Case Study: Naturita, Colorado
Naturita, CO
Naturita, Colorado is a small town of just over six hundred residents located near the Western border of the state in Montrose County. The town is situated at nearly a mile above sea level, in the valley of the San Miguel River. The area is noted for having a desert climate like nearby Southern Utah, and being surrounded by areas of greater elevation that are naturally forested. Naturita means little nature and was named by Mrs. Rockwell Blake, one of the town’s early residents, for the nature that flourished alongside the river banks in contrast to the surrounding barrenness of the desert.
Historically important as a stopover and resupply station for cowboys driving cattle to the railroad at Montrose and freight wagons transporting
copper ore from area mines to Placerville, Naturita has a primarily recreation and tourism-based economy now. There are still cattle ranching operations in the area, but the town’s economy is supported by hotels, restaurants, and grocery stores that cater to visitors intent on exploring the beautiful, rugged country surrounding the town. The town is home to several motels, an inn, a bank, a grocery store, a café, and a gas station. The historic Bedrock Store, located nearby on Highway Ninety has been used as a setting in several Hollywood films.
Naturita’s nearest neighbor, Nucla, is five miles to the North. Nucla and Naturita share a chamber of commerce and a school district. The latter also provides schooling for a few other smaller towns in the county. Thirty-five percent of households in the area have children under eighteen living at home. The median listing price for a home in the Naturita is sixty thousand dollars. The median family income in the area is just below forty thousand dollars a year. The climate in the town is dictated by its location in the high desert plateau of Western Colorado. In the winter average low temperatures are well below freezing at sixteen degrees Fahrenheit, while in the summer they average in the mid-nineties.
Naturita, Colorado is a small town of just over six hundred residents located near the Western border of the state in Montrose County. The town is situated at nearly a mile above sea level, in the valley of the San Miguel River. The area is noted for having a desert climate like nearby Southern Utah, and being surrounded by areas of greater elevation that are naturally forested. Naturita means little nature and was named by Mrs. Rockwell Blake, one of the town’s early residents, for the nature that flourished alongside the river banks in contrast to the surrounding barrenness of the desert.
Historically important as a stopover and resupply station for cowboys driving cattle to the railroad at Montrose and freight wagons transporting
copper ore from area mines to Placerville, Naturita has a primarily recreation and tourism-based economy now. There are still cattle ranching operations in the area, but the town’s economy is supported by hotels, restaurants, and grocery stores that cater to visitors intent on exploring the beautiful, rugged country surrounding the town. The town is home to several motels, an inn, a bank, a grocery store, a café, and a gas station. The historic Bedrock Store, located nearby on Highway Ninety has been used as a setting in several Hollywood films.
Naturita’s nearest neighbor, Nucla, is five miles to the North. Nucla and Naturita share a chamber of commerce and a school district. The latter also provides schooling for a few other smaller towns in the county. Thirty-five percent of households in the area have children under eighteen living at home. The median listing price for a home in the Naturita is sixty thousand dollars. The median family income in the area is just below forty thousand dollars a year. The climate in the town is dictated by its location in the high desert plateau of Western Colorado. In the winter average low temperatures are well below freezing at sixteen degrees Fahrenheit, while in the summer they average in the mid-nineties.