Good for some, not so much for others. - 12/28/2023

Grand Junction is another one of those fast growing places due to its cheaper than average cost of living. However with each passing year, that once $600 a month one bedroom apartment is inching closer to $1000. And that once quarter million dollar house, will now cost you double. In addition to that, the city is suffering a massive housing crisis due to the increase of population and people to looking to move into the area. Unless you are a student or senior, it may be difficult to find something in your price range whether you are renting or buying. Renting is much more difficult from what I experienced. There is plenty of open space for new housing but all current ones seem to be new senior or student housing. The city itself is very clean and fairly safe. Downtown is fine for what it is, but should offer more as far as industry goes to increase the job market, which is not great. The political divide is pretty real in the city too. Like a lot of places, downtown is very liberal and the suburbs are somewhat conservative. The young people dont want anyone over 30 moving there and the seniors dont want anymore young people moving in. It makes for a good for now nearly 50-50 split, but from what I've seen GJ will follow suit in many other Colorado cities as far as getting more expensive and more dangerous due to political shift. Overall it's a solid C grade place, with the ability to get better. However if you are a student looking to attend CMU or a senior citizen looking for affordable "ski town" living, Grand Junction is a fine place to be.

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Sleepy, out of the way status fading - 6/24/2023

I’ve lived in Grand Junction for 18 years, but have been coming here (girlfriend, wife, family) since 1992. I think the biggest change or challenge for long time locals, I feel like I got here just as things started to change, is that GJ is no longer just a sleepy easygoing large-ish town. The kind of place where lots of people never locked their houses or cars. It’s still a great place, lots of great restaurants and now breweries and massive, massive amounts of outdoor activities. I think long time locals just kinda miss being an out of the way place (think undiscovered). But this is Colorado after all. It really has gotten a lot busier, and although not to big city standards, there’s a lot more traffic. Anyway, four stars for GJ for folks looking for a good place to live, maybe 3 stars from a long time local that is a little sad that we’ve been discovered.

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Only for the Rich. - 9/17/2021

I've lived in Grand Junction for 14 months and it is a nice area, but very expensive to live. There is an ongoing housing crisis due to poor city planning and it has lead to a shortage of affordable housing. The landlords are taking advantage of this situation and now if you want a one bedroom apartment need to make around $20.00 per hour or a two bedroom you will need to make $25.00 to $30.00 per hour. House are running about three times more than they sell for in another market. Food is very high. Lunch at a fast food place for two will run about $25.00. A lot of the apartments are in what I would call apartment slums. They are in areas where landlords have multiple apartment buildings that are out of the public's view and one step ahead of city zoning. They are poorly maintained and expensive. My advice is that if you want to live in Grand Junction you should bring your housing with you when you come.

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Mesa County pros & cons - 9/14/2021

I moved to Fruita from Denver about 2 years ago just to get away from the huge population growth, expensive cost of living & traffic in Denver & the surrounding suburbs. It’s true that Mesa County is very conservative for the most part….lots of big trucks, trump signs & confederate flags & way more Republicans than Democrats (for now). It has a weird mix of old retirees, young families, college students & good ol boys. Seems to have a couple pockets of more liberal folks in Fruita, Redlands & Palisade which are more expensive areas (naturally) therefore require a higher education & better paying job in order to afford a house there. Main Street Fruita & Grand Junction River Walk are both fun, funky places with lots of independent restaurants & shops. It’s kind of a shame because it’s a really beautiful area, tons of outdoor activities all around here from the colorado national monument to grand mesa, (mainly hiking, mountain biking, camping along with ATV trails & River/Water activities.) The weather is a lot milder than denver (doesn’t get snow like Denver or the mountains) but powderhorn & glenwood springs are both close if you do like skiing & winter snow activities you can be there in less than an hour! In the summer it’s hot, but a DRY hot & it cools down at night which makes it much more tolerable than Las Vegas. Plus you can always escape the heat by going up into the mountains which are generally 10-20*F degrees cooler. Southern Utah is also very close which has some of the most spectacular national parks & state parks in the country including Arches, Canyonlands, National Reef, Goblin Valley etc. Seems like more people are moving to the area which is good, hopefully it will tip the scales from red to blue in a few years.??There’s no traffic & a better quality of life compared to Denver or other parts of CO. The downside is very limited (if any) cultural activities or Ethnic food & no diversity it’s probably 85-90% caucasian, the schools aren’t great & there is a lot of meth/drugs & homelessness for such an unpopulated area. The people are generally very nice (and simple) but I could definitely see my neighbors burning a cross in your yard if they find out your a democrat or liberal who voted for Biden….so as long as you keep your political opinions to yourself (and off the bumper stickers on your car & signs in your yard) I think the pros outweigh the cons, especially if your an active outdoors type of person but if your more into cultural arts, diverse people, ethnic food & intellectually stimulating conversation this is definitely not the place for you. ??

