A time to celebrate Daily Press Editorial It’s a anniversary party, a birthday party, a celebration of a founding. And everyone’s invited. Saturday, Montrose celebrates its 125th anniversary. There will be a parade, museum tours, live music, exhibits, a car show, carriage rides, library activities and a community photo. And plenty of food, ice cream and refreshments. Free. Centennial Plaza is center for most of the activity. It’s not every day a community turns 125. We could go into all the rich history — the miners, the Utes, the farming. The founders, the Gunnison Tunnel engineering, presidential visits. A national park. Tourism. Economic development and diversification. But we won’t. Many know the city’s history, either by living it, or by friendly assimiliation. Montrose is fortunate in that much of what has happened has been recorded in the Daily Press, in books and historical photos, local museums. It is a wealthy archive. Most of all, it’s a community of natives and newcomers working and living together to bond in a special place. Children are raised and educated here; people retire here. It’s not uncommon to hear how people have visited here on vacation, then decided to relocate, setting up a business, or a household, often both. The quality of life is as broad as those San Juans in the morning light, or as blue as those Colorado skies in the afternoon. We’ve said it before, and now again: Montrose, a City on the Rise. See you tomorrow. t By the Numbers So what are the “numbers” of Montrose’s growth? Some research from state and U.S. Census bureaus, a quick look at our population through the years. Montrose Population Census Year City County 1890 1,330 3,980 1900 1,217 4,535 1910 3,254 10,291 1920 3,581 11,852 1930 3,566 11,742 1940 4,764 15,418 1950 4,964 15,220 1960 5,044 18,286 1970 6,496 18,366 1980 8,722 24,352 1990 8,854 24,423 2000 12,344 33,432 2001 13,493 34,601 2002 14,153 35,435 2003 14,746 36,116 2004 15,357 36,933 2005 16,070 37,880 Source: Colorado Dept., of Local Affairs/U.S. Census |