Grand Junction

In Downtown Grand Junction, red brick brownstones and beige Italianate-style buildings complement the mountains and high desert landscape beyond town limits. The Colorado River rolls through Grand Junction, creating a green township. With sandstone cliffs and Neapolitan-streaked canyons, Grand Junction has pristine outdoor attractions with national forests and world-famous mountain biking trails. “Welcome to Colorado because this is a very special place,” says Joe Reed, a resident for over 30 years working as a Broker Associate at RE/MAX 4000 INC. “In Grand Junction, we have 300 days of sunshine. You can go biking, hiking, riverfront rafting, or ride on side-by-sides. The people here are outdoors people.” Nature is one of the main reasons the population of Grand Junction has grown by almost 20,000 over the last 20 years. A statue of the folk hero, John Otto, tells the story of Otto’s Trail. After being astonished by the National Monument, Otto began to hand-carve the first canyon trail in the early 1900s. The red-dirt trails at the Colorado National Monument navigate a canyon landscape through floating rock formations and juniper greenways to reach stunning views of the Grand Valley. The Monument overlooks Grand Junction, laid out across a sprawling lowland under the backdrop of two mountain ranges – the purple alpine Rockies of the Grand Mesa and the yellow desert peaks of the Bookcliffs. Mountain biking in the Grand Valley is unparalleled, with areas like the Colorado Riverfront Trail, a paved path stretching 22 miles from Fruita to Palisade, as well as world-famous trails in Fruita and the National Monument, like Lunch Loop and Rattlesnake Arches. With over 2,000 red sandstone formations, Arches National Park is a day trip away, just 113 miles west of downtown. Powderhorn Mountain Resort provides slopes for skiing and snowboarding in the winter. At Lincoln Park, waterslides descend into the community pool, and the facilities include a nine-hole golf course with tennis and pickleball courts. Still, this green space is more well-known for being the backyard of Sam Suplizio Field, where the Junior College World Series is played each year. Canyon View Park includes a massive playground with colorful obstacle courses, jungle gyms and a zip line. A paved trail wraps around the duck pond, and the mulchy dog park has a wading pool for pups. The park also offers four baseball fields, soccer fields and a beach volleyball court. Las Colonias Park has an easy access point to rafting on the rapids of the Colorado River, and the butterfly lakes have a calmer current for paddleboarding. One of the city’s 500 locally owned businesses, Enstrom Toffee & Confectionary, has a rich history dating back to the Great Depression and World War II, with several locations throughout town. Grand Valley Books is a secondhand bookstore featuring the work of local authors, accounts of the valley’s history and guides to Colorado’s national parks. “The downtown has always been nice. You won’t find many big box stores, and we have a lot of independently owned retail,” says Margie Wilson, Owner of Grand Valley Books. With over 40 restaurants and breweries downtown, Junction’s Main Street Plaza is adorned by sculptures, like a platinum bison or a set of bronze horses stationed at street corners and on the islands of roundabouts. The Dream Café is bustling for breakfast and brunch, serving southwest-inspired eggs benedict and mimosas in a turquoise room with vaulted ceilings, chandeliers and a patio. Pablo’s Pizza is the quintessential college pizzeria with handmade crust and specialty pies coated with fresh jalapenos or mac-and-cheese. One of the highest-rated breweries in Junction, the Rockslide Brew Pub, plays extreme mountain biking videos while serving burgers and craft beer. “I think breweries are becoming a big part of the culture here, which is really cool,” says Brandon Class, a Grand Junction native and bartender at the Rockslide Brew Pub. “We’ve had several open Downtown in recent years, and they’re becoming a big part of the culture in Colorado.” The Mesa Theater is a historic auditorium with an intimate setting hosting musicians and acclaimed performances. The