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Like the Colorado of 40 years ago. - 9/9/2021

Overwhelmingly white, conservative, and intolerant. Mesa County has become a safe space for older conservative snowflakes fleeing the "libs" on the Front Range. It's Trumper central, and the corrupt, morally bankrupt County Clerk and her deputy are prime examples of the nuttery.

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No Occupancy, Over crowded, High Cost of living - 2/16/2021

As a GJ Native, BORN HERE, (clarification for the transplants who ask what tribe) it used to be a great place to live. Unfortunately too many people from outside have came in, (mostly Californians) and demanded it change. They all left their states because of the government, taxes, schools, etc. etc. They saw Grand Junction as a "Better place to Live". Yet when they get here they try and change it to the place they just left. They say, " we can make it better." Fact is it was already better before you got here or you wouldn't have moved here. Learn to adapt to the way life has always been here. We like it that way. Liberals has tried to bring their tax tax tax, grow grow grow mentality with them. Fact is, as a native of the valley I liked the slower pace. I don't mind the once or twice a year drive to the polluted other side of the hill, (Denver) to get a few necessities that aren't available here. The cost of living is HUGE, (unaffordable if you grew up here or own your own business) if you compare the pay scales. Lots of fast food, hospitality, and retail jobs but not much of anything else. Housing has became far too expensive especially for those whom rent. A 2% occupancy rate for them. Californians are driving up the price of homes, at an alarming rate, and bringing their negative karma with them. Cant go to the mountains and enjoy a quiet weekend any more with out them blasting radios, and riding SxSides with loud pipes through the lands. People hacking down trees and bushes to burn instead of packing wood before they come up. We used to be able to enjoy a quit camp site as if it were our living room. Now people walk through your camp sites as if it was their own living room. Roadways are becoming crowded, and people drive like they are in a huge hurry, disobeying speed limits and running red lights. (another California thing) The economy is dependent on the oil and gas industry which is a roller coaster ride. Up for a few years then down. Been down now since 2008, and as long as the democrat's keep wanting to depend on foreign oil it will remain that way. Huge suicide rate in the valley as well as meth problem. Salt Lake and Denver bus their homeless here and they are all parked on corners begging for beer and drug money. Why do I still live here? Because it is my HOME and I treat it that way. Far to many people have moved here and don't respect it. It is just another place they have lived to them.

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Just keep driving until you get to Utah. - 1/22/2021

I lived in grand junction for 7 years. So glad to get out. Fun fact, there are stories about how you have to collect dirt from all four corners or you’ll never leave. It’s an old Ute Indian curse on the town. Honestly it’s nothing but homeless people and drug addiction. It’s a small town with big city problems, And the same amount of crime. I noticed an unusually high number of mental illness while working for the mind springs health network. They say in GJ don’t drink the water because of the old uranium mine. Haha. My folks still live in orchard Mesa. They love it. It is nice to visit but I wouldn’t move back.

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BIGGER THAN YOU THINK! - 9/25/2020

It markets itself as a small town but it is really not so small. It is maybe closer to a small city than a small town. I found it to be very likable with some growing pains in that people are moving there and it has some big city problems, especially homeless people who live in- and trash up- a park in the middle of downtown. They go under a nearby bridge to sleep after curfew. There does exist some political conflict between long term residents who are mostly conservative and the new residents who are mostly liberals. Crime isn't a problem, a very safe city with little to no crime. Houses are very expensive for a small desert city probably because it has become a "hot" place to move to. It has some great restaurants like The Ale House and Blue Moon and Betty's for breakfast. The city also has a bus service that operates from morning to late evening. One thing you do have to get used to is the arid climate. It is a dry heat in the summer but it can get over 100 and does on several days. It can start out in the morning at 60 and be 100 by 4PM on many days so just be aware and carry water if you plan on being outside. There is alot to do outside and don't miss the drive through the Colorado Monument National Park which is fantastic.

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Better for older people not people with kids - 5/28/2019

I was born and raised here. There isn't much to do unless you're into drinking and drugs to be honest. Also it's really expensive to live here and very hard to find a good job. It use to be a fairly safe place to live however. But the crime rate seems to be going up a lot. I'm getting out of here as soon as I'm able to. Honestly this place is better suited for older people since there isn't too much to do plus it's expensive.

