Grand Junction, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grand Junction, Colorado
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Grand Junction skyline
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Colorado Wine Country, River City
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Location of Grand Junction in Mesa County, Colorado
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 Grand Junction, Colorado
Location in Colorado
Grand Junction, Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | Mesa |
| Incorporated | July 22, 1882 |
| Named for | Confluence of Grand River and Gunnison River |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 40.077 sq mi (103.799 km2) |
| • Land | 39.634 sq mi (102.652 km2) |
| • Water | 0.443 sq mi (1.147 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,646 ft (1,416 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 65,560 |
| • Rank | 17th in Colorado |
| • Density | 1,654/sq mi (639/km2) |
| • Metro | 155,703 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
81501–81507
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| Area code(s) | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-31660 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2410631 |
| Highways | I-70, U.S. Highway 6, U.S. Highway 50, CO SH 340, CO SH 141, CO SH 139 |
Grand Junction is a city in Colorado, United States. It is the biggest city and the main town in Mesa County, Colorado. In 2020, about 65,560 people lived there. This makes it the largest city in western Colorado and the 17th biggest city in the whole state.
Grand Junction is very important for western Colorado. It is the main place for business and culture in the Western Slope region. The city is also a major travel spot. It sits where two big highways, Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 50, meet. It is the largest city between Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah. It is also where two main parts of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad connect. Grand Junction is also known for its college, Colorado Mesa University.
Grand Junction is the main city in the Grand Junction metropolitan area, which had over 150,000 people in 2020. The city is in the middle of the Grand Valley. This is a large valley along the Colorado River. It stretches over 30 miles (48 km) from east to west and 5 miles (8 km) from north to south. This valley is the most crowded area in Colorado outside of the Front Range Urban Corridor.
Contents
About Grand Junction
Grand Junction is about 247 miles (398 km) west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The city has a council–manager type of government. This means a city council makes decisions and a city manager runs the daily operations. It is a major center for business and travel in the large area between the Green River and the Continental Divide. It is the largest city in Colorado outside of the Front Range Corridor.
The city is located along the Colorado River. This is where it meets the Gunnison River, which flows in from the south. The name "Grand" comes from the old name for the Colorado River, which was called the Grand River until 1921. "Junction" means where the Colorado and Gunnison rivers meet. Because of this, Grand Junction is sometimes called "River City." It is in the middle of a 30-mile (48 km) long valley called the Grand Valley. Since the late 1800s, this area has been great for growing fruit. The Ute people and other native groups lived in the valley for a long time. European-American farmers did not settle here until the 1880s. In recent years, many wineries have started in the area.
The Colorado National Monument is a special place with many canyons and flat-topped mountains called mesas. It looks over the city from the west. Most of the land around Grand Junction is public land managed by the US Bureau of Land Management. Interstate 70 connects the city to Glenwood Springs and Denver to the east. To the west, it connects to Green River, Utah. You can reach Salt Lake City by taking Interstate 70 and U.S Route 6. Las Vegas can be reached by taking Interstate 70 and Interstate 15.
History of Grand Junction
In September 1881, the land that belonged to the Ute Indian Territory was opened up for new settlers. The Utes had to move to a reservation. Soon after, George Addison Crawford bought some land. On July 22, 1882, he officially started the town of Grand Junction. He also planted Colorado's first vineyard near Palisade, Colorado. This made the area famous as the Colorado Wine Country.
Before it became Grand Junction, the community was known as Ute. For a short time, it was also called West Denver. The narrow gauge Denver and Rio Grande Railroad reached Grand Junction in 1882. It came from Pueblo through Gunnison. Then, in 1890, the standard gauge Rio Grande Junction Railway arrived from New Castle. These railroads helped the area grow and settle much faster.
Climate and Weather
Grand Junction has a cold semi-arid climate. This means it is dry and has cold winters. It is located in a large high desert area in Western Colorado. Winters are cold and dry. The average temperature in January is about 27.7°F (–2.4°C). Because Grand Junction is west of the Rocky Mountains, it does not get as much warm Chinook winds as places east of the mountains. However, it is protected from very cold Arctic air. From December to February, temperatures reach 50°F (10°C) only about 18 days. Low temperatures drop to 0°F (–18°C) or below about 3 nights a year.
