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• II. Overview of the impact Area <br />The purpose of this section is to outline the current status of Delta and <br />Gunnison Counties and to examine, where possible, the future trends that the <br />counties anticipate experiencing. Specifically, an overview of the area's <br />economy, population, services, and taxing abilities will be examined. Because <br />Delta County la the dominant social environment for Hawk's Nest employees, <br />that county will be given greater attention. <br />A. The Area's Economy <br />Agriculture and mining play an important role in Delta County's economy. <br />Historically, Delta County had an agriculture based economy; in 1970, <br />agriculture wsa the single largest employer, with 228 of the workforce. <br />However, from 1970 to 1979 agricultural employment declined by 448 jobs and by <br />• 1980 agriculture accounted for only 14.56 of the workforce (see Table II-1). <br />Further signifying the declining position of agriculture is that from 1964 to <br />1978 the total number of farms declined by 286, and acreage decreased by 14.09 <br />during the same fourteen-year span (Colorado Agricultural Statistics and <br />Census of Agriculture, 1978). One portion of agriculture that has remained <br />relatively stable, acreage-wise, is the fruit orchard segment consisting of <br />approximately 6,400 acres. According to the 1978 Census of Agriculture, the <br />total market value of all Delta County agricultural products sold was nearly <br />520.5 million, with the average per farm at $23,621. <br />While agriculture enterprises are declining, the coal mining sector of the <br />area has been on the upswing, with eight coal companies operating in the North <br />Fork Valley (5 in Delta County), as arrayed in Table II-2. <br />• <br />5 <br />