Gunnison

It was about an hour into my first visit to Gunnison when I fell in love with it. I went up to Western State College to check out if I'd like to go to school there and in the course of three days I knew it was where I wanted to call home. During the summer and fall months the campus is gorgeous with huge trees dotting the entire area. During winter you can see to the lake where they have ice skating and in the midst of cold white snow everywhere, there are little figures that look like they are dancing about in a rainbow of colors with their winter jackets and snow pants on. I had to leave because the college didn't have what I decided to major in, but I will never forget this great little town.

The businesses in town are used to having a lot of students around during the fall and spring term and most of the owners are very friendly towards them. For the permanent residents and their children, the elementary, middle, and high schools are all rated at a 6 on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being highest.

This is definitely a place for outdoor sports enthusiasts. There's skiing, camping, white water rafting, fishing...you name it. Curecanti National Recreation Area is just down Highway 50 and has numerous things to do. It is also a great place to just go and watch the nightlife.

One drawback to living here is the winter's can be rough. Even though the sun shines around 290 days out of the year, it can still get bitter cold here. One weekend I had planned to go back to Denver to visit my family and I ended up having to buy chains for my tires just to get over the pass. There can be some harrowing driving, if you're not used to it, trying to get out of Gunnison in the winter.

Overall, if you're looking for a small town atmosphere and you love the outdoors, this might be a good place to call home. Just remember to bring your heavy coat.