Boyfriend set on moving to Grand Junction... (Delta, Meeker: relocate, real estate)

[patrickmich]

I would tell your BF to go to GJ if he wants, but that you're staying in Houston, a place that is dynamic and full of life. I suspect that at this point in your life you are not interested in small town living. If he can't get with you on this, he needs to go his separate way.

[CosmicWizard]

Here's a picture of the the Grand Valley ( in the distance ) where Grand Junction is situated. This picture is taken from the Colorado National Monument, located on the edge of town. We do have some very fabulous scenery in this area, and many great places for outdoor activities. If you don't enjoy the outdoors, there's a very high likelihood that you would be bored living in this part of the world. On the other hand, if you enjoy outdoor activities, there ain't no better place!



blessings....Franco

[DOUBLE H]

I live in Mesa County and am a lifelong native of Colorado. I think Colorado Springs would be good fit for the two of you. In number 2 you mentioned cultural and children activities. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of top zoos in the United States. It sits up against Cheyenne Mountain and you can walk the trail to Will Rogers Shrine halfway up the mountain. An easy walk(if you're in shape), a beautiful shrine, a great view of the plains. Can't beat it! For concerts, you have the World Arena and the Pikes Peak Events Center for concerts. The best planetarium I've been in is at the U.S. Air Force Academy, 10 miles north of Colorado Springs. And a beautiful chapel. I grew up in Colorado Springs for 8 years. They have a symphony orchestra. NOW as far as your husband, great fishing is not far down the road. The Arkansas River is hands down the best river to fish in the state. It runs against U.S. Hwy. 50. Good reservoirs as well; Manitou Lake, Rampart Reservoir, Lake George, Eleven Mile Reservoir, Pueblo reservoir, Lake, and Spinney Mountain reservoir are all a one hour drive from the Springs. The Royal Gorge sports the highest suspension bridge in the world. And then there is Pikes Peak, one of the most recognized mountains in North America. There is more; I'll let some of the Colorado Springs people comment on Pikes Peak, the Pikes Peak hill climb, the cog railway, and other tourist attractions. One more thing, regarding culture; GOT BROADMOOR?

[fatherdoug]

Uravan, Colorado? My wife grew up in Uravan during the 60's and 70's and my Dad spent a lot of time in Uravan, working for Union Carbide. What a coincidence.

My parents moved to Grand Junction when I was 18 months old. It was a great place to live while growing up. I am now in my 50's and just sold my Dad's place in Grand Junction. It seemed like the town changed after the oil shale bust of the 80's. There were a whole lot of people that were 'stuck' there and are still remoresful about their meager life in Grand Junction. I finally decided not to retire in Grand Junction. The real estate prices are exhorbitant for a town that size, and the small-town feel that I grew up with is no longer there. I never thought I would hear the name "Uravan" ever again. Amazing! There is absolutuely nothing left of the town, now.

[Blueveteran]

Another useful thing I would like to know from anyone there is what are some good apartment complexes that you know of and which ones should be avoided? I tried rent.com and some other websites for apartments, but I could not find anything in depth and useful for determining a good place to live. I am looking at moving into the area maybe in Jan 08-Feb 08 and would appreciate any input. Thank you

[delta07]

I know Grand Junction, and Mesa County in general, has a pretty short supply of decent apartments due to the surge with the oil and gas industry. I would suggest you contact a local property management company to help you with your search. I would NOT go through Bray & CO. We had bad luck with them renting our house out. My husband and I traveled with his work for about 9 months, and we rented our house out while we were gone. Bray & CO failed to include No Smoking in the lease, so we came home to a very stinky house. It took months to get the smell out. Just a word of caution.

[rmm64]

I'm proud to say that I'm a FORMER resident of GJ, having lived there the better part of 35 years. Just moved away in Nov. 07. Most of the negatives stated are true. Rental housing is in very short supply (approx. 2-4% vacancy rate I believe), and the little that is available is overpriced for what you get. If buying, housing values have risen dramatically the last 3-4 years thanks to the energy workers moving in. Prices have started slowing along with sales the past 12 months but it's still high. GJ was recently named as the #3 real estate hot-spot in the US by Money magazine (in spite of the foreclosures everywhere else in the nation.)

Excluding the aforementioned energy industry, good paying jobs are hard to come by. The wages offered in GJ are drastically out of alignment with the cost of living. Sure, you can get a $10/hr. job at MickeyDees, but how will that pay for decent housing that'll cost you $1,400+/mo (3bd/2ba, 1200-1400sf)? It doesn't. The 3bd/2ba duplex I just moved out of (was there 2+ years) just went from the $750/mo I was paying to $1,200/mo, and it was in VERY poor shape. And the sad part is available housing so scarce they'll get it without question.

