City of Gunnison, CO – The Gunnison Advantage: People, Place, Opportunity

Challenge

Located in west-central Colorado, the City of Gunnison serves as a gateway to the Gunnison Valley and nearby towns like Crested Butte. Known for its remote setting, cold climate, and strong sense of community, Gunnison combines natural beauty, recreation, and economic stability. It stands out among Colorado mountain towns for its high housing occupancy, low unemployment, and a year-round population that outnumbers tourists. Anchored by institutions such as Western Colorado University, Gunnison Valley Health, and the regional airport, the local economy has grown steadily. However, the City now faces significant challenges: rising infrastructure demands, downtown vacancies, slowing tax revenues, and declining housing affordability. Sales tax revenues rose just over 1 percent from 2023 to 2024, while inflation was about 3 percent, creating a widening gap between revenues and costs. As Gunnison nears an inflection point, strategic growth and revenue diversification are essential to maintaining services and supporting long-term community well-being.

Response

In fall 2024, TIP Strategies was engaged by the City to prepare an economic development strategy that would outline a bold vision for Gunnison’s next five years. Building on priorities identified by the Gunnison City Council prior to launching the planning process—economic prosperity, housing affordability, infrastructure resilience, organizational performance, and public engagement—TIP crafted a plan framework centered on three strategic initiatives: invest in place, grow the outdoor recreation economy, and leverage science and technology. The resulting plan, The Gunnison Advantage: People, Place, Opportunity, capitalizes on the community’s existing anchor institutions, including Western Colorado University which serves as a major economic engine. In addition to bringing professors, students, and visitors to town, the university hosts ICELab, a local coworking and innovation space. Other key assets that give the community a distinct advantage include Gunnison–Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Valley Health, and a network of partner organizations including Gunnison County, the Gunnison Country Chamber of Commerce, the local school district, and the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership. By aligning these anchors under the umbrella of a coordinated strategic plan—led by a new public-private partnership—Gunnison can become a place where quality of life and economic opportunity thrive. The Gunnison Advantage was supplemented by two separate deliverables: an in-depth quantitative and geospatial analysis provided to the City in early 2025 as an interactive data visualization in Tableau and an Excel-based matrix to guide the plan’s implementation.