Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thinking of moving to Grand Junction - can any of you give me any information? Good place? Suggestions for better or more interesting places in CO would be very welcome. Thanks.
Thanks 2bindenver - sorry about my vague post - should have thought more before I wrote. I like the idea of Grand Junction and especially Palisade as they seem like small towns. Of course GJ is the "big" town around there, but the pictures look nice, seems like a nice mix of urban and rural. Doesn't get overly hot in the summer and not too much snow in the winter. Cortez seems interesting too - coming form a city I like the idea of a small town. Durango is nice but a little too commercial. Don't want too much snow. It's obvious I don't know anything about Colorado in general. Have heard Colorado Springs is a nice place.
I'm not very familar with Grand Junction - I know more about the Front Range (the eastern side of the Rockies). There are a lot of places along the Front Range that I like and would recommend to you - it really depends on what you're looking for though. If you want more city life, then you'd probably want to live in/near the Denver Metro Area or Colorado Springs. If you want less city life, then you'd probably want to live in/near Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Fountain, or Pueblo. If you want mountain life, then there are tons of mountain towns that might suit you.
I personally love Estes Park - we lived there a while - and we miss living there now. It's my most favorite place that we've ever lived. The main drawback there, as in many mountain towns, is the expensive cost of living. We had a very difficult time there financially, and that was one of the main reasons we eventually moved away.
I'm not very familar with Grand Junction - I know more about the Front Range (the eastern side of the Rockies). There are a lot of places along the Front Range that I like and would recommend to you - it really depends on what you're looking for though. If you want more city life, then you'd probably want to live in/near the Denver Metro Area or Colorado Springs. If you want less city life, then you'd probably want to live in/near Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Fountain, or Pueblo. If you want mountain life, then there are tons of mountain towns that might suit you.
I personally love Estes Park - we lived there a while - and we miss living there now. It's my most favorite place that we've ever lived. The main drawback there, as in many mountain towns, is the expensive cost of living. We had a very difficult time there financially, and that was one of the main reasons we eventually moved away.
Nervous about relocating to Grand Junction/Fruita. Any help would be appreciated
Hi, my husband is in the morgage business in Northern Ca. and needless to say it is definately in a huge slump. We keep hearing and I've read on these posts that Grand Junction/Mesa county area are growing. Is this true or just hype? How difficult is it to jump into the morgage business there? We know the pay will be less and the cost of living definately less but I'm just worried about how much less. Some people have written pretty negatively about having a decent job in Co. My husband spent most of his childhood in Telluride so he knows about mountain living. Thats also why GJ is more appealing because the climate is more similar to what we are leaving. We are definately ready for small town life, but I am conserned about the crime that I have heard of and the schools. We have a 2nd and 3rd grader. How's the real estate market, it definately seems like there are a lot of real estate agents, is the market also flooded with morgage brokrage houses also? Are there a lot of forclosures due to risky loans over the last two years?
Thanks 2bindenver - sorry about my vague post - should have thought more before I wrote. I like the idea of Grand Junction and especially Palisade as they seem like small towns. Of course GJ is the "big" town around there, but the pictures look nice, seems like a nice mix of urban and rural. Doesn't get overly hot in the summer and not too much snow in the winter. Cortez seems interesting too - coming form a city I like the idea of a small town. Durango is nice but a little too commercial. Don't want too much snow. It's obvious I don't know anything about Colorado in general. Have heard Colorado Springs is a nice place.
My wife & I moved to Grand Junction a year ago from Virginia Beach and we're gald we made the move. It's certainly not the perfect place to live but it has much to offer. GJ does provide a nice mix of urban & rural as you say. It does however get hotter in the summer than you might think. Thus far we've had 10 days of triple digit highs. Since June 19th there has been only one day when the high temp hasn't reached at least 95. Even on the 100 degree days it usually cools down into the middle 60's by 4 or 5 AM, so it's usually quite comfortable for outdoor activities till 9 or 10 AM. Keep in mind, that temperatures have been running well above normal all over the western US, so this might be an atypical summer, or maybe it is the new norm in this era of global warming. Winters do get cold, but it is almost always sunny, so it is really quite comfortable....as long as the sun is shining.
If you are into outdoor activities like hiking, biking, river rafting, camping, etc, you'll absolutely love Grand Junction. All of those activities and more are readily accessible locally. A 2 hr drive will take you to some fabulous places. There is an abundance of locally grown fruit & produce, much of which is organically grown. The vineyards & wineries add to the richness of the area.
Please read my earlier post for more information about Grand Junction:
You also mentioned Durango. IF money was not an issue for us, and we were not reliant on a local economy, we'd probably be living in Durango. The natural environment is not quite as stark and harsh, and it's cooler in the summer with slightly warmer winters ( GJ is subject to temperature inversions when it gets really cold, so it has lower temps than higher elevations during the severe cold spells ), though it does get more snow than GJ. BUT, housing is more expensive and jobs are harder to come by in Durango. GJ currently has a robust economy and housing is still reasonable, but that is changing fast. Since we bought our home last September it has already appreciated in value by approximately 15%. WOW! So don't wait too long if you are planning to move here, or you may find yourself priced out of the housing market.
