Grand Junction...good or bad move? (Glenwood Springs, Ouray: ski resort, for sale, 2009)

[CalOrGal]

I remember going through Grand Junction about 23 years ago and it was such a sleepy town. I do know that it is quite different now. I am wondering what it's like to live there now. Schools? Housing? Jobs? I moved my family from So Cal to Oregon, lived there for 15 years then onto SE Missouri. Been living here 2 years now and I hate it. I want to go back out west. I miss the dryer weather and the 'west' mentality.
We almost moved to Colorado about 10 years ago but didnt. Now we want to know what its like.

[Idunn]

Suppose I'd start by asking you where you lived in Missouri but, more importantly, where in Oregon?

I'm only vaguely familiar with Grand Junction, CO, having no particular interest. So I'll confine myself to one or two things and other's can fill you in on the particulars.

Just offhand I'd say Grand Junction represents the biggest town in the 'red' part of Colorado. Meaning all of the West Slope of Colorado, save the few liberal enclaves. In this regard with different sympathies and more conservative than most Front Range towns, such as Ft. Collins, CO.

The weather tends more towards the 'arid' part of semi-arid. Rather dry, and usually one of the hottest places in the state come summer. Relatively low elevation for Colorado. Lots of cottonwood trees and associated native shrubbery. Would suspect those evergreen trees present have been helped along by man.

My suspicion the economy in Grand Junction in the moment is in the toilet, but as in two different hemispheres (south or north) and thus twirling in different directions nearly simultaneously. On the one hand, the change of the last few years in quite evident. There are growing distinctly middle class residential developments readily apparent that stand out to anyone remembering Grand Junction a certain way. Other areas of town will look, uhm, just the same. To be kind, slumbering.

Possibly the biggest economic factor of late is the increased interest in oil development on the West Slope. This must surely be having a significant impact on the economy of Grand Junction. Until they realize they have no water, or run into other difficulties, this boom of sorts should continue.

Otherwise I suspect that Grand Junction is just growing like many of towns across the US have. From various factors I know nothing of. But this is where the reverse twirl in the toilet bowl comes in: In some respects Grand Junction may be more susceptible to the present recession in the US than other towns. So as far as this goes, whether one is feeling content or not probably has a lot to do with their specific skills and circumstances.

Which returns us to the original question. What kind of town do you like? Grand Junction has a lot to offer for those attuned to its sensibilities. Cost of living would be one of them, providing one has a job or doesn't need it. Not everyone's cup of tea, but they likely prefer coffee there, and no latte.

[sterlinggirl]

Originally Posted by CalOrGal

I remember going through Grand Junction about 23 years ago and it was such a sleepy town. I do know that it is quite different now. I am wondering what it's like to live there now. Schools? Housing? Jobs? I moved my family from So Cal to Oregon, lived there for 15 years then onto SE Missouri. Been living here 2 years now and I hate it. I want to go back out west. I miss the dryer weather and the 'west' mentality.
We almost moved to Colorado about 10 years ago but didnt. Now we want to know what its like.

You should definitely take a trip to visit before deciding to relocate. IMHO, the town has gone downhill in quality of life in the last 23 years.

There aren't much more in the way of amenities, but taxes, crime, traffic, and all the other problems that come with rapid growth are there. Look around the CO board and you'll see a lot of people inquiring about jobs in western CO, but if you go there, you'll notice a lot of houses for sale at prices that the local wages just won't support.

I don't have a lot of confidence in the area being able to hold its property values over the next ten years, and wouldn't be too surprised to see them drop by close to 50% if or when something happens to impact the drilling boom.

Right now rent is pretty expensive and people are starting to have a hard time selling their houses. Again, its just my opinion, but moving there today could be a pretty big gamble if you can't afford to buy and hold a house for at least the next decade.

However....if you can wait a few years to move, you may be able to pick up a house for half of what they're selling for today.

[CosmicWizard]

CalOrGal wrote:

Grand Junction...good or bad move?

It's what YOU make of it! Some people love it, other people hate it.

I've been living in GJ for just over 2 years now. In my assessment, it's far from being the perfect place. However, for where I'm at in my life right now, it serves my purpose quite well. I'm committed to making the most of my time here, so my perspective is more positive than negative. It's a small town compared to my previous home in a metro area of 1.7 million, which suits me just fine. Yet it is large enough to offer employment opportunities that are lacking in the smaller towns in the mountains, where I'd rather be. There's lots of local hiking trails which provide an outlet for my love of hiking. GJ is just a 2 hr drive from some fabulous places like Ouray, Glenwood Springs, & Moab to name a few. All of those places are easy day trips. The summers are a bit hotter and longer ( 43 consecutive days of 90+ highs...and still counting! ) than I prefer, but they are a big improvement over summers in the eastern US. The winters are colder than I prefer, but quite tolerable because it is sunny most of the time.

[AmriJane128]

I'm a college student and have lived here for about 13 years. I would definitely NOT describe it as a "sleepy town" any longer.

The biggest change recently is certainly the oil boom, which has it's pros and cons. Young people looking for work have it easily, with good wages too. The job market isn't terribly tight, and you can find a job in most fields with a little bit of searching.

