Can anyone tell me about Grand Junction, CO ?

[Armed&Hammered]

Hey folks, the wife has a possible job opportunity in GJ and just trying to gain some info on the area. Good, bad, or ugly, any info would be appreciated

 

[ShawnStonefly]

Grand Junction Co

Heres a post from last year. Pretty much all holds true. Depends on what you need around you. Its a trek to get to Denver, especially in the winter. I'd love to live there but I fly alot for work so that's a no go for me flying out of GJ to DIA or to driving to DIA.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

I grew up in GJ, left after I graduated high school in 2010. It’s a solid place to live if you’re into the outdoors. Pretty good deer and elk hunting close by, as well as hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, etc. Far away from the hustle and bustle of Denver. It’s not without its problems, though. Mesa County has issues with suicide and drugs. I’m glad I grew up there but happy I left. I always wanted to get out and explore the world and that doesn’t match the mentality of a majority of the people I knew in GJ.

 

[Bbell12]

Just applied for a job with GVP and am hoping for the opportunity to move there as well. From the linked thread above, it’s everything I want in a place to live.


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[Ucsdryder]

I grew up in GJ, left after I graduated high school in 2010. It’s a solid place to live if you’re into the outdoors. Pretty good deer and elk hunting close by, as well as hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, etc. Far away from the hustle and bustle of Denver. It’s not without its problems, though. Mesa County has issues with suicide and drugs. I’m glad I grew up there but happy I left. I always wanted to get out and explore the world and that doesn’t match the mentality of a majority of the people I knew in GJ.

This. Lots of homeless, lots of drugs, a big issue with suicide, especially with school kids. That being said, it’s close to hunting, has great mountain biking and hiking. Hot during the summer, very little snow in the winter.

 

[Felix40]

Its not a bad city at all. Its pretty big so definitely not a small town atmosphere. There are some drugs and a bunch of vagrants which is pretty much on par for the state now. There are lots of options for schools but I don't know how good any of them are. The city itself is kind of in the desert valley so its not very pretty right in town. Hot and dry for the most part. The pluses are the river being right there, you're an hour from some really nice mountains and less to pinon juniper country that is good hunting, tons of small mountain lakes to fish nearby, stable economy, one of the more affordable places to buy a house in CO. They have a cabelas and a sportsmans so that's kind of nice if you need something in a hurry. If I was moving to that general area I would want to be either toward Rifle or Montrose just for the hunting/fishing/mountains and to get out of the city a little bit. I lived in Junction when I was a kid and most of my family still does.

 

[Phaseolus]

I’ve lived in the Grand Valley for the last 31 years. Downtown Grand Junction certainly has vagrants and other problems but you don’t (and shouldn’t) have to live there. Avoid living in Clifton at all costs too. There are plenty of places to live that are very safe and have good schools. I happen to live on East Orchard Mesa just south of Palisade. I think it is the nicest area to live in the Grand Valley and I ride my ATV from the house to elk and deer hunt. Fruita would also be a great choice and perhaps The Redlands. Palisade hosts the High School IB program so it may be considered the ‘best’ High School. The only thing I don’t like about the valley is the high nightime temperatures in July and August. We have a evaporative cooler but if we were to buy again I would go for refridgerated air just for those two months. The upside to the heat is it is a ‘dry’ heat, our humidity is very low. Powderhorn is a nice local ski area and there is great cross country skiing or snowmobiling on the Grand Mesa. The Uncompahgre Plateau is close by. We lack for stream fishing nearby but I hike into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (1.5 hour drive) to scratch that itch with the best fishing in Colorado. The Grand Mesa has plenty of reservoirs to fish in and you can feed the mosquitos while you do so. Cheers, and good luck. I’b be happy to help out in any way I can.

 

[Runningwater]

And it's where Seek Outside is!

 

[AK Troutbum]

I lived there back in the late 80’s (Fruita actually), and boy was it one hot SOB in the summer. Other than that, it’s pretty close to the Green river in UT and the Frying Pan and Roaring Fork of the Colorado, which is why I lived there.


