Low down on Grand Junction/Fruita/Montrose (Denver, Fort Collins: for sale, violent crime)

[Kat12510]

So honestly, what is so wrong with this area? I know off hand there isn't much for schools, I mean there are a few ok ones but nothing spectacular. But given the area is relatively big, close to lots of outdoor recreation, what is the negative stigma I am picking up on regarding these areas? Is there a lot of crime/drugs? Not many amenities? Is it too hot/bad weather? No jobs? Or is it just up and coming? I'd think an area of this size with this population would have something good going on.

We have seen lots of houses within this area that we can afford, but when doing research I hear primarily negative things or just "nothing special" things. Why is that? It seems Fruita has been on a few "bests" lists for CO but Grand Junction seems to be on a lot of "worsts" lists.

What is everyone's opinion/take on this area? PS we have kids and dogs and are neutral/left wing type. I work in software (remotely) and my husband works in banking/finance.

[NW Crow]

Some people don't like or really don't like living in the dry country / rocks & miss trees / forest. You can get to them in a modest drive but they aren't cradling you and your house like most people imagine / want in Colorado. Crime & drugs are issues everywhere including GJ and especially certain neighborhoods. Property crime is above national average, violent crime reportedly below average. Jobs, the area is up and down. Not as bad it sometimes gets but higher pay energy jobs are declining. Up & coming? It has grown and will continue to off & on but not enough to change that significantly and get to higher tier feel or image. But it probably has a bit more going on than many realize or remember from 10-20 years ago. Next few years might be more likely down than stable or up but that is probably true most places. The size of the place does give it most of the basics and some extras. Not as fancy as many from bigger or less rugged places are used to. Voting is decidedly in favor of conservatives but the social vibe is more moderate. Summer temps can be hot or real hot but usually not that bad. Low humidity helps. High sunlight warrants protection. Not a lot of snow in winter but it will blast cold some.

There are a good number of GJ threads. Perhaps you've read some. More available if you want to dig for details. People will repeat some stuff again and again but not all or always.

Fruita does have a pretty good small town buzz.

[jwiley]

Probably the biggest issue in the area is lack of jobs, decent jobs are hard to come by, and there is heavy competition for the good jobs not only from people in the area, but people throughout the country that are willing to move to Colorado just to be here. The issue is that they do not realize that Grand Junction and the western slope is very different than what most picture Colorado to be.

The isolation is also a huge problem, once you leave the valley it is 4-5 hours to a larger city. While it is easy to say it is not a big deal. The 1st time you have to travel to Denver or Salt Lake in the middle of winter to catch a plane or for medical reasons you realize just how isolated it is.

Grand Junction as a whole has a worse reputation than it is as a city, I lived out there for about a year, before having to move back to the front range due to family medical issues. There are some drug issues but unless you are involved in that lifestyle I doubt you really see it, or at least I did not see anything personally and only heard vague rumors of some of the drug trade.

As for schools, take online ratings with a grain of salt, we moved my son from one of the top rated schools in Fort Collins which many sites have as some of the best in Colorado, to a school that was reportedly middle of the road. It took him about 3 months to catch up to the kids in his 4th grade class in Grand Junction.

[Colorado Rambler]

Grand Junction is right next door to the vast arid regions of Utah. It tends to be hotter, drier, and a bit lower in elevation than the rest of Colorado. People who visit it for the first time are not going to get a hit of that fabled Rocky Mountain high that so many people come here seeking. Right now, GJ has a fairly high rate of unemployment and they're hoping that Halliburton will show up on a white horse (should be a greasy, grey horse) and save the day by bringing carbon based energy jobs back to the area. Mesa County went about 65% in favor of Trump, and the region is pretty conservative as is much of rural Colorado.

On the plus side, housing there is relatively cheap, and Junction serves as a major gateway to all sorts of wonderful outdoor recreation opportunities from the lakes and fishing on top of Grand Mesa to the Colorado National Monument to Canyonlands National Park just a hop and a skip across the border with Utah. Fruita is a very nice small town right smack on the Colorado River. I've always liked Fruita.

If you can find a job there and if you don't mind high, dry and hot in the summer and you like hanging out with 45's groupies, then Grand Junction may be the right spot for you - especially if you don't have children who need an education and you don't have a medical condition that requires care from a specialist.

[DOUBLE H]

I've opined about Mesa County several times on this forum, a few notes here.

Weather wise, this part of the state is completely different than Colorado's Front Range. The first snows are usually around December 10th, the last snows of the season around late February/early March. Can get plenty hot in mid June to mid July, having a string of 100 degree day days happens usually every summer.

The economy has been a one note samba for the last 40 years, probably longer. Oil Shale was in high gear from the mid 70's till early May 1982. When Exxon pulled the plug on the oil shale projects, it created a situation of unemployment from Silt to Newcastle to Debeque to Grand Junction to Delta. The day that this happened will forever be known as "Black Sunday." Double digit unemployment hung over Mesa County like a weather inversion. And that cloud stayed for over a decade

By the summer of 1983 blue collar employees unemployment checks ran out. By early 1985 the situation was pretty dismal. It would not be a stretch for me to take a guess that the vacancy rate for businesses was at 50%. Same with houses, maybe more than 50%.

By 1986 the Grand Junction Sentinel would have a weekly listing of HUD homes for sale that would take up at least half a page. By 1986 it would be a full page. By 1987 HUD announced that an offer for a house that was not too insulting was going to get sold, no matter what. They were stripped of all appliances and sold as-is. And trust me, there were a few hundred houses that were bank repos as well that went for hellacious discount prices.

What fueled the recovery was getting the word out to retirees that Mesa County would be a great place to retire, a great place to find land cheap, a great place to buy a fixer upper cheap. By the early 1990's the area showed some life with a lot of the homes that were abandoned for over a decade finally being sold, fixed up, and re-sold. By the early 1990's thousands of seniors moved into the valley, then thousands more people in their 20's and 30's moved in looking for work-any type of work.

[ShellKing]

I wouldn't lump Montrose in with Grand Junction. Montrose is much smaller and has a lot going on. The economy isn't tied to oil/gas so it hasn't seen the economic problems GJ has seen. Montrose has a huge new Rec Center, and is building a new Middle School and an Events Arena. There is a White Water Park (kayak, rafting, etc) right through the town park too. Main Street is cute and has 3 brew pubs and a new distillery being built. There is a coworking space on main street for remote workers with private or shared desks and 1GB internet. There's a good nonprofit community hospital and an airport with major service because of the tourist traffic to Telluride. Montrose definitely has a sense of community.

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by ShellKing

I wouldn't lump Montrose in with Grand Junction. Montrose is much smaller and has a lot going on. Montrose has a huge new Rec Center, and is building a new Middle School and an Events Arena.

I saw the rec center in June. It is truly wonderful and people enjoy it a great deal. Beautiful pools, great facilities for all.

[janeh777]

My suggestion would be to visit the area, and see if you get that happy I love it here feeling. My company transferred me to Grand Junction, and I lived in Palisade for two years. This was 10 years ago, so things do change. While I can list 100 great things about the area, it was not for me and my family. Yes, there are lovely parts of Grand Junction, and I agree that Montrose is a cute little town, but overall, to me it felt backwards, and not prosperous. It is definitely an older population. As little diversity as there is in Denver, there is less in that area. Good luck!