As western Colorado's largest city, Grand Junction is the economic and cultural center of theWestern Slope region. The city is a transportation hub situated at the convergence ofInterstate 70,U.S. Highway 50 andU.S. Highway 6. Grand Junction is also home toColorado Mesa University, enrolling nearly 10,000 students annually.[9]
The city is the anchor of theGrand Junction metropolitan area, home to over 150,000 residents as of 2020. It is located in the heart of theGrand Valley, a large Colorado River valley stretching over 30 miles east-to-west and 5 miles north-to-south. Grand Junction comprises the largest urban center betweenDenver andSalt Lake City, as well as the most densely populated area and the only metropolitan area in Colorado outside of theFront Range Urban Corridor.
The city is along theColorado River, at its confluence with theGunnison River, which comes in from the south. "Grand" refers to the historical Grand River, renamed the Upper Colorado River in 1921. "Junction" refers to the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. Grand Junction has been nicknamed "River City". It is near the midpoint of a 30-mile (48 km) arcing valley, known as theGrand Valley; since the late 19th century it has been a majorfruit-growing region. The valley was long occupied by theUte people and earlier indigenous cultures. It was not settled by European-American farmers until the 1880s. Since the late 20th century, severalwineries have been established in the area.
In September 1881, the formerUte Indian Territory was abolished and the Utes were forced into a reservation so that the U.S. government could open the area to settlers.Clinton County, Pennsylvania-bornGeorge Addison Crawford (1827–91) soon purchased a plot of land.[11] On July 22, 1882, he incorporated the town of Grand Junction and plantedColorado's first vineyard nearPalisade, Colorado, causing the area to become known as the Colorado Wine Country.Grand Junction also has a storied past with gunfighters, miners, and early settlers of the American Southwest. Prior to its incorporation as the city of Grand Junction, the community was known asUte, and was also briefly calledWest Denver.
At the2020 United States census, the city had a total area of 25,649 acres (103.799 km2) (40.077 sq mi) including 283 acres (1.147 km2) (.443 sq mi) of water.[6]
Grand Junction has acold semi-arid climate (Köppen:BSk). It sits in a large area ofhigh desert lands in Western Colorado. Winters are cold and dry, with a January mean temperature of 27.4 °F (−2.6 °C). Due to its locationwest of the Rockies, Grand Junction does not receive as much influence from theChinook winds as locations in Colorado east of theFront Range, yet it does receive protection from the Arctic air masses that can settle to the east of the Rockies. This is illustrated by the fact that from December to February, highs reach 50 °F (10 °C) only 18 days.[13] Lows drop to 0 °F (−17.8 °C) or below on 2.9 nights per year.[13] Snowfall is low compared to much of the rest of the state, averaging 17.6 inches (45 cm) per season; only once in the entire period of record dating to 1893, has observed 10 inches (25 cm) in a calendar day, though the median is 6.3 inches (16.0 cm), and moreover, snow cover is intermittent.[13] Snow is greatest in December and January. Spring warming is gradual but quickens when nearing June; the average last freeze date is April 25. Summer is hot and dry, with a July mean temperature of 78.2 °F (25.7 °C). Grand Junction averages 68 days a year with temperatures at 90 °F (32 °C) or above, and an average 8 days attaining 100 °F (38 °C) or more. Autumn cooling is rapid, with the average first freeze date being October 11. The area receives little precipitation year-round, averaging 9.05 inches (229.9 mm), with no real seasonal spike. Sunshine hours are abundant, even in winter, and total just over 3,200 hours per year, or 73% of the possible total.[14]
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 41,986 people, 17,865 households, and 10,540 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,362.6 inhabitants per square mile (526.1/km2). There were 18,784 housing units at an average density of 609.6 per square mile (235.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.78%White, 0.60%African American, 0.94%Native American, 0.76%Asian, 0.12%Pacific Islander, 3.81% fromother races, and 1.99% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino residents of any race were 10.86% of the population.
