Dove Creek, Colorado is a small agricultural community located in southwestern Colorado. While it is close to well known Colorado towns like Durango and Telluride, the Dove Creek area is still largely undiscovered so property is plentiful and inexpensive. If you want to get back to basics in a small town at an affordable price, Dove Creek may be your new home.
Dove Creek is a very small, rural community that seems to be on the edge of
the world, but is really on the edge of Colorado.
Situated about 20 miles east of the border of Utah
and about 60 miles north of the New Mexico
border, Dove Creek is part of the famous 4-Corners region of the Southwest.
History and Culture
Dove Creek calls itself the "Pinto Bean Capital of the World"
because of its favorite crop, but it also produces wheat and alfalfa. Dove
Creek has always been an agricultural town, settled largely by Dust Bowl era
families seeking fertile land. Mining has also played an important role in the
history of the town. In the 1950’s and 60’s uranium mines in the area were
booming. Today, some of the 700 or so local residents still make a living
farming and mining, but many are small business owners or blue collar workers.
A growing section of the population is retired as well.
Real Estate
Because the area is still largely undiscovered by developers, housing and
land prices are still very low for Colorado
standards. Houses in the area run as low as $ 50,000 and a great deal of
undeveloped acreage is available for as low as $ 24,000 for 40 acres. You can
choose to live "in-town," which consists of an area only a couple of
miles square or you can live "out-of-town" in the county, where the
space between homes is acres-wide and the views of the rolling fields and
canyon rims are spectacular.
Schools
The Dolores County
School District includes one high
school/middle school and one elementary school in Dove Creek. The district has
a total enrollment of under 300 students, allowing for a very low
teacher-student ratio. The elementary houses students in preschool through
sixth grade, with one class per grade level. The high/middle school includes
grades seven through twelve. The Dove Creek High/Middle School features a state
of the art building which opened in 2002. Dove Creek students have consistently
scored above the state averages on the Colorado State Assessment Program (CSAP)
standardized testing. Dove Creek varsity athletic teams have always performed
well and have consistently won league and regional titles. Community pride and
support for the school system runs high in Dove Creek.