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Old 07-19-2018, 10:17 AM
 
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Good article about the Riverfront Trail in the Grand Valley.
https://theknow.denverpost.com/2018/...-guide/181436/
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Old 07-19-2018, 12:23 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grovin2movin View Post
I've read many threads on GJ and it seems to be a mixed bag. Good/ bad economy. Not safe. Thriving community. Drugs.

Would like info from people who live there regarding any of these ^^^^ topics. Are there certain neighborhoods to avoid?

Also, given they don't get much snow, what do ppl do for activities in the winter? Besides skiing at Powderhorn or trailering sleds to areas with more snow.

Like jwiley has described on post #2, the Mesa County area is pretty dependent on oil and gas and it is reflected on what you see regarding what is on I-70 and 6/50 coming into town from the west; lots of support companies indirectly tied to the energy companies and housing construction such as Colorado Kenworth, Pete Honnen Equipment Co., McCoy Caterpillar, W.W. Grainger, Ryall Electric, etc., etc. If ones work experience leans toward this industry, the chances of hiring on I think would be good.


From there you have a big drop in good paying jobs as you go right into retail jobs. Years ago it wasn't quite this way, a different group of civic leaders were actively seeking established companies. They got one in Hamilton Sundstrand, a national defense contractor. It provided a couple hundred jobs in the $40-$80 thousand dollar range. It worked out great until a decade later they pulled up stakes and moved their operations to Singapore. This area needs to be more active regarding bringing in good paying jobs.


Drugs. Yes, a problem and just this morning the ABC affiliate KJCT reported a break in at the Walgreen's in Grand Junction. On the whole though, I don't know if Mesa County is more of a problem than other counties in the state. IMO if you had a huge map of Colorado on your wall you could throw a dart and hit a place where people are selling drugs. But that's just me.



Re: Colo Cheesheads comments on post #3, yes--a lot of outdoor activities. East of town the Grand Mesa is the largest flattop mountain in the world with dozens of charted and uncharted lakes, my favorites being Vega and Jumbo. Colorado 65 exits off the interstate and is a nice drive across the mesa, reaching Mesa, Molina, Cedaredge, and then drops down to the Delta area. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a 90 minute drive from GJ going southeast. I do a little fishing from time to time, I roll through these areas every other week. You also have Highline and Mack Mesa Reservoirs northeast of GJ. And of course, the Colorado River--which is close to my place, fished it just last weekend, pulled a couple catfish out of there.



The comments regarding Clifton are pretty accurate, some areas are ok and some not. The areas that I know have had problems are between the Clifton Post Office and the Clifton Commercial Center. There are a couple sketchy areas in south Grand Junction. And also like jwiley suggested you have the college at 12th and Orchard (Colorado Mesa University.) Down the street on 12th and North is Stocker Stadium for high school football games and the games for CMU, who are NCAA-Div. 1. Adjoining to that is Suplezio Field. GJ sports minor league baseball, class A, and yes, they are the farm club of the MLB baseball club the Colorado Rockies. GJ also promotes JUCO (Junior College World Series).
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Old 07-19-2018, 12:34 PM
 
2,471 posts, read 2,692,112 times
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Originally Posted by DOUBLE H View Post
Like jwiley has described on post #2, the Mesa County area is pretty dependent on oil and gas and it is reflected on what you see regarding what is on I-70 and 6/50 coming into town from the west; lots of support companies indirectly tied to the energy companies and housing construction such as Colorado Kenworth, Pete Honnen Equipment Co., McCoy Caterpillar, W.W. Grainger, Ryall Electric, etc., etc. If ones work experience leans toward this industry, the chances of hiring on I think would be good.


From there you have a big drop in good paying jobs as you go right into retail jobs.
I think there is the impression of Oil/Gas and retail being the big employers. The reality is different though. Here is a list from the GJ Economic Dev. Board.

Top Employers in Mesa County (by # employees)

Mesa County Valley School District 51 | Education | 2715
St. Mary’s Hospital | Healthcare | 2300
Mesa County | Government | 1025
State of Colorado | Government | 1012
Colorado Mesa University | Higher Education | 1006
Community Hospital | Healthcare | 800
VA Medical Center – Grand Junction | Services | 720
Star Tek Inc. | Telecommunications | 700
City of Grand Junction | Government | 629
Hilltop Community Resources | Healthcare | 600
West Star Aviation | Aviation | 413
Rocky Mountain Health Plans | Healthcare | 404
Family Health West | Healthcare | 370
HopeWest | Healthcare | 350
STRiVE | Nonprofit | 350
Primary Care Partners | Healthcare | 304
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Old 07-19-2018, 10:23 PM
 
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My daughter goes to Colorado Mesa (we are from Denver) and I really like GJ. Downtown is cute, lots of areas to hike, raft and explore, smaller town vibe, minimal traffic, vineyards and orchards.

