Montrose County, with a population of 36,600 in 2004, is strategically located on the Western Slope of Colorado, at the center point of Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. It is the KEY infrastructure to the giant economic engine that is Telluride!!!!

Montrose has become a widely sought after investment area due to it’s current growth and coming population boom. Montrose is located 67 miles from Telluride, 19 miles south of Delta and 6o miles south of Grand Junction and only 267 miles Southwest of Denver.

The climate is great year round and the economy is growing at 4-5% per year. Montrose County's economy has managed to evade the economic downturn the last 2-3 years. After increasing at an average annual rate of 4.3% between 1990 and 2000, Montrose County increased 3.0% in 2001-2003. While much of the rest of the state experienced substantially lower growth or declines in retail trade sales. New developments are continually coming onto the market. Most recently the city has welcomed a Chilli’s restaurant, a Home depot and a Starbucks café. A Walgreens drug store is set to open early next year. To put it mildy, the town is BOOMING!

The population of Montrose County has grown at 3.1% per year between 1990-2003, with a 2% increase for the year ending 2004 according to the U.S. Census. Most of the growth has been in the municipality according to the county planner. The city’s population has just gone over 15,000 this month.

Home sales and rental units

The median price of a home in the city of Montrose in the year 2004 was $170,000. up from $159,000 in 2001. The “Montrose County Housing Needs Assessment” which was released in March of 2003 reported a 445 rental unit deficit for the county. That deficit according to the survey would grow by 228 units by July of 2005. Vacancy rates in 2003 were very low at 3.3% and in 2004 the rates were even lower at 2.4%.This is fantastic news for real estate investors that like CASH FLOW and full occupancy.

Notes:

• Montrose's communities are growing and diversifying. Montrose experienced strong population growth in the 1990's. According to the State of Colorado, Montrose grew 36.6% over the past decade, and the population is expected to grow another 25.5% by 2010. Checks of vehicle registrations show that people are moving to Montrose from all 50 states.
• Montrose has great mountains, great weather and a great lifestyle. Montrose's mild valley climate offers over 300 days of sunshine In just minutes, you can travel to Colorado's high country and resort towns such as Telluride, Crested Butte, and Durango, The area is quickly becoming known nationally as a great place to retire.