Craig (Denver, Grand Junction: find a job, school, move to)

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by peaches727

Hello all.

My husband and two daughters are looking to move to Craig co and was wondering any info you could tell me about it? He's looking to get a job at the mines, we currently live in Arizona and he works for a mine there. Any advice/comments are appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I'm from Craig originally, but I haven't lived there for about 20 years now. My family is still there. What would ya like to know?

[peaches727]

Anything and everything. Is the town friendly? How are the schools? How cold is it? What items you think we would need for winter(we're from AZ so not much snow here). Thanks!

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by peaches727

Anything and everything. Is the town friendly? How are the schools? How cold is it? What items you think we would need for winter(we're from AZ so not much snow here). Thanks!

I'd say overall the town is friendly once you break the ice. The town may be almost 10k but there are definitely small-town cliques. Growth in Craig has been slow and steady since the coal boom went bust in the late 70s.

Craig is somewhat isolated. The next town over is Hayden (pop. 1600), and it's 17 miles east. The nearest large city is Grand Junction, and it's a 2.5 hour car ride away in good weather. The nearest major metro area is Denver (200 miles away). Salt Lake City is 300 miles to the west.

Schools

The schools leave a lot to be desired. The district is average to just slightly below average. Here's a link to the district's ratings. All the schools (with the exception of Sunset Elementary) are in the C/C- range.

http://coloradoschoolgrades.com/SchoolSearch.aspx?districtId=2020&st=0

Not great by any means but you can still graduate from Moffat County High School and not end up as a drooling idiot. Parenting plays a key role.

Winter Weather

Craig sometimes gets big snowstorms, but the area typically isn't snow covered all winter. The big problem with Craig in the winter isn't the snow as much as the cold. Granted there are times when Craig will get dumped on and 12-24 inches of snow in one storm isn't out of the question, but Craig can also get bitterly cold. If an arctic airmass blows into the Yampa Valley it can drop the overnight low temperature well below zero (-15 to -30), and thanks to temperature inversions the cold can stay long after the airmass has moved on. It's not like it's below zero all winter, but you can expect sub-zero temps for a few weeks off and on through the winter. Then there are times when it's in the mid-upper 40s during the day.

For winter clothing, make sure you've got warm, heavy jackets, winter caps, and warm gloves as well as sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. If the kids are planning to go sledding snow pants are a must. If we planned to stay outside for a long time my mom would also make us wear long underwear.

Scenery/Geography

Craig doesn't have much in the way of mountain scenery. It's in the mountains but it sits in a high desert plateau. The primary vegetation consists of cottonwoods, gambel oak, sagebrush, prickly pear cacti, and tall grasses. Once you get outside of Craig proper or away from the Yampa River there aren't many trees until you head to the mountains.

The Elkhead Mountains are north of town, but they're all under 11,000ft - low by Colorado standards. The pro is that they're not heavily hiked so they're nice and quiet. The Flat Tops east of Meeker and the Park & Gore Ranges east/southeast of Steamboat Springs are more impressive.

Wildlife

Mule deer are the most common animal you'll see in and around Craig. They're everywhere, so be careful even driving city streets at night.

Elk also occasionally wander through town during the spring and fall as they migrate to and from higher elevations. Late summer to mid fall the Elk are in their rut. Bull elk can be aggressive during the rut so approaching them is not recommended.

Mountain lions are also in the area, but sightings are rare. Every few years the Division of Wildlife has to tranquilize and relocate one or two that make their way into town.

[Mike from back east]

I've now merged 3 general threads on Craig into one thread for the sake of keeping info on the town in one spot with the aim of precluding repeat requests for the same general information. I do this with a lot of threads, especially on the more rural towns in COLO.

[otterprods]

If you like river paddling away from whitewater-rafting tours and thrill-seeking kayakers, then the Yampa River is one of the best stretches of water in the state. Yampa River State Park provides 13 access points for boaters along 134 miles of the river from Hayden to the eastern boundary of Dinosaur National Monument. It has been designated as shared use between ranchers, anglers, hunters and, of course, boaters. That means you can't just land anywhere you want to hike or camp but you can float the whole thing peacefully without worrying about landowners practicing such nonsense like putting a chain or a fence across "their" stretch of water. As long as you stick to the designated use areas for access, camping and other activities it is one of the most pleasant places to be out int he water within the western US!

