Grand Junction is a city of about 59,000, located at the junction of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. The name Grand refers to the period prior to 1921 when the upper Colorado was named the Grand River.
Grand Junction is located in the Grand Valley, which was occupied first by the indigenous Ute. White settlers began arriving in the late 19th century and developed the valley’s agricultural potential. Today, the Grand Valley is home to several fruit farms and vineyards.
Points of interest include the Colorado National Monument, which hosts spectacular views of sandstone canyons and is part of the National Park Service, the Book Cliffs, which line the north side of the Grand Valley and the Kokopelli Trail, which is popular with both hikers and cyclists.
Grand Junction is located in a desert environment. The local climate is very dry. Temperatures average near 29 degrees in winter and near 78 degrees in summer. Snow is common in winter. Summers and clear and warm.
Notable residents of Grand Junction include professional football players, Vance Johnson and Ben Garland as well as novelist and screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo. Grand Junction is home to Colorado Mesa University, which is the main provider of university level post-secondary education on the Western Slope.
Grand Junction has several hotels including a Holiday Inn, Quality Inn and Hampton Inn. The city is served by a domestic airport, regular Greyhound bus service, Amtrak rail service, local bus service (featuring “dial-a-ride”) and taxicab companies. The area is served by two newspapers, several television affiliates, several radio stations and three movie theaters: The Regal Canyon, the Carmike 7 and The Avalon Theatre.
The town boasts many individuals licensed in their respective fields, offering professional services, such as law, real estate, investing, banking and borrowing as well as many others.