Is Grand Junction A Good Place to Live? (Fruita: best city, schools)

[jazzlover]

^That doesn't even begin to replace the number of high-paying natural resource jobs (coal mines, gas fields, etc.) lost in west central Colorado in the last 6 months. Nobody wants to talk about that, but the losses are there and they are real.

[motoracer51]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

^That doesn't even begin to replace the number of high-paying natural resource jobs (coal mines, gas fields, etc.) lost in west central Colorado in the last 6 months. Nobody wants to talk about that, but the losses are there and they are real.

Hey, we have 2 new Del Tacos!

[Let's Go Here]

Originally Posted by motoracer51

Hey, we have 2 new Del Tacos!

And if it's anything like the one in Pueblo, they only hire halfway house residents!

[CheriCal]

If you love outdoor activities then you will love Grand Junction. All kinds of Summer/Winter activities are available here. The weather is pretty mild compared to Denver for Winter and other desert areas in the Summer.

I moved here for a job and I am a city girl who doesn't do all of the outdoor activities. If like me you like cultural activities, theme parks, diversity in food, shopping and people you may get bored here. Denver is 4 1/2 hour drive through the Rockies so you have to get used to that.

Good luck to you!

[6.7traveler]

I didn't read the whole thread but I lived on a temporary work assignment in Grand Junction for 13 weeks and wasn't a huge fan. I loved the Grand Mesa and spent hours hiking/snowshoeing up there but it is still a pretty good drive to get there. The city itself is alright I guess , but has some sort of strange energy to it and was just not for me. It's like a giant suburb that isn't quite small enough to be a friendly town but not big enough to have the advantages of a city.

The redeeming factor of Grand Junction is it's proximity to cool places if you like to take LONG day trips of 1+hour each way. Moab, Gunnison, the San Juans and some other really cool places can be accessed without too much effort, but you won't be doing these things on a frequent enough basis to make it worth it, IMO. I would rather live almost anywhere else in Colorado (besides the front range or eastern plains) if I ever make it back that way again.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

It's like a giant suburb that isn't quite small enough to be a friendly town but not big enough to have the advantages of a city.

You nailed it right on the head.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

I didn't read the whole thread but I lived on a temporary work assignment in Grand Junction for 13 weeks and wasn't a huge fan. I loved the Grand Mesa and spent hours hiking/snowshoeing up there but it is still a pretty good drive to get there. The city itself is alright I guess , but has some sort of strange energy to it and was just not for me. It's like a giant suburb that isn't quite small enough to be a friendly town but not big enough to have the advantages of a city.

The redeeming factor of Grand Junction is it's proximity to cool places if you like to take LONG day trips of 1+hour each way. Moab, Gunnison, the San Juans and some other really cool places can be accessed without too much effort, but you won't be doing these things on a frequent enough basis to make it worth it, IMO. I would rather live almost anywhere else in Colorado (besides the front range or eastern plains) if I ever make it back that way again.

I couldn't agree with you more. In the 7 years (on and off) that my husband and I lived there, we always felt as though the general vibe of GJ was weird. Not sure what it exactly is, but it just didn't have anything to it. It never felt like a city, never like a small town. It just sort of existed.

The only thing we miss about GJ is the proximity to those cool places. I don't mind driving an hour or so to get to them, especially the Moab area or the San Juans. I miss that!

Originally Posted by jazzlover

You nailed it right on the head.

Yup, I agree. After having grown up Aurora, a suburb of Denver that I dislike, I definitely felt that way too.

[6.7traveler]

^ Is your name delta07 because you used to live in Delta? Delta county is part of the reason I headed out that way in the first place. I researched that there were no building codes in unincorporated parts of the county and wanted to build an alternative style home. I was disappointed when I saw the affordable land outside of delta in person, to say the least , and I am usually a big fan of deserts. Moab, the canyons and the San Juan's still haunt me in my dreams though , but I am definitely not missing Grand Junction itself, not even a little tiny bit.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

^ Is your name delta07 because you used to live in Delta? Delta county is part of the reason I headed out that way in the first place. I researched that there were no building codes in unincorporated parts of the county and wanted to build an alternative style home. I was disappointed when I saw the affordable land outside of delta in person, to say the least , and I am usually a big fan of deserts. Moab, the canyons and the San Juan's still haunt me in my dreams though , but I am definitely not missing Grand Junction itself, not even a little tiny bit.

Nah, I just picked it because it was easy, simple and not taken. I did a lot of work in Delta county with the USFS, but lived in GJ.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by delta07

I couldn't agree with you more. In the 7 years (on and off) that my husband and I lived there, we always felt as though the general vibe of GJ was weird.

well the vibe might be a little odd, but not in a bad way. When my wife and I lived there we found it to be a peaceful and safe place to live. We moved away, not because of anything "wrong" with Grand Junction, but because small isolated towns just aren't our thing.