Grand Junction CO Real Estate

With over 58,000 residents (estimated), Grand Junction, Colorado has grown by a whopping 39% since 2000. And, over the last decade the economy of the region has increased at an 80% rate, ranking it #14 in the country. There are plenty of good reasons for that growth. Spectacular scenery, a flourishing wine industry, an excellent year-round climate, and clean air are some of the explanations for this explosion. But, there is more to Grand Junction CO than meets the eye…

Located only twenty-eight miles from the Utah border, Grand Junction enjoys relative autonomy. The nearest larger city is 180 miles away in Provo, Utah. Salt Lake City and Denver are about 200 miles distant making them easily accessible without disturbing the serenity and stability that is unique to this oasis.

The city derives its name from its position at the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado rivers. Farmers heading west in the 1880’s originally settled the region occupied by the native Utes. An unusual sequence of rock formations known as the Colorado National Monument sits west of the city with the Book Cliffs to the north. Mineral development has been instrumental to the vitality of the western slope as the federal Bureau of Land Management is responsible for a number of the surrounding areas.

Summer weather is hot, but dry. A typical July day will bring high temperatures into the low 90’s, but with only 33% humidity. Even though the winters are cold, they are also dry, with annual snowfall of less than 25 inches. In fact, Grand Junction’s 8.6 inches of annual precipitation rivals many desert locales. Tourism-Review.com named Grand Junction one of the 8 sunniest cities in the U.S. The elevation of 4597’ explains a lot of the dryness and lack of cloud cover.

The city of Grand Junction certainly knows how to play. Events scheduled for this year include the “Blues Fest” at the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens, “Jazz Among the Grapevines” at the Two Rivers Winery, “The Mikado” opera at the Avalon Theatre, and “Movies Under the Stars” at Glade Park. The list of events numbers 72 for the last 6 months of this year alone!

In recent years the wine industry has taken off. Since most of the vineyards are at relatively high elevations (4500 to 6500 feet), the combination of warm, sunny days and cool nights works to the benefit of grape production. As the growers have honed their craft, wine aficionados throughout the world have noticed the maturation of the industry. Colorado wines may by one of the best-kept secrets of the trade and Grand Junction will be the long-range beneficiary.

Grand Junction CO real estate is getting noticed as well. In 2008, it was named as one of the top 20 U.S. markets for appreciation in home values. Now, after the market corrections that have brought some of these skyrocketing prices back to Earth, the Grand Junction real estate and specifically single-family homes are once again quite affordable. The median home selling price today is about $180,000, still well above the $110,000 range as recently as 2001.

The question then becomes, what will happen in the future? Clearly the Grand Junction region is in an enviable position as an attractive place to live and/or retire on a number of levels. Aesthetically, it is hard improve upon. Certainly the interrupted upward trend in home values will resume in the near term. This would seem to be an excellent time to visit the region and consider the opportunity to make this your primary residence or an exciting vacation home.