Is Montrose the Most ‘Dynamic’ Town in Colorado?

I know I say this a lot, but Montrose really is a great place to live. Turns out, I'm not the only one that thinks so. Now, there's a science to back me up, so I feel empowered to shout it from the rooftops as often as I can: Montrose is a great place to live!

According to a study done by a think tank, the word 'great' is actually an understatement. Montrose is actually among the most dynamic "micropolitans" in the country. But, what is a micropolitan? Even more important, is Montrose the most dynamic of them in all of Colorado?

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What is a 'Micropolitan'?

First, let's find out what a micropolitan even is.

Wikipedia, in lieu of the dictionary currently missing from my desk, defines a micropolitan as a US statistical area that contains more than ten-thousand people, but fewer than fifty thousand. With a population estimated at around twenty-thousand as of the last census, Montrose would definitely qualify.

How is Montrose 'Dynamic'?

The Think Tank, Heartland Forward, studied the economics of micropolitan areas throughout the country to determine their dynamism. "Dynamism," of course, because you have to keep with the theme. They looked at which areas were economically succeeding while factoring in characteristics like amenities and their effects on that success.

So far, it looks as though they've found a strong correlation between the availability of outdoor recreation and economic success within micropolitans. The data also suggests that food production is the industry to have in your town, as those micropolitans with a heavy presence were able to remain more stable than those without during the pandemic.

What does any of this mean?

Now that we know where they got the data, what does it actually mean? Luckily, it's all summed up in the single-most digestible form available on the internet: a list ranking.

The Most Dynamic Micropolitan of 2022 was Los Alamos, New Mexico. Montrose, to its credit, landed at number 25 on that list. You may not think that's a great feat until you realize that they were studying an overall field of more than 500. Yeah, the top 25 is looking a lot more impressive right now, isn't it?

Unfortunately, that doesn't leave our fair city as the most dynamic in Colorado. No, that title belongs to Edwards, which placed 10th overall. You'll no doubt have noticed that there are now two Colorado towns pulling up the bottom end of increasingly smaller segments of the places studied, so at least Colorado is always in the running.

As for what any of this means for you, well that really depends on you. Personally, I like that the Western Slope is so represented on the list, as it makes me feel smarter than the Front Range. What can I say? I'm petty, that way.