Area profiles 2021 | Neighborhoods | gjsentinel.com – The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
City
Public places for outdoor enjoyment
Lincoln Park: It’s one of the city’s oldest parks, and it’s home to a nice nine-hole golf course, playgrounds, a public swimming pool and splash pad, lawn and picnic areas, pickleball, tennis courts, and the football and baseball stadiums used by high schools, CMU and the Grand Junction Rockies.
Las Colonias: One of the newer parks, and it features a disc golf course on Watson Island, a playground, a river access area to the Colorado River, the gentle river park through a river channel, a dog park, picnic areas and the Colorado Riverfront trail runs through the park. A SUP vendor maintains a rental kiosk at Las Colonias when the river park is flowing. The Botanical Gardens is also at Las Colonias.
The Riverfront at Dos Rios: This park is still being developed, but the bike park is open for use. The Colorado Riverfront trail runs through the park, and takes users to Riverside Park, where there is a playground, shade and picnic areas.
Downtown: For more than 50 years, downtown Grand Junction has featured a outdoor sculpture exhibit, with more than 100 sculptures on display. Some of the sculptures are permanent, while others are on display for a year; it’s always fun to go walk downtown, enjoy the shade, the shopping, the flowers, the dining and the public art.
Schools:
Elementary: Chipeta Elementary, Dual Immersion Academy, Orchard Avenue Elementary, Pomona Elementary, Tope Elementary
Middle: East Middle School, West Middle School
High School: Grand Junction High School
Entertainment, shopping or dining? Yes to all three, with plenty of restaurants near the downtown core, as well as bars and clubs for music, the Avalon Theater and the amphitheater at Las Colonias. A vibrant downtown also offers shopping, although there isn’t a downtown grocer.
Housing: Lots of housing options in the city area, and there are some new construction projects, too. It’s not hard to find single-family, townhomes or condos, although you won’t find many homes on large lots. Plenty of apartments in the city area.
Clifton and the southeast
Public Places for outdoor enjoyment
The Corn Lake section of the Colorado Riverfront Park system is in the southeast area, with picnic areas, river access and a pond for fishing. The Colorado Riverfront trail runs through the state park.
The Clifton Nature Park offers walking trails, ponds for fishing and access to the Colorado Riverfront Trail, with free parking for those who hop on the trail from the nature center.
Schools:
Elementary: Chatfield Elementary School, Clifton Elementary School, Pear Park Elementary School, Rocky Mountain Elementary School
Entertainment, shopping or dining? Yes to all three, as there are several restaurants,bars and clubs near the 32 Road corridor, along with various retail options.
Housing options: Lots of new and newer single-family neighborhoods, with some townhomes and condos and apartments. There are some homes on large lots or acreage, although those tend to be on the eastern edge of the area, as it transitions toward Palisade.
Loma, Mack
Public places for outdoor enjoyment
Loma is home to the Kokopelli trailhead area (which is often mistakenly said to be in Fruita), which is on the south side of I-70 at the Loma exit and offers miles of hiking and biking trails, and some trails continue heading west to Rabbit Valley, near the state line, while the Kokopelli trail continues all the way to Moab. There’s also a large river access area at the Loma exit, but boaters need to realize that the next public takeout area after Loma (except for the camping spots along the way) is at the Westwater, Utah area.
Rabbit Valley, which is west of the Mack exit, offers miles and miles of hiking, ATV, jeep and dirt bike trails, along with some primitive camping.
Highline Lake State Park is north of Loma, offering a nearby, shady camping area, along with a lake that’s large enough for boating, with a small beach area where locals like to go swimming. A SUP vendor has a rental area during the warm months. The park also has a playground and picnic areas.
Schools: Loma Elementary School
Entertainment, shopping or dining? Not really, Loma and Mack are both agricultural areas, although Loma is home to the Western Slope Cattlemen’s Livestock Auction, where the Cattlemen’s Bar & Grill offers breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.
Once a year for an extended weekend (although it was canceled in 2020 due to COVID and has a still uncertain fate for 2021), Mack offers nightlife and music during Country Jam, usually held in June.
Housing options: Most of Loma and Mack is rural, with homes of various sizes and ages on lots that include a few acres or dozens of acres.
North
Public places for outdoor enjoyment
One of Grand Junction’s largest parks, Canyon View Park, is in the north area, offering ball fields, a huge playground, walking trails, a dog park, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts and picnic areas.
There are also access points to the BLM land north of Grand Junction, where there are hiking, ATV and dirt bike trails.