Housing is going up. You are looking to pay between 150,000 and 200,000 for a 2-3 bedroom 1-2 bathroom house and small yard. And it would have been build before 1990. There is an abundance of houses for sale though, you can find trailors, (40-125,000) townhomes (125-150,000) and newer cookie-cutter type houses (200,00+) for sale all over the place.

I've heard Junction described as having the problems of a big city with none of the amenities. You certainly have traffic congestion at times, as well as an increasing crime rate. There is a meth bust almost every day and alot of the crimes are violent. 10 years ago I never heard of murders, now there are suddenly gun crimes. No, you don't hear gun shots at all hours and there aren't drive-by's, but the crime is definitely increasing.

As far as amenities go, don't expect much. If you love fast food and chain restaurants you'll be in heaven. There's a few local places, a couple of cafe's sprawled about the city, but its not exactly a tourist's dream. Downtown has alot of stores and a pretty good vibe during events (farmers market every thursday) but most stores are high end stores that apply directly to home decor and middle aged women's fashion. Atleast in my opinion.

Weather is alright. There are 4 seasons, but in the summer it's HOT HOT HOT. It's not uncommon to get into the 100's, and it's a very dry heat; as we are in the desert.

Hmm... let's see... there's alot of beautiful places around the area, but it's a car drive away, not a bike ride or walk. The national monument is beautiful and has some great hiking trails, but you're looking at a 20-40 minute drive to get there depending on where you live. The nearest ski resort is about 1.5 hours away. It's decent, but that just depends on what kind of skiing/boarding you do.

Can I just say that the town is NOT biker friendly? There are a few paths, but riding on the streets is impossible. I have a young daughter who rides in my bike trailor, and I have no option but to be on the sidewalk: hoping we don't encounter a pedestrian.

I guess my overall opinion on the place is that I don't like it. People seem very uptight, when I prefer a more laid-back, talk to anyone on the street type atmosphere. I like wireless cafe's, cloth diaper stores and a liberal outlook. You won't find much of that here.

If you are a person who loves suburbia and driving, this may very well be your place. It has been rated as a great retirement place, but just isn't for younger people in my opinion. If you are like me and looking for an outdoorsy place with open minded people and great parks, I'd look up in the mountains.

[eofelis]

Originally Posted by AmriJane128

I'm a college student and have lived here for about 13 years. I would definitely NOT describe it as a "sleepy town" any longer.


Can I just say that the town is NOT biker friendly? There are a few paths, but riding on the streets is impossible. I have a young daughter who rides in my bike trailor, and I have no option but to be on the sidewalk: hoping we don't encounter a pedestrian.

.

As an avid year-round bike commuter/road cyclist I don't think the town is bike unfriendly. I ride for transportation or recreation almost every day. It may be different for someone pulling a trailer with a child in it, but I can get to many places in town with minimal traffic issues. There are certain roads that are not good for anyone to ride on, North Ave, Patterson, 12th St, 6&50.

I've been here in GJ 6 years and I'm also a MSC student, non-trad, class of 2009, BS Geology/GIS. As I understand it, there is big money for jobs in my field right now.

I like it here, mostly for the outdoor recreation opportunities. I grew up on the coast of MA, lived in WY 7 yrs, then moved here.

I'm very frugal so housing looks enormously expensive right now.
We have to move shortly and got sticker shock at current rent prices. We will take the new apt but keep looking for a better deal. Hoping house prices come down with the US economy in a year or two when we have cash that talks for a house.

[delta07]

I just moved to Bend, Oregon from Grand Junction and it was the best decision I have made! Grand Junction is very conservative, and was not my cup of tea. Poor growth managment, and an oil and gas boom, have made it very undesirable IMO. I would certainly recommend you take a trip there since it has been 20+ years since you last visited. My parents don't like visiting Grand Junction anymore, and my mom remembers it fondly as a kid.

[rusty2006]

I lived there from 1981 to 1986. I loved it there but my (then) husband's job caused us to move to Washington state. I have lived in 7 different states (KS, WA, NE, CO, MO, TX, and IA). It was my favorite place and my recent visit there has done nothing to change that opinion. With the comments about it being the "red" part of Colorado, it seems even more interesting! The downtown was wonderful compared to being barely alive in the 80's. We moved there just as the first oil shale bust was happening. Talk about crime, I remember the first year being kind of bad but then I felt safe any where I went. Having lived in Houston, TX for many years, the traffic is not very bad, crime is low, and don't even mention being hot unless you've survived a summer down there! I now live in Iowa and there are plenty of meth labs here. There were many more good places to eat than we ever had 20 years ago. I attended Mesa State as a non-traditional student 20 years ago. The college has really grown and will probably expand to the medical complex where I worked - that was the rumor during our visit. I loved being able to go downhill or cross country skiing on the Grand Mesa. Now the Grand Valley is Colorado's "wine country". My husband works in the petrochemical industry so I am used to working and living with workers from the oil and gas industry. Most of them I know are good, hard-working citizens. I hope we can retire there so I can return to 4 fairly mild seasons compared to winter in Iowa.