I've got a job interview tomorrow morning and I'm hoping someone can provide some inside scoop on the town, it's inhabitants, and other such things. My previous search through google/campfire proved positive, albeit google street view was scary/humbling/interesting.

Thanks!

I used to elk hunt there every year. If snow comes during the season you have a tag for, elk everywhere. No snow in the higher elevations then there are also no elk to harvest. The hunting seasons, when I was there, turned a rather small ranching community into a bustle of activity with Orange clad hunters from many different states converging. Lots of late season elk cow tags given. The Holiday Inn there had, when I was going there 20 or so years ago, a walk in cooler for the animals taken by the hunters staying there, and was dog friendly.

Countryside looked to me to be mostly sagebruss with a few grassy valleys (Migration routes) and some hill ranges that held elk almost all of the time. Surrounded by a couple of large ranches with good guided elk hunting opportunities.

Seemed to me that the economic base's were ranching, mining, and a bit of tourism. But, I could easily have missed one or more and it has been a long time now.

I would love to find another pay to hunt private land deal that I could get onto in that region, those were some fun hunts! Elk Sniping at its best.

Only went through Craig once, circa '82ish.. And I thought the same thing - scary main drag indeed.. Looked almost like a ghost town - saw nobody, but felt eyes on me the entire time I drove through.. IIRC it's not far from the old Climax mine.. I'm sure it's a lot different now so I wish you luck sir..

I hunted deer there in the late 70's a few times and, frankly, missed (literally) opportunities at toad mule deer as a finger pullin' 7 Mag dumazz high school kid. All I remember was there wasn't much but hunters at that time of the year.

It's my home town, now I live in Meeker, just south on 13.
Check out OLD WEST HUNTING, with Ted Myers. He's a personal friend, an honest guy, though his place is in Routt County.
Craig isn't the town I grew up in, but it's one of the best ones in CO, for having some size.

While I'm at it- Craig changed very much in the 70s- I left when the first stack was up on the power plant. Much larger percentage of "seedier" folks than there used to be. But, having lived in 5 different states before coming back to the general area, I'll say there are still plenty of fine folks there, and it beats a lot of anywhere else.

I've been there, and to AL. I can't imagine this even being a question; I'd already be packing my stuff.

Craig has grown into a decent small city. However, if you need more in the way of shopping, medical care, etc., it's a long way to anywhere else with more of those things. Outdoor opportunities abound, though, if those are important to you.

I've bowhunted elk north of Craig since the late 80s. It's a nice little town and Steamboat ain't too far if you need something a bit larger.

I love that area. Go for it.

I love that area a lot, but it's what somebody else said. Also kind of like northern arizona, new mexico. It's fine until you need medical help, then it's oh oh time.

Even without decent medical facilities, I'd move to the Steamboat/Hayden/Craig corridor in a second if I could. You've got outstanding fishing in the Yampa, and are in the arguably best 100 mile area in Colorado to get an elk. Probably won't be a NM or AZ monster, but it will feed you and your family for the year.

If I ever hit it big that area of Colorado is on my short list.

It seems like it would be a little slow for a youngster.

Climax Mine ain't anywhere near Craig. I'm driving through Craig right now.

Craig has a brand-new hospital; one of the big-wigs on the board also happens to be one of the area's best outfitters. Craig isn't Grand Junction, thank heaven, but it's a pretty going concern, for a relatively low population density. What folks from elsewhere don't grasp about NW CO is the VAST amount of PUBLIC LAND- Rio Blanco County, which neighbors Moffat to the
south, is 70% public land.

who is the bigwig?

I was wondering the same.

Dick Dodds maybe?

Had friend who was an Elk guide there. Another friend owned a furniture store there. Have been there many times. I worked for the company that owned the coal mine that supplied the coal for the power plant and visited there many times when I was working in Denver. I really like the area but it s been many years since there. Elk is definitely one of the drawing cards.

The bigwig-no insult intended- is Don Myers. The Gil-Mar Ranch,
up Williams Fork out of Hamilton. He has run highly successful hunts on his own and leased property, for many years.

Hey, zimhunter- was your furniture store-owner Bill L?

I had the opportunity to use the Craig Hospital ER last year. Nice folks , small hospital, and not much high tech equipment.

Shoot, we're even getting a new hospital in freakin' MEEKER, now- must be lots of $$$ in having new ones.

Lived in Steamboat for seven years. Northwest Colorado is a pretty good place to be if you can pay the bills. Craig is still Craig, scruffy around the edges but for the most part, good practical people. Hunting is excellent IF you can stand CO DOW's bullshyte.
But it is remote from "the world." Just far enough from Denver, the trouble is, Denver keeps electing idiots for all of Colorado.
Winters kind of blow, like Wyoming. The gumbo can be amazing, too.
But Craig is a good, solid small western town and a super place for a sportsman.

Little light on trees. It's like Wyoming, except you get Colorado Bullshyte for legislature and governor (until this fall) and you get to pay income tax. I'd go for many Wyoming towns over Craig, no offense.

hacklewrap01 - It was he as also a minister and an excellent pilot and a very good friend as was his wife.

I like the general area. There is a billboard on the west end of town "Meth Kills."

I'm from the area. You can pm me if you want

I'll be passing through Craig headed down Meeker direction in oct for 1st elk rifle season.

We usually get groceries, ice, beer etc. in Craig.

If you are coming from the north you may have to pass through baggs, which IMO is an honest to god chit hole. Lol!

I'd live in the Craig area, I'm no "towny" but the town itself has more than what I need in the way of shopping/medical center.