Schools:
Juniper Ridge Community School (a public, K – 8 charter school), Holy Family K-8 Catholic School and Caprock Academy, a K- 12 charter school
Entertainment, shopping or dining? Yes, to all three, although there’s more nightlife and dining than shopping along Horizon Drive. There are a variety of restaurants, services and shops along Patterson Road, as well.
Housing options: Lots of single family neighborhoods of various ages (including brand new construction) in the north area, along with townhomes, condos and apartments. There are a few homes on large lots dating back to the time when the north area was outside of Grand Junction proper, with no sewer service, and a fair amount of small acreage properties north of I-70.
Northeast
Public places for outdoor enjoyment
Long Family Memorial Park offers ball fields, a playground, walking trails, a bike/skateboard park, basketball courts and picnic areas on the south side of Patterson, close to 32 Road.
Matchett Park is on the north side of Patterson at 28 1/4 Road. Although Matchett Park is undeveloped, there is a popular disc golf course there, and lots of people walk, run and take their dogs on trails throughout the park.
Cross Orchards Historic Farm is on the south side of Patterson, just west of 31 Road, with outdoor exhibits as well as a nice model train display and a packing shed from the 1890s. The Farm and Ranch Market, which is the longest-running farmers markets in the state, sets up tents at Cross Orchards on Wednesday and Saturday mornings during growing season.
Schools
Elementary Schools:
Fruitvale Elementary, Nisley Elementary, Thunder Mountain Elementary
Independence Academy K-8 Charter School
Bookcliff Middle School, Grand Mesa Middle School
Central High School
Entertainment, Shopping or dining
Yes to all three, especially along the commercial areas on Patterson and on North Avenue.
Housing
good variety of styles and ages for existing single-family homes, most of which are in subdivisions
lots of new construction
plenty of multi-family with apartments, townhomes and some condos
Northwest
Public places for outdoor enjoyment
Much of the northwest area has historically been privately owned farms and ranches, so there are no city parks and other public spaces, although there is access to the BLM areas in the Bookcliffs. The farm roads in the northwest are also great for road cyclists, as traffic is minimal, and the main roads form a nice directional grid, making it hard to get lost, no matter how far you ride. No bike lanes, but cars are used to sharing the road with cyclists and tractors.
Schools:
Appleton Elementary School
Entertainment, shopping or dining
There’s not much commercial development in the northwest area, although the area is a quick drive to the Mesa Mall area, where there are plenty of options for entertainment, shopping and dining.
Housing options: Most of the homes in the northwest area include small or large acreage parcels, although there are two existing neighborhoods that have small, urban lots with city sewer service rather than septic. There’s also a large development planned that will include a greater variety of housing, but it has been slow to work its way through the planning process.
Orchard Mesa
Public places for outdoor enjoyment
Orchard Mesa is home to the Mesa County Fairgrounds, as well as Chipeta Golf Course, where patrons can play 18 holes of golf or 18 holes of foot golf. There’s also access to the Old Spanish Trail area, where there is hiking, biking and horseback riding. Those who live in Orchard Mesa can connect to the Colorado Riverfront trail via Eagle Rim Park, where there is also a playground and a bike/skate park. Cyclists can also cross the 29 Road bridge to hop onto the trail.
Schools
Elementary Schools:
Dos Rios Elementary, Lincoln Orchard Mesa Elementary, Mesa View Elementary
Orchard Mesa Middle School
Entertainment, shopping or dining: There’s not much in the way of nightlife on Orchard Mesa, although there is a bowling alley. There are several restaurants and a few places to shop.
Housing options: There’s a good mixture of single-family housing (including new construction) as well as some townhomes, condos and apartments. As Orchard Mesa transitions east to East Orchard Mesa, it may be possible to find homes on small acreage lots.
Redlands
Public places for outdoor enjoyment
There are two golf courses in the Redlands: the world-renowned Redlands Mesa Golf Course, and the city-owned course, Tiara Rado. Both are close to Colorado National Monument and are beautiful. There are also several access points to Colorado National Monument, including Rim Rock Drive, and a couple of hiking trailheads that are accessed outside of the monument boundaries. The Connected Lakes section of the James M. Robb Colorado River State Park is in the Redlands, where there are trails for walking and cycling, a couple of lakes for fishing and paddling, and a small river access area. There are also lots of walking and signed cycling trails, with a couple access points to the Colorado Riverfront Trail.
Schools
Elementary: Broadway Elementary, Scenic Elementary, Wingate Elementary
Redlands Middle School
Entertainment, dining and shopping: There’s not much in the way of nightlife in the Redlands, and most of the entertainment is outdoor recreation. There are a few restaurants and very limited shopping. The Redlands is a quick drive to either downtown Grand Junction or the Mesa Mall area, however.