CMU is drawing a lot of students from the Front Range which is a definite plus for GJ's economy...although it still does feel a little podunk in some parts.

Pretty toasty in the summer months though.
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Old 07-21-2018, 07:54 AM
 
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https://youtu.be/cs5FHADGrFY
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Old 07-21-2018, 09:42 AM
 
Location: Eastern Colorado
3,887 posts, read 5,745,101 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by COcheesehead View Post
I think there is the impression of Oil/Gas and retail being the big employers. The reality is different though. Here is a list from the GJ Economic Dev. Board.

Top Employers in Mesa County (by # employees)

Mesa County Valley School District 51 | Education | 2715
St. Mary’s Hospital | Healthcare | 2300
Mesa County | Government | 1025
State of Colorado | Government | 1012
Colorado Mesa University | Higher Education | 1006
Community Hospital | Healthcare | 800
VA Medical Center – Grand Junction | Services | 720
Star Tek Inc. | Telecommunications | 700
City of Grand Junction | Government | 629
Hilltop Community Resources | Healthcare | 600
West Star Aviation | Aviation | 413
Rocky Mountain Health Plans | Healthcare | 404
Family Health West | Healthcare | 370
HopeWest | Healthcare | 350
STRiVE | Nonprofit | 350
Primary Care Partners | Healthcare | 304

That is for employers located in Mesa county, most retail stores are not going to have more than a handful of staff each and most of the oil field companies have their yards located in Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, but their employees live in the Grand Junction area as there are not a lot of places to actually live in those areas.
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Old 07-21-2018, 12:38 PM
 
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Originally Posted by jwiley View Post
That is for employers located in Mesa county, most retail stores are not going to have more than a handful of staff each and most of the oil field companies have their yards located in Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, but their employees live in the Grand Junction area as there are not a lot of places to actually live in those areas.
Good distinction.
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Old 08-16-2018, 09:44 AM
 
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Update on GJ's efforts to land the BLM HQ that is now in Washington DC.
They mention the average house price in GJ is $220,000. Compare that to Denver where the average is $540,000.

https://mailchi.mp/coloradosun/the-4...on-and-the-blm
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Old 08-28-2018, 06:49 PM
 
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Fun, quick little intro video about Grand Junction.

https://youtu.be/hiwYrEttxYo
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Old 08-28-2018, 10:47 PM
 
Location: Eastern Colorado
3,887 posts, read 5,745,101 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by COcheesehead View Post
Update on GJ's efforts to land the BLM HQ that is now in Washington DC.
They mention the average house price in GJ is $220,000. Compare that to Denver where the average is $540,000.

https://mailchi.mp/coloradosun/the-4...on-and-the-blm

Grand Junction is a great area to raise a family outside of that. Sure you are 4 hours from the big concerts/art shows/museums/ sporting events but you a minutes from great hiking, biking, fishing, hunting and a couple of hours from amazing skiing and places like hot springs. Plus city events like the parade of lights and such were great with young kids. There were a lack of decent jobs, but I have an internet based job and with the cost of living we could afford to live on just my income, what's not to love? I would still be in Grand Junction if not for the lack of medical care for my family, until they start figuring out how to attract and keep doctors than Grand Junction is going to have a heck of a time diversifying their economic base. There is a huge lack of even general practitioners for families in the area, and it can destroy any growth as people leave due to lack of available medical care. We had to wait 8 weeks for an appointment to get my son a sports physical, calling multiple doctors when we moved there. My wife and daughter each had to go to the front range once a month to see doctors, sometimes more depending on specialists and it forced us to leave.


The place where Grand Junction and the surrounding area is the same one that some in Eastern Colorado want to do, they advertise themselves as great places to retire. What happens a few years after retirement? It is no secret that as we age we need the doctors more and more, not many young doctors want to move to a retirement community, and so you are fighting to attract the one thing they desperately need.



Once they get the medical situation figured out, then they can start worrying about attracting more jobs, then they have a nice lifestyle to sell.
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