Craig is right in the middle of it and is by far the largest town along that whole stretch of river. If/when I'm ever ready to move a little further off the grid and spend all my free time fishing, hunting and just being out on the water, I will go to Craig, at least for the summers.

[zthatzmanz28]

Greetings,

My daughter is interviewing for a teaching position in Craig and I am wondering what she should know about the area?

Thanks

[bluescreen73]

Grew up there and honestly the area hasn't changed much since I left a little more than 20 years ago. Most of my family still lives there.

What would you like to know? The town is fairly isolated. 40 miles from Wyoming, 95 miles from Utah.

Climate-wise the winters are long and sometimes very chilly. Summers are short, warm, and dry.

The school district is cash-strapped and does not perform well on state metrics. It's hard for them to keep good teachers because of the district's financials and the locale.

Craig is not postcard Colorado. It sits in a high-mountain desert at about 6200' and there aren't any majestic mountains visible from town.

[zthatzmanz28]

Being from Michigan, she knows snow, but I have tried to explain how Colorado snow is different from Michigan snow, mostly in the QUANTITY.

What is the cost of living? Housing?

Is the town snow locked in the winter?

I have been through Estes Park and that area, what are summers like? are there great summer escapes?

I suppose a weekend trip to Wyoming is typical?

She is thinking that anywhere is better than Michigan, and to tell the truth I cannot argue too much as I spent much of my pre-parenthood life traveling the country, even spending a summer in Boulder.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

Being from Michigan, she knows snow, but I have tried to explain how Colorado snow is different from Michigan snow, mostly in the QUANTITY.

Craig averages around 75" of snow per year, and most of it has a low moisture content so it'll be light and powdery. Unlike the upper midwest, the snow doesn't always hang around from October/November to March. There may be times in the dead of winter where there's little snow on the ground. "Snow season" is much longer than MI. It can snow anytime from Mid-September to Late May. The first year we lived there (1984) we had snow flurries the first week of June.

Craig occasionally gets bitterly cold. Shallow pools of arctic air can settle into the Yampa Valley and drop overnight lows well below zero for days at a time. That typically happens once or twice per winter.

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

What is the cost of living? Housing?

COL is comparable to rural MI. Not a ton of apartments, but housing costs are very affordable by Colorado standards. Someone with a better background in real estate will have to help you with that.

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

Is the town snow locked in the winter?

Rarely. US-40 between Craig and Steamboat Springs is usually pretty well maintained because a sizable percentage of Steamboat's workforce commutes from Craig and Hayden. Additionally, Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden caters to tourists looking to ski in Steamboat.

CO-13 between Craig and Rifle closes occasionally at Nine Mile Gap near Meeker because of snowstorms.

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

I have been through Estes Park and that area, what are summers like? are there great summer escapes?

Summers in Craig are typically warm, breezy, and dry. Temps in the low-mid 90s are common. Craig proper has considerably less tree cover than a place like Estes Park. Cottonwood are the predominant tree species.

There are plenty of places near Craig to go camping in the summer, but most are pretty remote. Areas around Steamboat are the most popular for summer getaways; followed closely by the Flat Tops Wilderness east of Meeker.

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

I suppose a weekend trip to Wyoming is typical?

Not really. The closest Wyoming town to Craig is Baggs - population 440. Rawlins, Rock Springs, and Laramie are a decent hike away (110-170mi), and Cheyenne is a little over 200 miles from Craig. Grand Junction or Glenwood Springs are better bets for a weekend trip.

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

She is thinking that anywhere is better than Michigan, and to tell the truth I cannot argue too much as I spent much of my pre-parenthood life traveling the country, even spending a summer in Boulder.

If she's ever spent time in Colorado, tell her to throw out most of the images she has in her head because unless you're comparing it to the Eastern Plains, Craig definitely does not fit the mold.

[zthatzmanz28]

Thanks.
I am sure it will be what she wants, but not sure if she knows what to expect. I am hoping she considers location in terms of what if I want to stay awhile. May be she will swing through Denver o her trip and do a quick search of teacher position there...

So there are no snow gates in the area like in Wyoming? That is a relief. I had images of being snow bound for days in town as everyone fought for the last egg and Oberon..