2006 State of the Rockies

Rockies Growing More Than Three Times Faster Than U.S., Report Shows

By Bryan Hurlbutt, 4-16-06

Some still hold a romantic view of the Mountain West as a lawless, backward land of rugged cowboys roaming remote locations, fending for themselves, and living off the land. This report, just released in the 2006 Colorado College State of the Rockies Report Card, dispels some of these common myths. "Rockies Baseline—Vital Signs for a Region in Transition" shows that in the Rockies region we are well-educated, highly mobile, and for better or worse, most of us work in offices. Additionally, the region’s population is growing over three times faster than that of the U.S. (Click here for the Rockies Baseline section of the report (PDF))

What’s your experience? Do you and your friends work on your own off of the land, or do you work with others in an office? Is the cowboy myth completely wrong, or is it still an important part of understanding the West? Read the report and respond!

Editor's note: The author is the co-author of the 2006 Colorado College State of the Rockies Report Card. We will be periodically releasing PDFs of the report throughout the next several weeks for you discussion.

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