Cedaredge and Delta Area Questions (Grand Junction, Montrose: utilities, living in, utility costs)

[wanttoretire]

What is it like living in Cedaredge, Delta and all the surrounding little towns regarding medical and utility costs?

Specifically are there adequate medical facilities available nearby that can accommodate serious illness or accidents without being airlifted to GJ?
I guess my question really is are the facilities near these little towns adequate to handle or at least stablize a person if they have to be moved by ambulance to another facility?

Are the utilities in this area reasonable and affordable especially for retirees?

We have heard that in GJ the utility rates have gone through the roof and doubling if not tripling since they have become under new ownership. Is this also the case for these areas?

We are going there is less then 2 months to see the area but we would like some information prior to that time to think about.

Of course we are very interested in fishing around these areas but I think for the most part we understand that there is an abundance of fishing areas within a reasonable distance but if anyone has any further input on these areas with specifics that too would be appreciated.

[jazzlover]

I still have family in Delta, so I think I'm qualified to comment. Delta has a brand new hospital that is very nice. It will do pretty well for most problems, but if specialized treatment is necessary, it probably means going to Grand Junction or the Front Range. Medical costs there seem about the same as the Front Range.

Natural gas in the Delta area (in the towns) is supplied by Kinder Morgan (which just got bought out, I think). Power is supplied by Delta-Montrose Electric Ass'n, except in Delta itself, which is supplied by the city. My family there lives in Delta and they do complain about the city power rates--though I don't think that they are a whole lot different than other Colorado locales.

The Delta/Montrose area is growing rapidly--and not very gracefully. A lot of rural farmland is getting chewed up by development. When I visit there periodically, it amazes me how it has changed. It has affected things like fishing, etc. There is lot more pressure now, and it is a lot harder to find solitude. To someone who sees the area for the first time, it can look pretty enchanting--but, if you compare it with what it was like 20 or 30 years ago (and I can), it's a lot more crowded, expensive, sprawled and commercialized.

[wanttoretire]

Thanks for the input. I guess when we go there in July we will really have to pick some brains from the locals.
I'm wondering if the Gas Company was bought up by the same Corporation that bought the Gas Company in GJ. My sister-in-law in GJ says her gas bill over the winter months tripled from what it used to be which isn't a very promising thing for a retiree.
At least the information you provided on the hospital was a bit more reassuring.