Paonia... A Little Bit About Us

Paonia, Colorado, a mountain town located on the North Fork of the Gunnison River, was founded in 1882 by Samuel Wade. He brought the first fruit trees into the valley on horse-back. He named the town after the Latin spelling for the peony flower and original stock from Samuel's peonies still grow in the town Park. Dominated by its proximity to the opening of a long valley canyon, Paonia is naturally air conditioned by warm air flowing up the valley at night, and cool air flowing down the valley from the mountains during the day. The resulting weather allows orchards to thrive in the area, along with livestock and hay meadows. Most of the county's coal mining industry is concentrated around Paonia. Paonia celebrates "Cherry Days" each 4th of July. The celebration features a parade, a host of live entertainment, craft and food booths, and a carnival. The highlight of the event is the locally-grown fresh cherries!

Paonia State Bank was founded in 1977 by Don Foster, a Paonia native who continues to reside in the area. It is a full service bank with a complete line of services featured on this website. Paonia State Bank was purchased by Custer Bancorp, owned by Craig Walker of Denver,  in July of 2006. Craig, a Front Range rancher, has interests in retail and electronics manufacturing as well as banking. Paonia State Bank prides itself on friendly service and an active involvement in the community it serves.

Crawford... A Little Bit About Us

Nestled against the West Elk Mountain range, Crawford, Colorado, has been described as one of the last true "cowtowns" left in the United States. Located at the Northern rim of the Black Canyon National Park and home of the Crawford State Recreation Area, this community hosts a multitude of outdoor opportunities. Each June, Crawford celebrates "Pioneer Days" with a parade, live entertainment in the park, melodrama, community booths, games for the kids, and fireworks at dusk. The climate of Crawford is mild with warm summer days and cool evenings. Winter days are moderate with an annual snowfall of 18" and temperatures averaging 25 to 40 degrees. Sunshine is abundant year round.

Crawford Country Bank opened its doors on February 16, 1999. The property was purchased from Bob and Jo Edgar. This was Crawford's first bank since 1941. It is a full service bank with an ATM. Please peruse its complete line of services on this web site.

Hotchkiss... A Little Bit About Us

Hotchkiss, Colorado was named for Enos Hotchkiss, discoverer of the Golden Fleece Mine at Lake City, Colorado. While Hotchkiss is considered a small community, it offers many of the amenities of a larger community including a major supermarket, several banks, real estates offices, large hardware store, two art galleries, shops, and a pharmacy. Hotchkiss is home to the Delta County Fairgrounds which hosts the Delta County Fair each year. The fair boasts action-packed rodeos, live music, livestock, produce, crafts, baking, photography, quilts, art and flower exhibitions. Members of 4-H and FFA exhibit their animals for prizes and a large Market Livestock Sale is hosted to sell their animals to the public. The climate of Hotchkiss is mild with warm summer days and cool evening breezes. Snowfall is moderate in the winter and sunshine is abundant.

Paonia State Bank - Mortgage and Loan Service was opened in Hotchkiss on June 2, 2003. It specializes in mortgage lending and its services can be reviewed on this web site. If you are thinking of buying a new home, or refinancing an existing home, please give our Hotchkiss office a call.