It does not snow much compared to other parts of Colorado, with about 17.6 inches (45 cm) per year. Snow does not stay on the ground for long. Spring gets warmer slowly, but speeds up closer to June. The last frost usually happens around April 25. Summer is hot and dry, with an average July temperature of 79.2°F (26.2°C). Grand Junction has about 68 days a year with temperatures of 90°F (32°C) or higher. About 8 days reach 100°F (38°C) or more. Fall cools down quickly, with the first frost usually around October 11. The area gets little rain all year, averaging about 9.06 inches (230 mm). It is very sunny, even in winter, with over 3,200 hours of sunshine per year.
| Climate data for Grand Junction, Colorado (Grand Junction Regional Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 62 (17) |
70 (21) |
81 (27) |
89 (32) |
101 (38) |
105 (41) |
107 (42) |
103 (39) |
100 (38) |
88 (31) |
76 (24) |
66 (19) |
107 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 49.6 (9.8) |
60.0 (15.6) |
72.6 (22.6) |
81.3 (27.4) |
90.9 (32.7) |
99.4 (37.4) |
102.0 (38.9) |
98.6 (37.0) |
93.2 (34.0) |
82.1 (27.8) |
65.3 (18.5) |
51.9 (11.1) |
102.5 (39.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.1 (3.4) |
46.4 (8.0) |
58.3 (14.6) |
65.8 (18.8) |
76.8 (24.9) |
89.2 (31.8) |
94.5 (34.7) |
90.9 (32.7) |
81.7 (27.6) |
66.9 (19.4) |
51.8 (11.0) |
38.8 (3.8) |
66.6 (19.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.7 (−2.4) |
35.3 (1.8) |
45.0 (7.2) |
51.9 (11.1) |
62.0 (16.7) |
73.0 (22.8) |
79.2 (26.2) |
76.3 (24.6) |
67.1 (19.5) |
53.2 (11.8) |
39.6 (4.2) |
28.4 (−2.0) |
53.2 (11.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.3 (−8.2) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
38.1 (3.4) |
47.1 (8.4) |
56.8 (13.8) |
63.9 (17.7) |
61.6 (16.4) |
52.5 (11.4) |
39.5 (4.2) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
18.0 (−7.8) |
39.8 (4.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 3.4 (−15.9) |
10.3 (−12.1) |
19.3 (−7.1) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
33.6 (0.9) |
44.3 (6.8) |
54.3 (12.4) |
53.5 (11.9) |
39.2 (4.0) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
13.8 (−10.1) |
2.8 (−16.2) |
−1.3 (−18.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −23 (−31) |
−21 (−29) |
5 (−15) |
11 (−12) |
24 (−4) |
34 (1) |
44 (7) |
43 (6) |
28 (−2) |
6 (−14) |
−4 (−20) |
−21 (−29) |
−23 (−31) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.61 (15) |
0.53 (13) |
0.80 (20) |
0.98 (25) |
0.83 (21) |
0.41 (10) |
0.59 (15) |
0.92 (23) |
1.19 (30) |
0.99 (25) |
0.61 (15) |
0.60 (15) |
9.06 (230) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.5 (11) |
2.9 (7.4) |
1.8 (4.6) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.4 (1.0) |
1.9 (4.8) |
5.2 (13) |
17.7 (44.35) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.3 | 6.1 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 71.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 4.6 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 18.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 69.7 | 60.4 | 50.1 | 40.3 | 36.3 | 29.4 | 33.5 | 36.6 | 38.8 | 45.6 | 58.5 | 68.0 | 47.3 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 192.3 | 204.4 | 240.9 | 278.0 | 328.5 | 359.3 | 356.2 | 329.8 | 292.2 | 255.1 | 186.9 | 180.0 | 3,203.6 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 63 | 68 | 65 | 70 | 74 | 81 | 79 | 78 | 78 | 74 | 62 | 61 | 72 |
| Source: NOAA (sun 1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 2,030 | — | |
| 1900 | 3,503 | 72.6% | |
| 1910 | 7,754 | 121.4% | |
| 1920 | 8,665 | 11.7% | |
| 1930 | 10,247 | 18.3% | |
| 1940 | 12,479 | 21.8% | |
| 1950 | 14,504 | 16.2% | |
| 1960 | 18,694 | 28.9% | |
| 1970 | 20,170 | 7.9% | |
| 1980 | 27,956 | 38.6% | |
| 1990 | 29,034 | 3.9% | |
| 2000 | 41,986 | 44.6% | |
| 2010 | 58,566 | 39.5% | |
| 2020 | 65,560 | 11.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Grand Junction is the main city of the Grand Junction, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. This means it is the center of a larger area where many people live and work.
