10 Things About Living/Visiting In Grand Junction
Grand Junction is a unique city, primarily because it is the largest city between Salt Lake City and Denver. Grand Junction is located in the western desert of Colorado, which means that it’s a combination of Colorado and Utah. There are a lot of great people here, but this combination of factors creates a pretty unique experience for locals and a lot of quirky people.
1. Alcohol
We take our booze very seriously in Grand Junction. Before you offer us a Bud Light or any other domestic beer, ask us which microbrew we prefer. In addition, we take IPA extremely serious here. Either way, if you want to fit in, you should probably go on a wine tour, and try as many beer flights and samples as possible.
2. Not Everyone Gets Stoned
You need to know that the “Colorado Joke” was old to us like the day after it was legalized. Some people do it, some don’t. We don't really talk about it or make a big deal out of it. It’s legal now, so if you’re going to do it then do it, and if you’re not going to do it, don’t do it. That’s about as much as we want to talk about it.
3. Don’t Drive at 5
If you can help it, avoid our busy streets (like Patterson, North Avenue, Broadway, etc) around 5 p.m. Everyone is getting off of work, and there are simply more people living here than our roads can truly manage. So, try to stay away from busy roads and streets around 5 p.m.
4. Just Go Around
There are roundabouts all over this town. If you don’t know how to navigate a roundabout, you should Google it. You’ll need to know, in order to get around Grand Junction.
5. Driving Into The Sunrise/Sunset
Driving east in the mornings, and west in the evenings can be excruciating in Grand Junction. If you’re going to drive into the sunrise or sunset, make sure you have sunglasses.
6. The Dry Air
I admit that not having to deal with extreme humidity is nice; however, the dry air in Grand Junction can still be a pain. You won’t be sweating a swamp under your clothes, but the dry air can set off allergies and can also dry out skin very easily. You should definitely keep lotion on hand, or at least at home, and apply it every morning and evening.
7. Fried Avocados
Certain restaurants in Grand Junction would fry up Avocados into what we call “Avocado Fries”. The last place I ate these wonderful avocado fries was The Local, which unfortunately closed. So, if someone nearby my house could start doing this again, that’d be great.
8. Sauces and Jams
This is Colorado, after all. We love our homemade jams and hot sauces, but especially our hot sauces. You can find local hot sauces and jams and jellies at just about every local restaurant in the area.
9. High Rent…Like Really, Really High Rent
If there is one thing about Grand Junction that is unfortunate, it’s truly the home rental situation. Unless you have a lot of money or time, renting in Grand Junction is not a pleasant experience. You will end up paying a lot more than you would like, for places that are not as nice as you would like. Oh, and good luck getting anyone to fix anything. So, if you find a good place and a good landlord, you need to jump on that, because you’re doing better than most.
10. Not Everyone Is An Outdoorsmen, but There Are a Lot of Them
Grand Junction, like every city, has people that don’t take advantage of everything the area has to offer. There are people that like to hike, climb, raft, bike or hunt, and there are a lot of them. There are also people who don’t. So, just because you're not into the outdoors, doesn’t mean you won’t fit in here. However, I really think its best to fit some outdoor activities to get into.
This is just a small handful of the unique things about the Grand Junction area. We still have the normal things you would expect, good schools, delicious restaurants, dive bars, fancy bars, music venues, grocery stores, etc. However, if you truly want to acclimate to Grand Junction life, learn all 10 of these things I’ve discussed in the article.