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The status quo needs to change for the better. - 3/11/2019

My family has been in Grand Junction for at least 150 years and I have lived here off and on throughout my 55 years, Before I continue and so this review isn't entirely negative, I fondly remember the Grand Junction of the 1960s when it was the magic place as a child to go see my grandparents. I wish I had a time machine that could restore Grand Junction to what it was then in our day. Since the mid to late 1970s Grand Junction has decayed into what it is today, a rotting heap full of bums, homeless and drug addicts. With exceptions, unless it is a higher class area, home owners have literally let there homes rot and many openly pile garbage, junk and old cars that belong in a wrecking yard. Although, in recent years, many of the historic homes downtown have been restored, try looking East of Mesa College and the East end of town near Clifton and you can see for yourself, I am telling the whole truth. When I was searching for an affordable home here, most of what I saw, I described as "standing piles of rotting garbage". The homeless/drug addict issue is a very serious problem here, especially on North Ave. Meth, heroine, other hard drugs, prostitution and the other crimes that goes with that are a serious problem in Grand Junction, especially with the homeless. Take some time to watch the illegal activity that goes on in the park across the street from the Police Office downtown. Where we are on East end of town, we hear multiple gun shots most nights. In my opinion the local Police are completely corrupt and so is the City Council. Grand Junction has always been notorious for low substandard wages. My belief on that is that there a few families here that have most of the wealth and basically run the town to ensure they keep all the wealth and control. Low wages has been the most prevailing proof of that for the entire existence of the town. In the late 50s or early 60s my father left the area because "it didn't matter what you did you made $1 an hour". In my day in the mid 80s I left because "it didn't matter what you did you made $4 an hour". Medical care is also a real problem as I have had to care elderly and terminal family. St. Marys and Community hospitals are basically in a war for dominance and that "war" unnecessarily complicates and reduces the quality and availability of medical care in the area. Also, Doctor's that graduate at the top of their class usually don't locate in a smaller town like this. The quality issues and needless trouble we have had in getting competent medical care here is truly a mark of shame for this town. One last thing, it is bizarre the simple everyday things you can't buy anywhere in Grand Junction. For instance, my Mother needs a stationary exercise bike and at the time we needed it there are no sporting goods stores in town that sell them and Walmart only had them seasonally. After reading this, you probably wonder why I still live in Grand Junction from time to time? The simple answer is, I have elderly relatives that need help and I'm the only relative left able to provide that help. If it were not for that, I would never set foot in Grand Junction again. Since writing this I have been asked what town I like better? Personally I like Scottsdale, AZ but I thrive in hot climates, not everyone does.

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The keys to Grand Junction... - 2/25/2019

I've lived in GJ 2-times for a total of 4-years, and after looking 'very diligently' around the West/Rockies for a place to live/work, planning to retire there. Here are the keys to GJ; 1) don't rely on the local boom/bust economy, 2) don't expect housing prices to steadily increase, 3) don't expect to avoid local problems (crime, homeless) if you wade into them, 4) live in a house with some elbow room (1+ acres), 5) be able to enjoy what GJ has to offer, and 6) live in an area with reliable high speed internet. Let me explain: 1) don't rely on the local boom/bust economy - rely on the local boom/bust economy at your peril, go look at the job stats. If you must go local, pad your local income with 'passive income', (yes it's a real thing). The key is to 'participate' in the economy by bringing work from outside, say teleworker or distributed business owner. GJ needs your positive presence and innovation. Not your laziness, bad attitude and hand out, already too many of these everywhere. 2) don't expect housing prices to steadily increase - bought a modest home ($150K) in 2006, still recovering from 2008. But, I still have the home as a rental and starting to make a few $$. Next home will be in the $450K range. The GJ housing debacle has no solution, suck it up and enjoy living in one of the best places in the U.S. 3) don't expect to avoid local problems (crime, homeless) if you wade into them - if you're looking for trouble, you'll find it in GJ. From drugs and murder to corrupt politicians, gangs and homelessness. If you're not looking for trouble, GJ has a great way of putting on a happy face. Go to the right places (downtown, mall, restaurants, hiking/biking trails, etc.) and events (farmers market, concerts/shows, sports, etc.), at the right time (not late night) and GJ's seedy underbelly is neatly tucked away. 4) live in a house with some elbow room (1+ acres) - having some space around your house solves a few problems. You're living outside of town, criminals don't frequent rural areas for obvious reasons and you don't 'have' to interact with your neighbors if you don't want to. 'Reside' on your terms, not the city's. 5) be able to enjoy what GJ has to offer - if you can solve the problems GJ throws at you, you're living in a truly stunning location full of great people from all over the country and a few 'internationals'. If you need a scout or guide in your life, GJ is not for you, GJ is just a good place to visit. For capable adventurers (backpackers, hikers, bikers, hunters, pilots, cowboys, etc.), GJ is an outdoor paradise with a few mortal perks like theatre, fine-ish dining and some great bars when you need to lick your adventurers wounds. 6) live in an area with reliable high speed internet - don't forget this one! It's on you to verify this. Remember the closest big city is 4-hours away. 7) BONUS! GJ has a towered airport with regular commercial flights to/from big cities. If you must go see how the other half is suffering, hop on a plane. ;~)