Mesa Mall has 84 restaurants and retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cabella’s or Dillard’s. Horizon Drive is a retail district for box stores on the way to the Grand Junction Regional Airport. North Avenue is a thoroughfare to Interstate 70, with small shopping centers and chain restaurants along the way. For groceries, Safeway and Walmart Supercenter are just 2 miles west. Housing is a hot topic in Junction. “I would try to buy all the real estate I can,” says Alexis Bauer, a local business owner at Octopus Coffee. “When you start seeing handlebars on fixies, that’s how you know it’s about to blow,” Bauer says, of fixies, which is a common name for single-geared bikes. The 7th Street historic district features bungalows and Victorian homes built in the early 1900s, while other streets, like Chipeta Avenue, include Tudor cottages and ranch-style homes with Spanish influence. Homes typically range in price between $250,000 and $700,000. A three-bedroom ranch-style home can cost between $250,000 and $500,000, while a four-bedroom bungalow can fall between $500,000 and $700,000. The Mesa County School District No. 51 serves over 20,000 students across Grand Junction and Fruita. Chipeta Elementary School receives a C-plus grade from Niche, and through the Art Heritage Program, artists and volunteers give monthly media presentations to students. West Middle School maintains a B-minus grade and has a Math, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) club for STEM learners. Grand Junction High School, which rebuilt its building in 2024, earns a B-minus grade. Nearly 10,000 students attend the central campus at Colorado Mesa University (CMU). “The nursing program is selective, but it’s very popular,” says Zoey Born, a senior CMU student working in admissions. “A lot of our nursing students enjoy the clinical work at the local hospitals, like St. Mary’s and Community Hospital.” Main Street is closed off from traffic during the Grand Junction Farmers Market, where family-run orchards and vineyards have fruit and vegetable stands, and musicians play piano or acoustic guitar in the background. The city's Minor League Baseball team, the Grand Junction Jackalopes, play at Suplizio Field. The Las Colonias Park lawn becomes packed for folk and country music concerts at the amphitheater in the summer. Grand Junction is a hub for bicycling, and transportation is no exception. With a Bike Score of 96, downtown is a biker’s paradise. Although the entire city is connected by sidewalks, walking is less common, and personal vehicles are the norm. The Grand Valley Transit (GVT) bus stops on 12th Street, Main Street and Grand Avenue. Grand Junction is between two major cities. Interstate 70 heads 284 miles west to Salt Lake City or 244 miles east to Denver. The Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) has connecting trips to Denver, where passengers can reach worldwide destinations.

North Grand Junction is an affluent suburb centered around Colorado Mesa University (CMU) and located only a mile north of downtown. Students bring new life to Grand Junction. The community supports the university's athletic programs as the downtown becomes reinvigorated during the school year. “People graduate, fall in love with Grand Junction and make it their permanent homes,” says Taylor Knight, a lifelong resident who has sold homes for 10 years as a Realtor for Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties. Grand Junction's shopping epicenter, the Mesa Mall, lies within a commercial district at the west end of Patterson Road, boasting over 100 retailers, with a food court and stores like Rue21, Dick's Sporting Goods and Cabela’s. From there, shoppers can walk to Picture Show at Grand Junction, a movie theater with comfortable leather recliners and concession stand. Regal Canyon View is another movie theater in the Canyon View Marketplace, which offers grocery and apparel stores in a casual space directly north of the bustling mall. Before the shopping spree, residents can enter the Outlaw Café, a Western-themed diner serving a classic American breakfast in a rustic interior. Enzo's Ristorante Italiano serves pasta dishes in the lounge