Great place for those retired
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12/12/2011
I have lived in the Grand Valley for over 26 years. I have family and friends, great friends that live here. People that visit here, are astounded by the beauty of the area. It's a beautiful valley with wineries, mountain trails, clear air and many OUTdoor activities. Unfortunately, there are not a whole lot of Family activities to be had. Yes, the valley is beautiful and has some of the most beautiful weather you could ask for. I can see why people are drawn here......for vacation. You need to understand that it is the High Desert and usually, very dry. You can spend a pretty penny having a nice yard because of the lack of moisture. I have very wonderful memories of growing up here. Problem is, I never understood the cost of living here as a kid. Colorado will always be my home, but if you are looking for a great city in this beautiful state, Denver has so much more to offer. The cost of living is too high compared to wages you get here. Right now, our unemployment rate is over 11% with most job opportunities in the fields of retail and oil field. The city is FINALLY improving on roads, as far as access goes. But there is constant road construction. Yea, you get that anywhere...here it's worse. They like to close most of your options to downtown all at once, so it causes your commute to be longer and you are stuck no matter which way you go. It's been terrible for years. They have finished a good majority of the Riverview Parkway that allows better access. This should have been done over 20 years ago. There is one mall and most other retail/shopping is all on one side of town. This makes it a nightmare during Christmas for shopping and overall access to "family activities" (the movie theaters). The Grand Valley sees customers coming from eastern Utah, northern Colorado and as far down as Durango/Farmington making traffic horrible. Nice bowling alley recently closed because they went bankrupt. City finally got an ice rink, and it closed down due to issues with how the rink was built. I believe it was in business for 3-4 years. Now it sits with signs asking for financial help to fix it. I have heard that Grand Junction eats out more than most other cities, per capita. Could be due to the fact, it's really the only thing to do indoors. There is no REC facility in the city, with no hopes of seeing one in the future. House prices are high and you do not get much square footage for the BIG $$$. There has been a HUGE Meth problem here for years. Recently, they have said it's on the decline. Often, big drug busts have taken place here. I-70 runs right through and is an easy way in for drugs and other illegal activities . Educational activities are few and far between. You can only take your kids to the Dinosaur Museum, Western Slope Museum, small Botanical Gardens and local pool so many times, before you wish to have more opportunities. Yes, you have crime where ever you go, but Grand Junction's crime rate is that of a big city. Grand Junction is NOT a big city. People say it's the area you live in. NO, it's really not that. I live with my husband and 3 small children, in a nice neighborhood, with hard working law abiding citizens...and we have been victims of crime twice in 7 years. There is a graffiti problem, fairly high violent crime rate and so on. I would want someone to tell me the real deal about Grand Junction, especially if I was considering living here with a young family. If you must move to the Grand Valley, aim for Fruita, where the house prices are even higher, but at least you have a little bit better of a community. I have heard some talk about the rudeness of people here. I would have to agree with this, but I have to say, I never noticed it so much until I moved 25 miles south of D.C. while my husband was in the military. People were kinder and friendlier out there. Sad, but true. I am a very friendly person and try to find the brighter side of things, but this review is due to my experiences living here for the majority of my life. Do your research and find the real Grand Junction before you decide it's the place for you.
Valerie | Grand Junction, CO