In 2000, there were 41,986 people living in Grand Junction. About 21.2% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age was 39 years. Most people (91.78%) were White. About 10.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
Economy and Jobs
How Grand Junction Makes Money
From the 1880s until the 1960s, the main ways people made money here were farming, growing fruit, and raising cattle. Even today, fruit orchards are very important. Especially between Grand Junction and Palisade, fruit growing is a big part of the area's fame and economy. They mostly grow peaches, pears, apricots, plums, cherries, and grapes for wine. The area gets lots of sunshine. Farmers use a system of canals to bring water from the Colorado River to their crops.
People also tried to grow sugar beets and make beet sugar. This was a big effort in the late 1800s, but it was hard to make it work. Eventually, local investors made a sugar factory successful.
Selling things in stores has also been important for a long time. This includes things like gasoline and items for hunting and fishing. Uranium mining was also a big industry. Grand Junction had a large uranium mill that provided uranium for the US Atomic Energy Commission.
Education and healthcare have become very important since the 1950s. Colorado Mesa University and St. Mary's Hospital are now some of the biggest employers in these fields.
There are huge amounts of oil shale near Grand Junction. In the 1970s, high gas prices made companies very interested in this oil. Exxon bought rights to the land and made Grand Junction its main base. The city and the Grand Valley became very rich in the 1970s and early 1980s because of this oil shale work. The United States has the largest known amount of oil shale in the world. It holds enough oil to meet U.S. needs for over 100 years. This "Rock That Burns" can be processed to make oil. In the past, it was too expensive to get this oil. But if oil prices stay high, it might become profitable.
However, ExxonMobil left the area in 1982 because oil prices dropped. This caused a big economic problem for Grand Junction. Locals called it "Black Sunday." It was a reminder that Colorado's economy can go up and down quickly, like when silver prices crashed in 1893.
By 2008, Grand Junction's economy seemed more varied and stable. Healthcare, tourism, farming, livestock, and energy (gas and oil) were all important. Energy companies invested a lot of money again when oil and gas prices went up. But when natural gas prices dropped in 2008, drilling slowed down. This hurt Grand Junction's economy in 2009. By 2010, Grand Junction had one of the biggest drops in jobs of any small city in the U.S.
Still, by 2008, Grand Junction was becoming a popular place for wealthy travelers. Many people came by private jet to visit Powderhorn Resort and other ski areas nearby.
Major Employers in Grand Junction
Here are the top employers in Grand Junction, based on a 2023 report:
| # | Employer | Number of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa County Valley School District 51 | 3,658 |
| 2 | St. Mary's Regional Hospital | 2,732 |
| 3 | Colorado Mesa University | 1,461 |
| 4 | Community Hospital | 1,400 |
| 5 | Mesa County | 1,224 |
| 6 | Grand Junction VA Medical Center | 978 |
| 7 | City of Grand Junction | 860 |
| 8 | Family West Health | 596 |
| 9 | Hilltop Community Resources | 540 |
| 10 | West Star Aviation | 537 |
Sports and Recreation
Grand Junction's Colorado National Monument was once part of a famous bicycle race called the Coors Classic. The stage there was known as "The Tour of the Moon" because the Monument looks so unique.
Since 1958, the JUCO World Series (a college baseball tournament) has been played at Suplizio Field. The city also has a professional Minor League Baseball team, the Grand Junction Jackalopes. They play in the Pioneer Baseball League. The Jackalopes used to be called the Grand Junction Rockies.
Both Suplizio Field and Stocker Stadium also host sports events for Colorado Mesa University and School District 51.
The Grand Junction area is a popular place for mountain biking. Many bikers come from other parts of Colorado, Utah, and even California. They enjoy the many single-track trails. Two well-known trails are the Tabeguache and Kokopelli trails. The Kokopelli trail runs from near Loma all the way to Moab, Utah. Fruita, Colorado, which is about 10 miles (16 km) from Grand Junction, is also a major mountain biking spot with its 18-Road trail system.
Education and Learning
Schools for Kids (K–12)
The Mesa Valley School District No. 51 provides public education for students from kindergarten through 12th grade in the Grand Junction area. School District 51 runs five high schools:
- Fruita Monument High School
- Grand Junction High School
- Central High School
- Palisade High School
- R-5 High School
The district also has many middle schools, elementary schools, and other types of schools. Some middle schools include East Middle School, Redlands Middle School, and West Middle School. School District 51 also works with CMU Tech to run a vocational school. This school is owned by Colorado Mesa University. CMU Tech used to be called Western Colorado Community College.