on the patio, decorated by lights, greenery and a stone fountain. Locals can pick up groceries at City Market on 12th Street or Safeway on Patterson Road. With 205 acres of open space, Matchett Park provides mountain biking trails through dirt dunes and along quiet farms. Darla Jean Park has basketball courts and picnic areas with mountain views. Canyon View Park, one of the most significant parks in Grand Junction, features baseball fields, volleyball courts and playgrounds across 110 acres of paved walkways. Kids can glide down the zip line, climb the jungle gym or visit the duck pond. Dog owners head to Canyon View Dog Park, where the doggie paddle is a popular move for pups at the pond. Bookliff Country Club offers a private golf course on rolling hills, fast greens and a sprawled-out clubhouse with swimming and fitness facilities for members. North Grand Junction has developed quickly. Most houses were built in the 1990s, and subdivisions are still under construction. In this neighborhood, suburban subdivisions with Craftsman and updated ranch-style homes sit on half-acre lots with lush lawns adorned by red rocks and green juniper bushes. Other smaller properties have yards consisting entirely of small stones and decorative greenery. Newly built Contemporary Spanish-style homes are around the intersection of G Road and 12th Street. “The town is growing, and lots of apartment buildings are being built,” says Dustie McGowen, Leasing Specialist at The Slate on 25 Apartments. “A lot of people need housing for CMU. Grand Junction is like a retirement town with college students, and it’s expanding.” The average home sale price is up 8% from the previous year, indicating a healthy market. Homes typically range from $350,000 to $950,000. A three-bedroom Craftsman home can span from $350,000 to $800,000, while a four-bedroom contemporary home can cost between $450,000 to $900,000. Schools in North Grand Junction are part of Mesa County Valley School District 51, which serves over 20,000 students. Tope Elementary School maintains a B overall Niche grade, where students can get free lunch in the cafeteria. With a B-plus grade, West Middle School throws an annual Rock-a-Thon event, in which students sit in rocking chairs and attempt to keep moving throughout the school day to raise money for the music program. Grand Junction High School has a B-minus, and students can earn an associate degree through the P-Tech partnership with Colorado Mesa University Tech, the local junior college. Additionally, Colorado Mesa University is a public, four-year university that enrolls over 10,000 students on its campus downtown. North Grand Junction is a car-dependent neighborhood, and most people have personal automobiles. The Grand Valley Transit (GVT) shuttles passengers around town, with 10 bus stops on Horizon Drive. The Grand Junction Regional Airport is 4 miles northeast, and Horizon Drive takes cars through another commercial district with restaurants and hotels for those entering Grand Junction. Patterson Road runs laterally through the center of North Grand Junction, connecting to Interstate 70 and taking traffic west into Utah or east to Denver, about 244 miles away. St. Mary's Hospital is a major medical center with emergency rooms, maternity wards and specialized services on Patterson Road. Although St. Mary’s provides the neighborhood with medical care and a quick response time during emergencies, residents living on primary ambulance routes may be able to hear sirens from their homes. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated downtown each May with all-day activities, such as a jalapeno-eating contest, live music and food truck vendors, organized by the local Latino Anglo Alliance organization. Over 100,000 people also put on boots and Western wear at Country Jam, a four-day country music festival in Loma, a town 18 miles west. In the summer, the community gathers to root on the CMU Tech Mavericks, especially if they qualify to compete in the Juco College World Series. “The Junior College World Series is a huge thing here,” says Joann Hindson, a lifelong resident and Community Manager at Peak 72 Apartments. “It brings in tourists from all over.”

