Gunnison

Formed March 9, 1877 (30^th county)

Gunnison County (16,917), Gunnison (6,555)

The 1881 Victorian courthouse for Gunnison County is a “no frills” structure.  It is located in Courthouse Square between Virginia and Georgia avenues and Iowa and Taylor streets.  United States Highway 50 is one block south of the site.  The courthouse designers were James Greer and Schuler & Shea.  An Administration Center was added in 1926.  A new courthouse was under construction in 2015 which includes the center section of the 1881 courthouse.  The remaining parts of the 1881 courthouse was scheduled to be demolished.  The county was created on March 9, 1877 from Lake County as the 30^th county.  Gunnison has always been the county seat.  Captain John W. Gunnison surveyed this area and provided his name for both the county and county seat.  The Continental Divide forms the eastern border for the county.  The center of the county is 12.5 miles North-Northwest of Gunnison.  Gunnison is the county seat and largest city. 

Gunnison County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, manager, coroner, and treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Five District Court Judges serve Gunnison, Delta, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel counties and a Trial Court Judge, clerk, and county attorney serve Gunnison County (judicial.)  Gunnison County is located in central Colorado.  The Gunnison River forms and flows through the county.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Pitkin, Chaffee, Saguache, Hinsdale, Ouray, Delta, Montrose, and Mesa counties.  The county’s shape is like a small letter r.  The City of Gunnison is in the southern third of the county.  It is the county seat and the largest city.  There is 38.8% of the county population in the city.

The area of the county is 3259.2 square miles.  The county is 5 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 30 out of 64 in population in the state.  Gunnison County has 55.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  It has a density of 5.2 persons per square mile making it 44 out of 64 in the state.  United States Highway 50 crosses the county east to west from Chaffee County and Saguache County to Montrose County.  It enters the county from Chaffee County, goes south into Saguache County, and then re-enters the county again.  The county and county seat are pronounced GUN-I-SEN.