I wish you the best in your search.....Franco
Last edited by CosmicWizard; 07-18-2007 at 11:24 AM..
Hi, my husband is in the morgage business in Northern Ca. and needless to say it is definately in a huge slump. We keep hearing and I've read on these posts that Grand Junction/Mesa county area are growing. Is this true or just hype? How difficult is it to jump into the morgage business there? We know the pay will be less and the cost of living definately less but I'm just worried about how much less. Some people have written pretty negatively about having a decent job in Co. My husband spent most of his childhood in Telluride so he knows about mountain living. Thats also why GJ is more appealing because the climate is more similar to what we are leaving. We are definately ready for small town life, but I am conserned about the crime that I have heard of and the schools. We have a 2nd and 3rd grader. How's the real estate market, it definately seems like there are a lot of real estate agents, is the market also flooded with morgage brokrage houses also? Are there a lot of forclosures due to risky loans over the last two years?
Grand Junction & Meas County are currently growing quite rapidly, but one never knows how long that will continue. I'm not involved with the mortgage businees, so I can't give you a definitive answer in that regard. I imagine that he would do well here in the mortgage business if he knows what he's doing and works his butt off. Generally speaking, real estate agents and mortgage loan officers tend to multiply in places where the real estate market is hot. But then again, only those who know what they're doing and work the business are successful. I'm starting to sound like a sales manager!
My wife teaches in Grand Junction and she is pleased with the overall quality of this district. She says the quality of education compares favorably to Virginia Beach, a much larger district with deeper pockets where she taught for 16 years.
Regarding crime, WHERE can you go nowdays that is absolutely crime free? I imagine that it is no worse than your current location in Northern California. The best thing you can do is to come for a visit and get a feel for the place along with first hand answers to your questions.
For more info see my response to Cbundy above this one and check out the link I pasted there.
best wishes in your search.....Franco
Last edited by CosmicWizard; 07-18-2007 at 11:27 AM..
Grand Junction is currently growing rapidly--primarily due to an influx of retirees from elsewhere and the boom in gas drilling in the region. Grand Junction is having a lot of growing pains and--in my opinion--is not growing smartly at all. It also has crime problems, many drug-related, out of proportion for a town of its size. The police blotter in the Grand Junction Sentinel can be pretty depressing. I still have family in the area, and they want to get out. By some standards, Grand Junction and the surrounding area still seems nice, but for those of us who knew it back when it really WAS NICE, it's a big disappointment. I don't even like going through there anymore if I can avoid it.
As to the question about heat, Grand Junction can get plenty hot in the summer. They've hit 100+ several times this summer, already. If a person wants to live in the Grand Valley, Palisade is about the nicest town, or East Orchard Mesa just south of Palisade. The rest of the Grand Valley is just turning into another suburban blob.
By the way, the real estate market in Grand Junction today looks a lot like the market did there in the late 1970's. When it crashed in the early 1980's, it took it over a decade to recover.
I miss the heck out of it. I lived there for about 2 1/2 years after living in Colorado Springs from birth to 26 years old and ended up transferring to Denver because of my job. Back in C Springs again.
Anyhow, don't let the people fool you (I haven't read all the comments but I saw "Doesn't get overly hot in the summer...") and I have to tell you, it can and has get in the triple digits in the summer. The first summer I was there it did that and apparently this summer has been much of the same as it was back in the summer of 1994.
Don't get me wrong, since it's basically desert, it's not horrible and you can easily cool a home with an evaporation cooler (much cheaper than AC) so that helps. Yes, the snow in the winter is mimimum.
I would move back there in a second if I had the money and if it weren't a 5 hour drive from my family as my father is getting up there in years and I don't want to be too far from him.
Anyhow, GJ isn't perfect, it has its problems but living there is a nice pace. Not too overwhelming slow (unless you get caught behind an old-timer driving on 6/50 going 30 in a 45, that's a little too slow for this kid) but you still get the advantages of bigger cities with the mall, Sam's club, some very incredible restaurants and such. I love the downtown area, so much better than the downtowns of Denver or Colorado Springs. Much more of a community feeling with the festivals and just the way that it's been renovated and cared for.
I love the desert geology, the access to the Grand Mesa, hiking in the Dominguez-Escalante cañon area, driving to Moab (the backway) and enjoying the river, etc...
Overall, I think it's a good compromise to have that smaller town (er community feel) with some of the amenities that you'd get in cities three times+ it's size.
Oh and the fresh produce in the area can't be beat anywhere in the state as far as I am concerned!
Now I am pining to make a return sooner than I thought I might.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I like the idea of Grand Junction and especially Palisade as they seem like small towns. Of course GJ is the "big" town around there, but the pictures look nice, seems like a nice mix of urban and rural. Doesn't get overly hot in the summer and not too much snow in the winter. Cortez seems interesting too - coming form a city I like the idea of a small town. Durango is nice but a little too commercial. Don't want too much snow. It's obvious I don't know anything about Colorado in general. Have heard Colorado Springs is a nice place.
Nervous about relocating to Grand Junction/Fruita. Any help would be appreciated