Northeast Grand Junction is an upbeat area separating a trendy downtown from the fruit farms and deserts of the outskirts, with views of the Grand Mesa, the largest plateaued mountain on Earth. "Pretty much any type of outdoor recreation that you want to do, you can do in Grand Junction because we’re surrounded by the mountains," says Taylor Knight, a lifelong resident of Grand Junction and Realtor with Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties. "Within an hour, you can be skiing, fishing, camping, hiking or ATV riding on the Grand Mesa. That’s why I think people fall in love with Grand Junction.” From Dutch colonial homes in Northeast Grand Junction, residents can reach Main Street in a matter of minutes by traveling 4 miles west on North Avenue, an essential city thoroughfare that also has views of the Grand Mesa. Residents can gain a sense of Northeast Grand Junction by traveling down 29 ½ Street, a road surrounded by decorative shrubs and boulders on lawns with pebble gardens bordered by wooden fences. Cars pull into gravel driveways connected to paved carports and two-car garages. In the neighborhood’s north end, brand-new ranch-style homes with stucco walls and stone exteriors lie in the subdivisions off Brodick Way. Northeast Grand Junction also includes Craftsman-styles, Dutch Colonials, and farmhouses on acre lots. Housing prices range from $200,000 to $800,000. A three-bedroom ranch-style home can be listed between $300,000 and $550,000, while a four-bedroom home can be sold for $500,000 to $800,000. Some houses with over five bedrooms on large plots of farmland can cost up to $1.2 million. North Avenue cuts through the bottom half of Northeast Grand Junction, taking traffic past shopping centers with chain restaurants and department stores, while Orchard Avenue leads to locally owned shops and art galleries downtown. After a day of shopping, those looking to speed past their friends and family can rent go-karts at The Grand Junction Motor Speedway. When the race is won, congratulations are in order at Golosas Mexican Sandwiches, a traditional diner that combines burritos with burgers using fresh ingredients in a traditional setting. Dinner is served at Koi Ramen & Sushi, a colorful Asian eatery with wall art and neon lights. For groceries, there’s Safeway, is a supermarket off Patterson Road, or a Walmart Supercenter on North Avenue. Beginning in July, the Downtown Market on Main offers locally grown produce each Wednesday and Saturday mornings through September. Take Part in Art brings the community together to make something new each June, with live music, prize raffles and craftmaking in Lincoln Park to support local arts and culture-based organizations. On a cool summer night, the town flocks to Sulpizio Field to root for the city’s minor-league baseball team, the Grand Junction Jackalopes. Schools in Northeast Grand Junction are part of Mesa County Valley School District 51, the 10th-largest school district in Colorado, serving over 20,000 students. Kids can attend Fruitvale Elementary School, which earns a C-plus overall grade from Niche, and has plans to build a new playground. Bookliff Middle School also receives a C-plus, where students can join MESA, a Math, Engineering and Science Achievement club that competes in the MATHCOUNTS competition. B-minus-rated Central High School gives students a head start in earning college credits with extracurricular programs like Student Senate, Speech Debate Club and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). After high school, students can pursue higher education at Colorado Mesa University, which enrolls over 10,000 students at its campus in Grand Junction, just north of downtown. Matchett Park boasts a 205-acre area for hiking and mountain biking on sandy trails through rocky dunes and corn fields. Darla Jean Park offers a playground, basketball court and picnic tables for a midday lunch with a view of the Rocky Mountains. Kids can take to the diamond at Files Park as part of the Grand Mesa Little League. Next to Central High School, the Long Family Memorial Park provides athletic facilities, a skate park and walking trails by a duck pond. Lincoln Park boasts a nine-hole golf course and a community swimming pool with slides, diving boards and a splash pad in Downtown Grand Junction. Hiking trails populate the Rockies with routes through Mount Garfield, Palisade Rim or James M. Robb Colorado River State Park, all within 15 miles east. Northeast Grand Junction is a car-dependent neighborhood in the Grand Valley, but public transportation helps pedestrians get around. The Grand Valley Transit (GVT) bus system takes passengers around town and the surrounding areas, with eight bus stops at the intersection of Patterson and 29 Road. Interstate 70 connects to North Avenue and Patterson Road, making it easy to travel west into Utah or east toward other Colorado cities. From I-70, Salt Lake City is 284 miles northwest, and Denver is 244 miles east. Despite being a regional airport, commercial airlines fly to Grand Junction Regional Airport, less than five miles north of Northeast Grand Junction.

