Credit to Denver Caņon City Chambers of Commerce

Caņon City's downtown area is listed on the National Historical Register, as it is abundant in early 1900's architecture. The quaint atmosphere of the downtown area warrants a shopping trip to visit the local boutiques and merchants. A downtown walking tour guide of the historical district is available at the local Chamber of Commerce. Downtown Caņon City has been well preserved over the years, and as such, is the largest historical/commercial district in Colorado.

The Caņon City metropolitan area has a total population in excess of 25,000. There are six public elementary schools, one public middle school, and one public high school. Caņon City has four parochial schools, and a renowned girl's Catholic high school. Caņon City is also home of the Pueblo Community College Fremont County Center. Presently housed at the Holy Cross Abbey, a site has been acquired and construction has begun for a new campus on the west edge of town.

A public library, museums, art center and 38 churches serve our community. People in the community have diverse interests as evidenced by over 150 clubs and organizations in the area. The mild climate in the area is ideal for fishing, hunting, hiking, bicycling and other outdoor recreation. Caņon City is fortunate to have a river walk which provides beauty and healthful recreation along the Arkansas River. We do have many small parks among the residential neighborhoods, and larger, more diverse mountain parks surrounding the community. The 18 holes Shadow Hills Golf Course, a privately owned course, lies in the hills south of town.

The largest employer in the area is the Colorado Department of Corrections which employees about 2,000 people. The second largest employer is the Federal Bureau of Prisons with in excess of 1,000 employees. The next largest employer is St. Thomas More/Centura Health Systems with 577. Quality nursing home care facilities are numerous. Colorado Quarries, BMI France, Cotter Corporation, DFC Ceramics, Lasting Impressions, Portec, Ready's Ice, and Valco Cement all are major manufacturers and processors in the city. The industrial park at the Fremont County Airport east of town is filled to capacity with manufacturing and service businesses such as W.W. Woodwright, Inc., De Loss Industries, ATY, Klein Electric, Western Machine Enterprises, Arrowhead Aviaries, IM&M Exercise Equipment, Cofer Corporation, United Parcel Service, Holt Crematory, Maverick Air, ProSource, Spinning Aspen, Four Seasons Manufacturing, Premac, Big Picture Marketing, Compact Ceramics and Fremont Precast. In addition, the business incubator facility is also filled to capacity, and a first-rate retail shopping area with quality shops and shopping centers provide our area with shopping convenience.

With nine state prison facilities and a four-facility federal prison complex, Fremont County, of which Caņon City is the county seat, hosts 13 prison facilities. And with the construction of yet more new state prison facilities and the Dinosaur Discovery Center, which is being planned, substantial population growth and improved employment opportunities are expected over the next several years.

The Arkansas River, which runs through Caņon City is now the most popular commercially rafted river in the United States. The rafting activity, coupled with the Royal Gorge (the world's highest suspension bridge), Buckskin Joe, the Gold Belt Tour (a national scenic by-way), the Royal Gorge Route (a tourist train through the Royal Gorge), the Shelf Road Rock Climbing Area and other attractions in the area provide a solid base which guarantees us a continuing, and growing, tourism industry.

Caņon City has experienced a colorful and exciting past; it pales nonetheless, compared to the promising future, which is upon us and immediately before us. With even more exhilarating project's on the horizon, Caņon City is a most desirable place in which to live, work and play.