There were 17,865 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. Of all households 33.2% were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had one living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the city, 21.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 11.9% was from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The population figures are for Grand Junction only; the city abuts smaller towns and unincorporated county areas which contribute to area commerce.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,152, and the median income for a family was $43,851. Males had a median income of $31,685 versus $22,804 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $19,692. About 7.5% of families and 11.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
From the time settlers arrived in the 1880s until the 1960s, three of the main economic activities in the region were farming, fruit growing, and cattle raising.[citation needed] Fruit orchards, particularly between Grand Junction and Palisade to the east, remain important to the region's reputation and economy to the present day. Fruits most often grown are peaches, pears, apricots, plums, cherries, and, particularly since the 1980s, grapes for wine. In this semi-arid environment, these orchards thrive from a combination of abundant sunshine and irrigation from a system of canals that divert water from the Colorado River.
Attempts were made to establish sugar beet farming and beet sugar production. The Grand Valley Sugar Company established a campaign in 1893, sending three train carloads to theUtah-Idaho Sugar Company. Several tariffs and subsidies to domestic sugar were established in the 1890s, which led to uncertainty in the market. After the 1897Dingley Act, the company was revived in 1898 and rallied to build a sugar factory. They failed to fundraise to build the plant. At the same time, Charles N. Cox was able to organize an effort to establish a factory in 1898 as well.John F. Campion and others includingJames Joseph Brown,Eben Smith, Charles E. Mitchell, George Trimble, James R. McKinnie, andCharles Boettcher invested, creating the Colorado Sugar Manufacturing Company in 1899 and contractingE. H. Dyer to build a factory. The failed to succeed, so they sold the plant to local investors, who were able to make it a success. The Campion-Boettcher group then created theGreat Western Sugar Company.[18]
Grand Junction was home to theClimax Uranium Mill, a now decommissioned mill that provided uranium ore to theUS Atomic Energy Commission. It produced 2.2 million tons ofuranium tailings a by product of uranium mining which can be unsafe. For decades, Grand Junction residents were able to collect as much of the fine radioactive gray sand as they wanted for free. It was used as construction material all over town.[19][20]
Education and healthcare have been important to the economy of the area, especially since the 1950s, with the rise ofColorado Mesa University and St. Mary's Hospital as leading employers in these fields.
Vastoil shale reserves were known to exist nearParachute, Colorado in thePiceance Basin. The oil embargoes of the 1970s and high gas prices resulted in major financial interest in the region. Exxon purchased rights and used Grand Junction as its seat of operations. The city and the surroundingGrand Valley became prosperous in the 1970s and early 1980s largely because of the effects ofoil shale development. The United States, western Colorado in particular, has the largest-known concentration of oil shale in the world (according to the Bureau of Land Management) and holds an estimated 800 gigabarrels of recoverable oil, enough to meet U.S. demand for oil at current levels for 110 years. Known as the "Rock That Burns", the shale can be mined and processed to produce oil. In the past it was significantly more expensive than conventional oil. Sustained prices above $95 per barrel, however, may make extraction economically attractive in the coming years (seeOil shale economics). ExxonMobil pulled out of the region because of lower oil prices, which led to economic hardship in the region.