Northwest Grand Junction offers an elegant blend of suburban convenience with a notable shopping mall, above-average schools and manicured lawns bordered by white picket fences. Canals course through Northwest Grand Junction into irrigated lots with rich soil by custom homes, just 6 miles west of Downtown. “Northwest Grand Junction has quite diverse housing, with older homes and pockets of new development. It’s a desirable place,” says Michelle Renstrom, a Grand Valley native and a real estate agent at Studt Realty. “People have found Grand Junction, and they love it here.” Modern Craftsman-style homes in Northwest Grand Junction feature stone and brick accents on green lots or carports, occasionally bordered by xeriscape red pebble lots with garages. The streets are laid out in a massive grid-shaped pattern where each intersection is separated by either a half or an entire square mile of flat farmland and newly developed neighborhoods. With names like 24 or 21 ½ Road, the streets indicate how far the road is from the Utah border. Home prices typically range from $400,000 to $900,000. The Brookfield Subdivision offers newly built Craftsman homes, which fall between $450,000 to $600,000. New Traditional and midcentury homes on several-acre lots cost between $600,000 and $900,000. Northwest Grand Junction receives a CAP score of 2 out of 10, and crime here is less common than the national average. The Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 serves over 20,500 students in the Grand Valley. Appleton Elementary School receives a B grade from Niche, and it was the first consolidated school in Colorado with an alumni association that holds reunions for former students. West Middle School has a STEM program with a B-minus and a solar-powered charging station. Fruita Monument High School earns a B, offering over 45 extracurricular activities and clubs. Colorado Mesa University is central to Grand Junction, with over 10,600 students attending classes downtown. The nursing degree is one of the university’s biggest draws, and students can gain experience in clinical rotations at Community Hospital, a landmark in Northwest Grand Junction and a hub for employment. Those living near Community Hospital on G Road may be able to hear sirens from emergency vehicles. Northwest Grand Junction is near four of the city’s most popular recreation areas. The Riverfront Trail meanders through Junior Service League Park, with a paved riverside path for biking or walking, which stretches 22 miles from Loma to Palisade. At the Colorado River State Park, the Connected Lakes area has places to fish for largemouth bass or paddleboard on the water’s surface. At Connected Lakes, the walking paths are frequented by wildlife, such as kestrel birds or red foxes. Canyon View Park encompasses 110 acres of facilities, like a playground with an intertwined jungle gym and an obstacle course with a zipline. Canyon View also includes baseball fields, basketball courts, a duck pond and a mulchy dog park with a swimming hole for pups. Northwest Grand Junction is only 17 miles from the Colorado National Monument with hiking trails on cliffs through desert canyons filled with juniper trees. While Northwest Grand Junction is disconnected from pedestrian-friendly storefronts downtown, the Mesa Mall is nearby with 84 retailers, including Cabela’s, JCPenney and Target. Department stores and entertainment venues also surround this shopping center. Regal Canyon View is a movie theater with stadium seating, while Picture Show at Grand Junction has leather recliners for comfort. For breakfast, the Outlaw Cafe is a western-themed diner with vintage cowboy décor. Mi Mexico is a Mexican restaurant with colorful seating under tall industrial ceilings and chandeliers. For groceries, City Market is on 24 Road, and Fisher’s Market is a locally owned shop with a deli and a natural butchery on 24 1/2 Road. Studt’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze is overflowing with autumnal activities, like a corn maze, petting zoo and pony rides. At the Grand Junction Farmers Market, Main Street turns into a walking strip to browse fresh produce from family farms and orchards with live music on Thursday evenings. The Palisade Peach Festival is a significant event on Colorado’s western slope with food trucks, peach cooking competitions and a vendor fair with peach-themed products in August. Northwest Grand Junction is a car-dependent neighborhood. The Grand Valley Transit (GVT) is the city’s public transportation system, and the bus stops at seven places on G Road and U.S. Highway 6. Northwest Grand Junction also has access to the area’s two main expressways. Hwy 6 provides access to Downtown, and Interstate 70 connects to local towns like Fruita, which is only 7 miles away. Salt Lake City and Denver are just over 240 miles away on I-70. From Grand Junction Regional Airport, airplanes frequently travel to the Denver International Airport, where commercial flights connect to cities worldwide.