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Grand Junction, CO Area Guide

Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous town or city of Mesa County. According to 2007 estimates, the population of the city is approximately 54,000. Grand Junction serves as a major commercial and transportation hub within the large area between the Green River and the Continental Divide.
Grand Junction is located along the Colorado River. The name "Grand" refers to the historical upper Colorado River until renamed in 1921, and the word "Junction" is from the joining of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. Therefore, Grand Junction has been given the nickname "River City". The city sits near the mid-point of a 30-mile arcing valley, known as the Grand Valley, a major fruit-growing region, historically home to the Ute people and settled by white farmers in the 1880s. In recent years, several wineries have been established in the area as well. The Colorado National Monument, a unique series of canyons and mesas, overlooks the city on the west, while most of the area is surrounded by public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

History

From the time settlers arrived in the 1880s until the 1960s, two of the main economic activities in the region were farming and cattle raising. Retail sales have been important to the economy for decades. Education and healthcare have been important to the economy of the area, especially since the 1950s, with Mesa State College and St. Mary's Hospital as leading employers in these fields. Vast oil shale reserves were known to exist near Parachute, Colorado in the Piceance Basin. The oil embargoes of the 1970s and high gas prices resulted in major financial interest in the region. Exxon purchased rights and used Grand Junction as its seat of operations.

Grand Junction was prosperous in the 1970s and early 1980s largely because of the impact of oil shale development. Western Colorado has the largest known concentration of oil shale in the world and holds an estimated 800 gigabarrels of recoverable oil. The shale can be mined and processed to produce oil. Sustained prices above $95 per barrel, however, may make extraction economically attractive in the coming years. ExxonMobil was forced to pull out of the region because of lower oil prices, which led to economic hardship in the region. The economic bust in 1982, known as "Black Sunday" to the locals, started with a phone call from the President of Exxon to the then Governor of Colorado, Richard Douglas Lamm, stating that Exxon would cut its losses while retaining mining rights to the uneconomic oil. The economic bust was felt statewide, as Exxon had invested more than 5 billion USD in the state.

Today the economy of Grand Junction is more diverse and stable than it has been in previous decades. Currently, major contributors are health care, tourism, agriculture, livestock, and energy mining. By 2008, Grand Junction was being discovered by the "nation's elite business and leisure travelers" for private jet travel, with nearby Powderhorn Resort and other ski resorts a major attraction.

Parks and Recreation

Grand Junction Parks and Recreation

Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department is dedicated to facilitating a level of municipal Parks and Recreation services and facilities for the use of citizens and visitors of Grand Junction. The department provides a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities in attractive, clean and safe surroundings as well as enhancing and preserving the region's natural resources. The department provides and maintains many parks and facilities available to the public. The Parks and Recreation Department also offers numerous instructional classes ranging from scuba and tennis lessons and exercise classes. Competitive sports offered include volleyball, basketball, track and field, tennis and softball. The department also includes the city's arts and cultural commission.

Attractions and Activities

Grand Junction offers numerous great attractions and activities for you and your friends or family. Grand Junction will keep you busy throughout the year with all there is to do. Come check out The Art Center, Colorado Alpine and Desert Adventure, the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens and much more.

The Art Center

The Western Colorado Center for the Arts is a nonprofit corporation organized to promote the enjoyment and understanding of the arts through educational programs, exhibits, and the acquisition and display of a permanent collection.

Colorado Alpine & Desert Adventures

Colorado Alpine offers full-service rock climbing, mountaineering and canyoneering guides and instructors in the Rocky Mountains and Canyonlands of Colorado and Utah.

Western Colorado Botanical Gardens

The goal of the Western Colorado Botanical Society is to promote responsible conservation of precious natural resources in Western Colorado by providing educational and recreation opportunities for visitors of all ages, while offering an aesthetic setting for cultural and Community events.

Grand Junction Motorspeedway

Grand Junction Motor Speedway is one of the premier Kart racing facilities in the United States. There is a full Kart rental program, corporate and team-building programs, professional race management, arrive and drive, racing schools, private and race team test sessions, and regularly scheduled race events, all of which are part of the Grand Junction Motor Speedway experience.

Events

For a great time in Grand Junction, check out some of the great events below. You won’t be bored with so many things to do, such as the 18th Annual Juried Watermedia Exhibition and the 3rd Annual Farm and Ranch Day. For more ideas visit the official events calendar.

Events Calendar

18th Annual Juried Watermedia Exhibition

Come participate in the “Rockies West National 2010” Western Colorado Watercolor Society Juried Watermedia Exhibition.

100% For Haiti

Buy wonderful art and support the people of Haiti at the same time! Dozens of selected artworks available for sale with 100% of proceeds going to help Haiti

3rd Annual Farm and Ranch Day

The 3rd Annual Farm and Ranch Day is hosted by the Fruita Chamber, CSU Extension and Fruita Co-Op. This event will feature many agricultural vendors, demonstrations, and presentations.

For more details about Grand Junction, CO please visit:
http://www.gjcity.org/