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Minimum wage town Big city cost of living - 2/11/2019

I have lived in Grand Junction the major of the past 15 years. I'm from a small town, moving here was a nice change! I don't like the big cities, nor the small towns so Junction fit quite nicely for me. It's not a metropolitan area , and it's not a small town. Medical care is moderately good. But you can't afford to live here unless you live off welfare! A two parent household living off minimum wage can't afford to pay rent is this town. No one wants to hire for more then minimum wage, and it's almost impossible to get a job. If you find a good one, keep it! You will be lucky to find one again!

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SET yOUR WATCH BACK 30 YEARS - 11/17/2018

A small, backward town lacking vibrancy or influence of being near a metropolitan area. There’s an unwelcome undertone to newcomers or new ideas. The town has good medical services, good biking, hiking, camping & nature access.

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Five years here - 8/6/2018

Come once you have retired, then the lack of good jobs, low wages or substance abuse, will not effect you. Our State is beautiful, but GJ is very backwards and behind the times.

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GJ - 1/18/2018

GJ was a beautiful place to live. Live there for most of my life and was easy to get around. Seemed behind times at times though, but small cities can do that.

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Nice area but..... - 8/1/2017

My husband and I visit Grand Junction and the area frequently during the summer months. It is a wonderful place to relax and there are lots of outdoor activities. However be aware of the burning season which starts March 1st. This happens for 3 months in the spring and a couple of months in the fall. This time is set for agricultural burning. The smoky air contains particulates and is NOT healthy to breathe! This is a big problem for anyone who wants to live in a healthy environment. And during the winter there is an inversion over the Grand Valley which also causes pollution. This is why we only visit in the summer. I have heard that things have been this way for a very long time and most likely will not change. Too bad because this area is very nice otherwise!

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Terrible job market - 5/9/2017

Everything else about Junction is great but you can't make money here. I've been working as a Production Manager 6 years, IT Technician 4 years, System Administrator 4 years, Maintenance Technician for 15 years in the past so my resume is broad enough to cross over into many, many industries. I've had to resort to working in Salt Lake, UT / Denver, CO, both of which are 4 plus hours away for 5 years while looking for work here very diligently to even make a dime. The employers here do not understand importance of notifying candidates who have had an interview or even two, when the position is filled. The employment agencies here are backwards as well. They do not help with communication to candidates either. Unless you have a very secure job lined up in Grand Junction that you will be able to stay at as long as you live here then be very weary of making the move. Worst situation I've ever been in since moving here to get married to a wife who cannot leave the area so I'm stuck.

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Just starting out - 3/18/2017

Recently interviewed for an assistant professor position at Colorado Mesa University. Wonderful faculty and administration and the program I am interested in joining is set for growth. University President Foster is doing a great job in developing personnel and structure over the last 10 years. Attractive downtown, sprawling metro area. I am definitely attracted to all the recreation opportunities available, and the reasonably temperate climate for the area compared to all of Colorado.

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Best places to live - Grand Junction, CO - 7/19/2016

Grand Junction is getting set to see double digit growth in the next 5 years. If you are looking for an extremely nice, family centric area, this is the place for you. Look to see housing prices rise as the area continues it recovery from the 2008 bust. As long as the militant environmental groups are kept out of economic decisions GJ will be a great place to live for the foreseeable future.

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Amazing here in Grand Junction - 12/2/2015

I just moved here 6 months ago. So far, I have loved every moment. There is plenty to do if you like the outdoors. There are so many beautiful places to visit that are just a day trip away. Being from a very large city, we were looking for a quieter life and we found it. However being small, this place still has shopping and fast food and restaurants we all recognize and enjoy. I haven't seen much of a drug problem. Nothing compared to a big city. Not even drunk driving incidents Which surprises me. I have felt the locals are quite friendly and very normal people. I have only experienced one road rage incident since I moved here which is great. If you are a church goer, plenty of churches to choose from. Lots of events around the holidays so far that we are excited about. The school system, I would know just yet as we are a home school family. On the down side, I have noticed the job scene is a little less than what we anticipated. The cost of living is a bit higher. I feel safe here. However I will not walk alone at night, not because of a person but of a random skunk or bear that decides to visit. The one bad thing I will warn anyone about is the cost of setting up a home here. Everything is separate and requires down payments. Garbage is separate, gas is separate, water, etc. it would be nice if it was an all inclusive bill like the big cities. Other than that, it's been amazing so far.

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