move based on Trader Joe's you're going to be disappointed in Colorado. I would visit first especially in the middle of February.

Chamber of Commerce of Hotchkiss Colorado

Town of Hotchkiss, Colorado | Friendliest Town Around

[Littlekw]

Hotchkiss is a cute little town. I'm from the North Fork Valley, grew up on a cattle ranch on Cottonwood Mesa between Hotchkiss and Crawford. I went to school in Hotchkiss. As jim9251 said, you will always be an outsider in that area unless you're from there.

Maybe things have changed in the last 15 years but from what I know about the North Fork is that unless you were born there, you don't belong there. My father is a Paonia native but he married an east coast gal. Dad was always welcome but mom was always an outsider, even though she lived in the area for 30-plus years.

That area is very insular. That translates to most people as backward. You're from there or you're not. Just having a New Jersey mother never made me entirely "of" the North Fork Valley and I even have family with the last name of Hotchkiss.

If you move there be prepared to be an outsider. If you're okay with that, meet the many other outsiders and ignore the local mentality. There are some really nice people in the Hotchkiss area but they don't tend to be the natives of the area.

On the flip side, there are a lot of new people moving into the area. The organic farming and winery side of the North Fork agricultural scene have brought in some improvements to the area. The coal mining side of the economy in the Paonia, Bowie and Somerset area have also brought in new people with new ideas. Also High Country News www.hcn.org has brought a new line of thinking to the North Fork. But a lot of that tends to be Paonia thinking, not so much Hotchkiss.

It's a small, independent newspaper published monthly but for a little more information on Hotchkiss and the North Fork look at www.merchantherald.com

For some more information on the area look at Home of the High Country Shopper | Paonia, Colorado 81428 and Welcome to the Delta County Independent

[Colorado Rambler]

You forgot to mention the problem with all the homeless people from Grand Junction who are being given one-way bus tickets to Hotchkiss. It's no wonder folks tend to stick to themselves!

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by jim9251

Small quiet town. Honestly you'll be considered just another outsider by locals. If you're wanting to move based on Trader Joe's you're going to be disappointed in Colorado. I would visit first especially in the middle of February.

Chamber of Commerce of Hotchkiss Colorado

Town of Hotchkiss, Colorado | Friendliest Town Around

Jim nailed it. He is one of our resident experts on the West Slope.