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[elkduds]

Grand valley was the best place I've lived, and I've lived several places in CO. I liked Fruita and Palisade best, as Phaseolus posted. Def hot in the summer, that is what the Colorado river and Grand Mesa are for. Check out videos of CO Nat'l Monument. Average amenities for a "metro area" of around 100K population. 2 hospitals, a mall w Cabelas ,Sportsman's warehouse, Lowes, Home Depot. Several good brew pubs, A very nice pedestrian-oriented Main Street including Avalon Theater. Costs more to fly anywhere from GJ than from Denver. Nice smaller ski area, Powderhorn, 45 min from GJ.Several interesting local events and festivals, including a Headless Chicken festival in Fruita. Epic mountain biking, getting better every year. BLM and NF almost @ your door including miles of offroading and a free public shooting range 15 min from town. Real estate cost is significantly less xpensive than Front Range/mountain resort areas. Yep, I'd love to move back to the Happy Valley.

 

[Phaseolus]

Some people I know...

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And for your Wife...

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[Steel Rain]

Barney Brothers Off Road is a great shop if your Jeep needs attention. Chad Barney is a good dude.

 

[COwineguy]

We moved here in 07 for a 6 month adventure and still love it here. Great outdoor access. We would be hard pressed to move at this point. The area continues to improve best we can tell. Cheers

 

[CrzyTrekker]

Excellent recreation opportunities. Mountain biking, river running, hunting, hiking, milder winters.

 

[Billinsd]

How's it changed since Pot became legal? More bums, more crime? Or is it not noticeable? How about Meth? Is that a big problem? Thanks Bill

 

[Phaseolus]

I think Meth has gotten better since the gasfield work has turned down a bit. We seem to have more bums than ever in GJ especially downtown. They seldom show up in Palisade though. I’d say not much has changed since pot was legalized although that might explain having more bums.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I’d say not much has changed since pot was legalized although that might explain having more bums.

Really, do you think there’s a correlation between the increased number of vagrants and legalization? Around here, alcohol by far seems to be their absolute number one drug of choice, and I don’t think legalization has changed the number of vagrants we have. Although, I don’t know that for a fact.



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[Jbehredt]

Really, do you think there’s a correlation between the increased number of vagrants and legalization? Around here, alcohol by far seems to be their absolute number one drug of choice, and I don’t think legalization has changed the number of vagrants we have. Although, I don’t know that for a fact.



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Studies have been done, not well published, that show a spike in homeless population in the Denver metro area following legalization.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Interesting, I wonder why that is. Has legalization drawn the homeless population in so they have more access to legal marijuana or has having legal marijuana caused people who previously had homes, to become homeless?


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[CCH]

There were plenty of homeless prior to legalization of marijuana. Also, there aren't any marijuana stores in Grand Junction. They haven't been approved in Mesa County until recently. I think Palisade has a couple or a couple in the works. You have to drive to Debeque for the closest pot shops I think. For Colorado overall, it has resulted in a certain amount of new residents whose big motivation is that law, but the front range has been hopping economically as well so it's hard to tie it all out to any one cause.

The valley does have its share of drug issues, and our suicide rate among teens is tragic. That is partly tied to a lack of psychiatric/psychological services. Schools are not the best as District 51 is one of the lower funded in the state, and Colorado as a whole is on the lower end of funding education in the country (bottom 10.) Coincidentally, Colorado is in that same category for funding of mental health and substance abuse services as well. As mentioned, Palisade has the IB program, but all of the high schools offer AP classes (I teach some at Fruita Monument High School.)

I live in the Redlands and would recommend there, Fruita (growing rapidly) or the Palisade area. Grand Junction is becoming more college town in some areas as Colorado Mesa University grows. This creates some cool opportunities, but also brings along some of the downsides of extended college life. There is a growing art community and we get quite a few musicians stopping by on there way from somewhere else. I-70 isn't just a corridor for drugs.

Pretty much any type of recreation is nearby: hunting, camping, fishing, rafting, biking (Fruita is one of the most popular spots in the country), off roading, skiing, snowmobiling, you name it. We love it here, and any other place I'd be willing to move to, my wife wouldn't. Only real downside is that summers are really hot. However, you can get to higher elevation pretty readily and get away from it. Definitely recommend air conditioning and not a swamp cooler.