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<br /> <br />j <br />:~'< <br /> <br />,:~ <br /> <br />oj' <br /> <br />o <br />Cl <br />':'.) SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS <br />-..J <br />~ This appendix provides a basis for estimating future economic <br />~needs for the development of water and related land resources in <br />the Vpper Colorado Region. The study provides economic data for use <br />in the planning process for water resource developments. It is an <br />integral part of the River Basin Comprehensive Type I Studies author- <br />ized by the Water Resources Council in accordance with the Water Re- <br />sources Planning Act (P.L. 89-80, July 22, 1965). <br /> <br />Economic subregions for this study were defined on county bound- <br />aries and included 35 counties in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and <br />Wyoming. <br /> <br />The Upper Colorado Region has an arid climate, fairly short grow- <br />ing season and large areas of mountainous land. Large areas of range- <br />land supported by irrigated cropland in valleys, provide the base for <br />a widespread livestock industry. Precious metals attracted early <br />settlers to the Region but petroleum, uranium, and sodium carbonate <br />have been the important minerals of the 1960's. Beautiful natural <br />surroundings, coupled with man-made lakes, have contributed to sig- <br />nificant outdoor recreation uSe and development. <br /> <br />Historical and Present Economy <br /> <br />Population of the Upper Colorado Region increased 24 percent from <br />1940 to 1965. During the Same period population of the United States <br />increased 46 percent. The Region is sparsely populated with 3.3 per- <br />sons per square mile compared with the national average of 64.0 in <br />1965. Only two communities in the Region have population of more than <br />20,000. <br /> <br />The Region's employment in 1965 totaled 111,390 or 33.1 percent <br />of the Region's population. During the period 1940 to 1965 employment <br />in the Region increased 1.3 percent annually but many of the industries <br />experienced significant shifts in their relative positions during that <br />period. Agricultural employment WaS down consistently in terms of <br />absolute numbers and as a percentage of total employment. All other <br />sectors exhibited increasing employment during the period 1940 to <br />1965 while contract construction and mining peaked in 1960. <br /> <br />Total personal income in the Region grew at the rate of 3.6 per- <br />cent annually during the period 1929 to 1965. Per capita personal <br />income increased 2.5 percent annually during the same period. Per <br />capita personal income in 1965 of $1,971 was well below the national <br />average of $2,542. The Region's below average employment participa- <br />tion and the large number of workers employed in service and extraC- <br />tive-type industries in the economy contributed significantly to this <br />disparity in ircomes. <br /> <br />i <br /> <br />