Unfortunately for those who stumble across Gateway and would like to envision themselves living in such a paradise, there isn't much available housing.

Gateway Canyons provides limited employee housing in the form of a small apartment building with 20 available units. Two units are kept vacant to be used as emergency employee housing, but the rest are full with double occupancy. Chances are they'll stay full, as Gateway Canyons expands to include more hotel units, a swimming pool and fitness center, a new cafe, and an event center, but no more employee housing in the next phase of construction due to a lack of electricity.

"You definitely get a lot more sleep when you live here," says Activities Coordinator Erin Reece, whose husband also works at Gateway Canyons. The couple lived in Fruita for the first four months they worked in Gateway, but were happy to exchange their 2000 square foot house for the 900 square foot apartment, since it meant they could walk to work in a matter of minutes instead of the hour-plus drive they'd first endured. Now they spend their free time hiking and taking their dog for romps in the hills instead of driving back and forth to work.

Other employees take the shuttle offered by Gateway Canyons. The shuttle departs from Grand Junction twice a day at Mesa Mall and the Whitewater Park and Ride. Day visitors who want to take a guided raft trip or visit the museum and have a beer afterward are welcome to take the shuttle, as well.

Some employees are long-time residents who live in Unaweep Canyon and are pleased to have employment opportunities so close to home.

"I am tickled," says Mary Barton-Palmer, whose home is 17 miles from Gateway, but more than 40 from Junction. "I'm very blessed to have this job. It makes a big difference to drive twenty minutes as opposed to an hour."

"For once, I stepped in the roses," agrees Fritz Meyer, who retired from Golden to Unaweep Canyon and is delighted with his part-time job at the new auto museum.

Although the area is booming and bustling with the noise of construction, it hasn't affected the small K-12 school that has served the community for over a hundred years, since most of the employees who live in the employee housing units have no kids. Current enrollment is 35, which is a far cry from the 120 students who attended Gateway School during the uranium mining boom of the 60s.

There is one teacher for the elementary grades, one language arts/social studies teacher for the secondary grades and one math/science teacher for the secondary grades. The school plans to get another elementary teacher next year. With so few kids in each grade level, they get plenty of individualized instruction that's tailored to their interests. The school is equipped with a computer center, which has a computer for every child.

"We try to serve as a community liaison," says first year Principal Jim Hanks. "We have a lot of community activities such as the Christmas program and the awards banquet in the Spring. Some community members without kids come to school events."

The school also publishes the Unaweep Post, a community newsletter sent out to residents and written by the students. Although the focus is on school activities, there's also a community calendar and other community news stories and events included in the newsletter.

Gateway Canyons participated in a joint effort with the county to build a sewer treatment plant for the area. The sewer system is being extended across the river from the new Gateway Canyons projects to the old part of Gateway.

"Sewer availability is going to change the face of that community," says Keith Fife.

The face of Gateway has already changed, thanks to Hendrick's vision. As the resort grows and more people discover the area, it will continue to change. In spite of the development, the beauty of the rugged canyons will remain.