"I'm going back to Colorado / The place that I started from / If I'd known how bad you'd treat me honey / I would never have come." - Wanted Man by Bob Dylan.
Sitting on the open volcanic flats of the northern Colorado high country, Craig is a town where the Wild West spirit lives on. 9,464 Coloradans call Craig home, but they are vastly outnumbered by the nearby herds of Elk and Buffalo. If you yearn for the days of cowhide chaps, spurs, and wrestling cattle on the open range, check out Craig, where that Cowboy way of life survives.
The city gets a generous blanketing of snow each winter
"I'm going back to Colorado / The place that I started from / If I'd known how bad you'd treat me honey / I would never have come." - Wanted Man by Bob Dylan.
Sitting on the open volcanic flats of the northern Colorado high country, Craig is a town where the Wild West spirit lives on. 9,464 Coloradans call Craig home, but they are vastly outnumbered by the nearby herds of Elk and Buffalo. If you yearn for the days of cowhide chaps, spurs, and wrestling cattle on the open range, check out Craig, where that Cowboy way of life survives.
Moving to Craig
The city gets a generous blanketing of snow each winter. On average, 75 inches falls in the city, and much more falls at higher elevations. Routt County maintains the largest fleet of snow clearing vehicles per capita in the US, and they are wickedly efficient at keeping the byways clear for travel. Nonetheless, most movers prefer to schedule their arrival for the summer months. This will help to avoid inclement weather, and it'll be much easier to evaluate your potential rental home when it is not buried under several feet of snow.
If you plan to drive your automobile to Craig, a four-wheel drive vehicle will serve you best during the winter. Most locals opt to switch the tires on their ride twice per year, using stickier rubber in the winter and a harder highway tire in the summertime. The winter's are spectacular in Craig - the mountain passes fill with untouched snow, and the fir tree limbs hang heavy with the sparkly white stuff. However, it's extremely important to be prepared for the colder temperatures. In December and January, low temperatures will regularly drop into the single digits, and during cold snaps, the mercury can drop well below zero. Adapting to the weather is merely a matter of preparation. Pack your warmer winter clothes and some waterproof shoes with firm-gripping soles. If you find yourself a little shy of the ideal attire, stop on Lincoln Avenue in downtown Steamboat Springs on your way into town. Dozens of outdoor outfitters carry extensive and expertly selected clothing and equipment for the region.
You'll find ample variety of places to live in Craig. A selection of complexes offering one and two bedroom apartments cluster along Craig Ditch, on the west side of town. On the smaller apartments, all bills paid options are common. It's rare to find 2 bedroom apartments for rent that will include all utilities paid, because heating costs can be high and variable during the winter. When applying for housing, be prepared with the full dossier for the landlords. In addition to identification, you will need to provide proof of income or proof of employment in the area, and funds for a deposit. Rental houses can provide more flexible options. They are scattered throughout, though you might be best served by honing in on a specific neighborhood.
Neighborhoods
Most of the housing in Craig hangs fairly tightly around the east-west path of Highway 40, and extends north along Yampa Avenue.
City Center: Shopping, government offices, and the Hospital gather around the central business district. The city center contains mostly condos and smaller single family homes.
West Victory Way and Ranney Street: Most of Craig's apartments for rent are just past Ranney Street on the west end of Craig. Fancier digs with higher price tags compose the housing options out here, with the priciest and and most luxurious sitting on generous acreage along the rural roads that branch north and south off of the highway.
Living in Craig
Craig is home to scores of genuine cowboys, but If your profession is not plied on horseback, on the open range, Craig is in close proximity to several major sources of employment. Craig sits just down the road from the Hayden Generating Station, a coal power plant that is one of the largest in Colorado, and is a pioneer is green technology and low emissions techniques. The Yampa Valley River Authority operates a hydroelectric clean energy project just down the road, and the Hayden airport employs many of Craig's residents.
Most of Craig's full-timers are here for the extensive wildlife and the unmatched access to the great outdoors. Forty miles down the road lies the Steamboat Springs Ski Area, one of the nations oldest and most prestigious ski mountains. With an average snowfall of 350", Steamboat is a constant draw for Craig residents looking to carve some tracks in world-class terrain. Hunting authorities have repeatedly christened Craig the, "Elk Hunting Capital of the World", and every winter, thousands of hunters gear up and head out into the snow in search of trophy game. Whether your aim is to hunt, ski, or just to get away from it all, Craig is a village with a warm heart and an Old West attitude surrounded by breathtaking wilderness.