The public schools aren't bad, but they're not great either. Classes are more overcrowded now (again thanks to energy workers moving in), and just like most public school systems, teachers are underpaid/overworked. Part of why this last year we enrolled our children in a charter school.

Crime is also definitely on the rise as well. I've seen more violent crimes and property crimes in the news the last few years than ever before. Murders, shootings, arson, robberies, just like the big cities.

Culture? GJ is a cultural vacuum. There's a few feeble attempts at it, plays, concerts, museums, but little of real value or interest. There's little to offer compared to larger, metropolitan areas. Anything worthwhile is at least a 4 hour drive away (Denver or SLC).

On the positive side, if you love the outdoors, there's plenty to do within a short 1-2 hour drive. Fishing, hunting, camping, skiing, hiking, it's all nearby. Many small lakes in the area, but if you need a body of water you can't walk completely around in under 30-45 minutes, Lake Powell is a few hours away in Utah.

Climate...very mild winters. Typically only a few inches of snow at a time in the valley and it usually melts away within a few days to a week or two. Temps can get into the single digits, occasionally dipping below 0 (rare) with highs usually in the 30's to 40's throughout the winter. Summertime on average is probably in the 90's, but there have been streaks of 100+ for 1-3 weeks at a time. I think last summer's high ('07) was 109. But everyone living there will remind you it's a "dry heat" (which I guess is supposed to make it bearable.)

People in general are very nice and friendly. Definitely avoid the Clifton area as previously mentioned. Not a good place to live.

As I said, I've lived there for the better part of 35 years, and had finally had enough. It's a nice place to visit, but difficult at best to make a future unless you bring an education and job with you (moreso the latter than the former.) Check it out online as if you are moving there. The Daily Sentinel and the Grand Junction Free Press are the main newspapers and the best sources for news, classifieds, etc. Read them for a few days, checking all aspects. Look for housing and a job. It'll give you a better feel for the day-to-day offerings and happenings of the area.

Good luck whatever your decision.

[esya]

Good news about GJ: the weather is neither as hot as Houston nor as cold and snowy as you fear. It's fairly dry out on the western slope.

It's a larger place than Montrose but it is pretty far from Denver. However, it's close to the sophistication of the Aspen and Vail areas if you crave great expensive food and shopping. If you are not an "outdoors" person and your boyfriend is, be prepared for a lifetime of this. Because these boys out here seem to drop dead on the trail, hon.

I don't think C Spgs is good for someone who wants to be as close to the activities as your boyfriend. We've lived in Indian Hills, near Evergreen, C. Sprgs, and Denver. My husband, who is an avid outdoorsman, did not like C spgs bec it is not really that convenient to the high mountains or major ski areas, just the smaller ski areas.

Plus, the people there are nothing like upstate New York. It does have a very nice downtown and arts center. The traffic is horrible and frankly, although I liked it when I lived there with young kids in the late 80s-early 90s, I would not live there now.

[gjco]

I grew up in Grand Junction and I'm moving away this summer. Hallelujah!

You'll find mis-spellings everywhere from the local newspaper, signs, and local mail. Spring Break spelled "Spring Brake". Off spelled "of." I could go on and on.

There are some higher-income oil jobs but they are temporary. In 3-10 years all of the wells will be drilled and the only work left will be maintenance which requires 1/100 of the current workforce. Everywhere you go you hear talk of a bust like what happened in the 80s (but it probably won't be as severe). Unless you have specialized training such as a doctor, dentist, lawyer, nurse, etc, expect to find an ~$11/hr job. I know plenty of graduates from Mesa State College who work as restaurant servers because they can make more money in tips than they can at a real job utilizing their skill set. Best yet, bring your own job, and tie it to an economy outside of GJ.

Stay as far away from Clifton as possible.

There's absolutely nothing to do here. There's a mega-church youth program called Vertigo that advertises "The one cool thing to do in this boring town."

Every time I go somewhere public I see a person I know. It is absolutely unavoidable. You don't want to make an enemy here. Ask anyone from GJ and they know exactly what I'm talking about.

The area is isolated not only geographically, but the mindset of the people here almost operate on the belief that Grand Junction is the world. You'll constantly hear "best/largest/only *insert achievement here* on the Western Slope" like its some sort of amazing accomplishment.

[KatRamos]

I can only tell the person that lives in Houston and is "unsure" about moving to Colorado must be insane! I am from Houston and I would jump at the chance to live in Colorado.......