Gunnison (Denver, Fraser, Tabernash: real estate, wages, living)

[Robin.Short]

Does anyone have any comments about the area about 12 miles south on County Road 38 from Gunnison’s main Highway 50? Planning a visit in the upcoming months, heard it is bone chilling cold and hoping to get a taste of this to help make decisions about relocating, etc.

[jazzlover]

Yes, it is brutal cold in Gunnison in the winter. In my years of living there, the coldest unofficial temperature I recorded was -55° F. One winter the temperature never got above 0° F. for about three weeks straight. The good news is that the wind usually doesn't blow there much and the sun shines most of the time in winter. Gunnison itself actually gets about the same average snowfall as Denver, but--unlike Denver--whatever falls there generally stays for the whole winter.

Summers are pleasant, but cool and short. One year, I was scraping frost at 21° F. on the first day of summer--June 21st. Gunnison has had a number of warmer than average years in the last 15 or so, though last winter was more typical of what at least used to be "average."

It's still a nice town, but real estate is overpriced, jobs are scarce, and wages are pretty low--pretty much typical of all of rural Colorado west of the Front Range. As to the area you refer to south of Gunnison--well, I went to a lot of keggers out there in my younger days many years ago. Pretty much rocks, sagebrush and juniper.

[DOUBLE H]

Jazzlover is right. If you are planning a visit, do it in December or January. And if you can tolerate THAT, you'll be fine! I give a badge of honor to long time residents of that town, who I have found to be good folks. If you are into fishing, it doesn't get any better than Blue Mesa Reservoir, just west of town, one of the top fishing/boating rec spots in the state IMO. For many years the Tabernash/Fraser area was known as the icebox of Colorado, but Gunnison beats them now.