The economic bust, known as "Black Sunday" (May 2, 1982) to the locals, started with a phone call from the president of Exxon to GovernorRichard Douglas Lamm, stating that Exxon would cut its losses while retaining mining rights to the (then and currently) uneconomic oil. The economic bust was felt statewide, as Exxon had invested more thanUS$5 billion in the state. Colorado historianTom Noel observed, "I think that was a definite turning point, and it was a reminder that we were a boom-and-bust state ... There were parallels to the silver crash of 1893."[21]
By 2008, the economy of Grand Junction appeared to be more diverse and stable than it had been in previous decades. Major contributors to the economy were health care, tourism, agriculture, livestock, and energy mining (gas and oil). Major energy companies had once again invested large amounts of money due to increases in oil and natural gas prices (such as in the years 2005–2008). However, a major drop (in the summer of 2008) of marketnatural gas prices led to reduced gas well drilling and related capital expenditures in the area, significantly slowing the Grand Junction economy in 2009. Reports given in 2009 suggested that Grand Junction had once again been hard-hit economically, with one report by April 2010 listing the area as having had the largest percentage drop in employment of any "small city" in the entire United States.[22]
By 2008, Grand Junction was being discovered by the "nation's elite business and leisure travelers" as a destination for private jet travel, with nearbyPowderhorn Resort and other ski resorts a major attraction.[23]
The Grand Junction area has developed as amountain biking destination, with many bikers coming from theFront Range of Colorado, theSalt Lake City area, and as far away asCalifornia to enjoy the area's abundant single-track trails. Two prominent trails are the Tabeguache andKokopelli trails, the latter running from nearLoma toMoab, Utah.Fruita, Colorado, with its 18-Road trail system, is within 10 miles of the city and has become a major mountain biking destination.
The Mesa Valley School District No. 51 provides comprehensive K–12 public education to the Grand Junction area.[26] School District 51 operates five high schools:
In addition, the district operates numerous middle, elementary, and other types of schools, including East Middle School, Redlands Middle School, and West Middle School. District 51 partners withCMU Tech to operate the Mesa County Career Center, a vocational school owned and operated by Colorado Mesa University. CMU Tech was formerly named Western Colorado Community College.
Grand Junction is home to two higher education institutions:
Colorado Mesa University, a public university serving nearly 10,000 students. CMU is the largest university in western Colorado.
Colorado Mesa University also operatesCMU Tech which specializes in vocational education, offering professional certificates andAssociate of Applied Science degrees
IntelliTec College, a private for-profit technical college offering professional and vocational certificates.
Grand Junction is serviced by one local newspaper, theGrand Junction Daily Sentinel. The Grand Junction area also receives newspaper influence from sources in the greater Denver front range area.
Grand Junction hasABC,NBC, andCBS television station affiliates under the call signs ofKJCT-TV (Channel 8),KKCO-TV (Channel 11), andKREX-TV (Channel 5), respectively. Also, Grand Junction has aFox (Channel 4) affiliate station under the call sign ofKFQX that receives news from the Denver FOX affiliate,KDVR (Channel 31) at 9 pm.KLML (Channel 20) broadcastsCozi TV programming. KRMJ (Channel 18) is the local PBS affiliate, part of the statewide Rocky Mountain PBS network.
Bustang, Colorado's state-run bus system, provides intercity bus service to the city. There are two bus lines that include Grand Junction. The West line connects to Denver, while the Outrider line connects to Durango. Both of these have multiple stops between the final destinations, and the West line has options to transfer to alternative lines.
Grand Valley Transit (GVT) is a regional transit system serving the Grand Valley. It operates 11 bus routes in the area as well as a "dial-a-ride" service.
The city also offers a shared micromobility program that was launched in May 2023. The city has allowed the companiesBird andLime to rent out the e-scooters via their respective mobile apps.[33]
Grand Junction has a growing network of mixed-use pedestrian and bicycle trails.[34] The riverfront trail system, which runs next to Colorado River, extends from Loma to Palisade, with missing sections between Las Colonias Park and 29 Rd, and 33 1/2 Rd to 36 1/4 Rd.[35] The monument trail provides a connection from the riverfront trail and the downtown core to the Lunch Loops. In 2023, the city council passed the pedestrian and bicycle plan, a visionary document to promote better connectivity.[36] In the same year, the city passed a revised Transportation and Engineering Design Standards (TEDS) to provide clearer guidelines for the development of new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.[37] In 2024, the city was awarded a silver designation by theLeague of American Bicyclists.[38]
SH 340 runs east–west, starting at First Street in downtown Grand Junction, traversing the Redlands and ending at 'U.S. Highway 6 andU.S. Highway 50 in Fruita.
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1981 to 2010.
^Official records for Grand Junction were kept at downtown from January 1893 to December 1899 and at Grand Junction Regional Airport since January 1900. For more information, seeThreadEx.