Colleges and Universities
Colorado Mesa University is a public university. It is the main place for higher education in the Western Slope region. Its campus is in central Grand Junction. The university has about 10,000 students and offers many different degrees. These include a Masters in Business Administration and degrees in Educational Leadership. The university also runs CMU Tech, which is a community college. It offers associate degrees and special certificates for jobs. Also in Grand Junction is IntelliTec College. This is a private technical college that offers job-focused certificates.
Media and News
Radio Stations
The Grand Junction radio market covers all of Mesa County, Colorado. Six AM radio stations and more than 25 FM stations are allowed to broadcast from the city.
Newspapers
Grand Junction has one local newspaper, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. People in the Grand Junction area also get news from newspapers in the greater Denver area.
Television Channels
Grand Junction has local TV stations for ABC, NBC, and CBS. Their call signs are KJCT-TV (Channel 8), KKCO-TV (Channel 11), and KREX-TV (Channel 5). Grand Junction also has a Fox (Channel 4) station called KFQX. This station gets its news from the Denver FOX station, KDVR (Channel 31), at 9 pm. KLML (Channel 20) shows Cozi TV programs. KRMJ (Channel 18) is the local PBS station, which is part of the Rocky Mountain PBS network across the state.
Getting Around Grand Junction
Transportation Options
Grand Junction Regional Airport is the main airport in the area. It is the largest airport in western Colorado and the third-largest in the state. Only Denver International Airport and the Colorado Springs Airport are bigger. As of 2024, you can fly directly from Grand Junction to places like Denver, Dallas–Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Santa Ana. You can also get one-stop flights to Provo, Utah. In January 2025, the airport will start offering one-stop flights to Hartford, Connecticut. They are also working to bring back direct flights to Salt Lake City. These flights stopped in 2022 because of not enough staff.
Union Pacific provides freight train service, and BNSF also uses their tracks. Amtrak, the national passenger train system, serves the Grand Junction Station. Their California Zephyr train runs daily in both directions between Chicago and Emeryville, California (near San Francisco).
Bustang is Colorado's state-run bus system. It offers bus service between cities. Two bus lines include Grand Junction. The West line goes to Denver, and the Outrider line goes to Durango. Both lines have many stops along the way. You can also switch to other lines from the West line.
Grand Valley Transit (GVT) is a local bus system that serves the Grand Valley. It has 11 bus routes in the area. It also offers a "dial-a-ride" service where you can call for a ride.
The city also has a shared e-scooter program that started in May 2023. Companies like Bird and Lime let people rent e-scooters using their phone apps.
Main Highways
Interstate 70 runs from Interstate 15 in Cove Fort, Utah all the way to Baltimore, Maryland. It connects Grand Junction to Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Columbus. Through Interstate 15, it also links Grand Junction with Las Vegas, Nevada, and southern California.
U.S. Highway 6 goes through 14 states. It runs east–west from Provincetown, Massachusetts, to Bishop, California. In Colorado, it mostly runs next to Interstate 76 and Interstate 70.
U.S. Highway 50 crosses 12 states, connecting Ocean City, Maryland, with Sacramento, California. In Colorado, U.S. 50 links Grand Junction with Montrose, Gunnison, and Pueblo. To the west, it goes into Utah.
SH 340 runs east–west. It starts in downtown Grand Junction, goes through the Redlands area, and ends at U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 50 in Fruita.
Famous People from Grand Junction
Many notable people have connections to Grand Junction, including:
- Owen Aspinall, a former governor of American Samoa
- Sabré Cook, a racing car driver
- Ben Garland, an NFL football player
- Chuck Hull, an inventor
- Vance Johnson, a former NFL wide receiver
- Aryn Kyle, an author
- Annabelle Craft Moss, an aviator who flew in World War II
- Bill Musgrave, a former NFL player and coach
- Rick Schroder, an actor and film director
- Dalton Trumbo, a famous screenwriter
Sister City
Grand Junction has a sister city, which is a way for cities in different countries to connect and learn from each other:
El Espino (Jucuarán), Usulután Department, El Salvador
See also
In Spanish: Grand Junction (Colorado) para niños