Housing options: There are existing homes in a variety of styles, sizes and prices. New construction is generally more expensive than elsewhere due to great views and prized location. There are several large subdivisions working their way through city planning that could bring more multi-family and less expensive options in the Redlands. There are also some older townhome and condos in the area, but very few large acreage parcels.
Fruita
Public places for outdoor enjoyment
Fruita is an easy place to enjoy the outdoors, with the Fruita section of the James M. Robb Colorado River State Park, offering camping, picnicking, river access, lakes for fishing and paddling and walking trails. There’s also a bike/pedestrian trail that safely connects the north side of Fruita to the south side, taking users under both the Interstate and the railroad tracks, and also connects to the Colorado Riverfront Trail. Fruita also offers nearby mountain biking at the 18 Road North Fruita Desert trails area, and has a great golf course, Adobe Creek, where golfers can enjoy 27 holes of golf rather than the standard 18.
Downtown Fruita, although a bit smaller than downtown Grand Junction, also offers great walkability, with some public art on display and outdoor dining options.
Schools
Elementary: Shelledy Elementary, Rimrock Elementary, Monument Ridge Elementary
Middle Schools: Fruita Middle School, Fruita 8/9 School
High Schools: Fruita Monument High School
Entertainment, dining and shopping: Prior to COVID, Fruita was a great place for festivals, events, outdoor music in the summertime and entertainment. Expect them all to make a gradual comeback in 2021, as vaccination helps to end the pandemic. Fruita has quite a few restaurant options, as well as most types of shopping.
Housing options
There are a few historic homes and existing single-family homes, as well as lots of new construction that is priced just a bit higher than other parts of the Grand Valley. There are some some multi-family options, but no large apartment buildings. Fruita also has the Grand Valley’s only senior housing community.
Palisade
Public places for outdoor enjoyment
Palisade is another area where the outdoors is celebrated, with hiking, biking, and river access at two places in town. Riverbend Park is home to several of Palisade’s outdoor festivals, as well as a disc golf course, miles of trails, picnic areas, playgrounds and a bike park. Downtown Palisade is a great place to walk, shop and check out the art. The Fruit and Wine Byway, which starts and ends near downtown Palisade, is a signed route for cyclists and vehicles that want to explore more of the areas orchards and vineyards.
The Palisade Plunge, Mesa County’s newest and most highly anticipated mountain bike trail, takes cyclists on a 32-mile adventure from the top of Grand Mesa, down 6,000 feet in elevation, almost right to downtown Palisade. It is scheduled to open sometime later this spring, and there are a couple of local businesses that will provide shuttle service to take cyclists to the top.
Schools
Taylor Elementary School
Mount Garfield Middle School
Palisade High School
Entertainment, dining and shopping: Prior to COVID, both downtown Palisade and Riverbend Park brought different festivals to the Palisade area, with live music and a celebration of the area’s various offerings. Palisade is also home to the Grand Valley’s only distillery, Peach Street Distillers, as well as the Palisade Brewing Company. Both are popular places for visitors and locals, and the brewery often has live entertainment. Palisade has some good dining options, and a few places to shop, but if residents need a couch or new clothing, they might have to drive to the big city of Grand Junction.
Housing options: Palisade is a popular place, and homes don’t come into the market often. There are a few charming, Victorian-style older homes near the downtown area, some single-family homes in neighborhoods, a few multi-family option, and one new subdivision, Cresthaven Acres, where buyers can find a new home. Another subdivision is working its way through the planning process, and will have townhomes.
Grand Mesa
Public places to enjoy the outdoors
Some might point out that almost all of Grand Mesa is a public place to enjoy the outdoors, with a large chunk of the land carved out as national forest land, and some of it set aside as BLM land. There are campgrounds, hiking, biking, ATV, dirt bike and horseback trails and roads all over the Grand Mesa. There are also lots of lakes where locals love to fish and paddle.
In the winter, Grand Mesa offers both downhill skiing and snowboarding, as well as Nordic skiing at three different groomed areas. Grand Mesa also offers good hunting.
Schools
There is one school, Plateau Valley School, that serves K-12 students on the north side of Grand Mesa, which includes the towns of Mesa, Collbran and Molina. On the other side of the mesa, students attend Cedaredge schools, which are part of the Delta School system.
Entertainment, dining and shopping: Entertainment on Grand Mesa is all about the outdoors; no one moves there for the night life. There are a few restaurants in the small towns on Grand Mesa and limited shopping.
Housing
Although there are a few communities where home buyers can find homes in small towns on city-sized lots, there are also lots of large and small acreage parcels and properties. Closer to the ski area and in a few pockets in the national forest on top there are also vacation homes and cabins.
