A retirement and retail hub among the Rocky Mountains
Battlement Mesa may have been among the last sections of Colorado to experience settlement, but this peaceful isolation along the winding Colorado Valley has played a central role in this community’s continued appeal. “It’s got a mild winter climate, and it’s also got a nice 18-hole golf course," says Gary Hubbell, broker/owner of United Country Colorado Brokers. "It’s on the Colorado River for fishing and boating, with beautiful views on either side of the valley.” Grazing lands settled in the 1880s evolved into oil fields during the early 20th century and, since the closure of the Exxon plant in 1982, into a mountainous retreat for retirees and retail workers. “It’s just 39 minutes from Grand Junction via year-round paved roads, so you have a nice, mid-valley position with good housing inventory," Hubbell says. Today, just shy of 5,500 people call Battlement Mesa home, with community parks, a small dining scene and an abundance of Rocky Mountain backdrops shaping their day-to-day experiences.
A diverse and relatively young housing market
Though making up nearly 40% of Colorado’s land, western Colorado is home to just under 11% of the state’s population. However, Battlement Mesa is sharing in this region’s growing popularity among retirees, resulting in the development of new residential subdivisions and the expansion of local amenities. Battlement Mesa’s oldest homes date to the 1930s, but golf course properties and residences in the Battlement Creek Trail section of town date from the 1990s to the early 2020s. Manufactured homes sell for between $35,000 and $377,000, while fully detached properties run from as low as $275,000 to as high as $886,000. Battlement Mesa is significantly less expensive than nearby Grand Junction, and even the newest and largest properties never sell for more than a million. Battlement Mesa is a highly decentralized community with no downtown area, and its residential sections branch off from major thoroughfares like Stone Quarry Road and Battlement Parkway.
Opportunities to stand out at Grand Valley High
Battlement Mesa’s students attend Bea Underwood Elementary School and Grand Valley Middle School, both given C ratings by Niche, before attending the B-rated Grand Valley High School. Grand Valley offers small class sizes and Advanced Placement programs, giving students abundant opportunities to stand out both in the classroom and academically.
Hiking and golfing near the Rockies
Western Colorado’s largely undeveloped nature has imbued Battlement Mesa with a strongly outdoorsy character. Most of the surrounding wilderness is administered by the Bureau of Land Management and is therefore open for hiking and camping. During the 1980s, Battlement Mesa Golf Club was developed on former ranchland and offers sweeping views of commanding mesas and the Colorado River valley in addition to an 18-hole championship golfing experience. For more laid-back recreation, the Grand Valley Recreation Center includes an indoor pool, outdoor tennis courts and holiday events for the community to enjoy.
A small selection of shops and eateries
This community’s retail scene is centered around the Battlement Plaza Town Center, located at the center of the Battlement Parkway loop. This small shopping plaza includes Clark’s Market, a local grocery store, as well as the local hardware store, florist and liquor store. Funky Bear Bistro doubles as the local bar and the community’s main brunch and dinner venue; apart from a small pizzeria off Stone Quarry Road, it’s the only restaurant in Battlement Mesa. Across the Colorado River, Parachute offers a more diverse selection of restaurants that includes Mexican and Chinese options.
Car and bus access to Grand Junction
Grand Junction sits nearly an hour’s drive down Interstate 70, which also runs east to Glenwood Springs within an hour and Denver in over three hours. While driving is the main means of transportation in remote Battlement Mesa, neighboring Parachute offers bus service to Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs alike.
Written By
Jillian Pillow
