STEAMBOAT PILOT & TODAY
With a population of about 1,500 people, Jackson County is one of Colorado's least populated areas.
The three busiest areas in the county are Walden, Rand and Cowdrey. Walden, which sits 60 miles east of Steamboat Springs, has about 1,000 people and nearly all of the county's stores. Here, houses usually sell for between $80,000 and $130,000. Median home price for the whole county is $86,000.
Some of the homes in Walden are older, and give the town a historical, vintage feel.
Rand is smaller still, with one little store and one restaurant. Cowdrey is more of a settlement than a town and has less than a dozen people.
Much of area surrounding these towns is devoted to large working ranches, so the overall character of the county is agricultural.
Although Steamboat is about an hour away, realtors are finding that more and more Steamboat workers are buying homes in Walden and other areas around Jackson County and then making a long commute each day. The biggest draw for the area is affordability, as well as the true small-town, rural feel.
Another attraction in Jackson County is recreation. Good fishing opportunities abound, and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are popular in the winter. The Gould area at the base of Cameron Pass is a popular spot because of its accessibility to outdoor activities.
Jackson County is in a big valley with mountain ranges on all four sides. Some ranches are entirely in the valley, but others sit partially in the valley and partially in timberline.
Many homebuyers come to the area looking for smaller lots with trees and water, which can be difficult to find, as a lot of the scenic spaces are devoted to ranches or state and national forests.
But for an affordable home that isn't too far from Steamboat, Jackson County might be the area of choice for some residents.