Based on factors including public schools, housing, crime, and overall quality of life for families, how well does Grand Junction rank on the website Niche?

First of all, what's Niche? It's a website designed to assist people in finding the right neighborhoods to live in.

When all the factors are weighed, how well does Grand Junction rank? Not so well. Grand Junction comes in as the 153rd best place to live in Colorado. The website offers a breakdown on certain factors accompanied by a grade. Where Grand Junction is concerned, we score :

  • Public Schools - C+
  • Housing - C
  • Good for Families - B
  • Crime and Safety - C+
  • Nightlife - B+
  • Diversity - B+

I'm not sure I can go along with this. It has always been my understanding the reason why so many families move here is to take advantage of the excellent schools. The housing grade seems reasonable. Does nightlife deserve a B plus? Really? I would argue it should get an F minus. According to Niche, the town of Dinosaur received a higher "Night Life" score than Grand Junction. They came in with an A minus.

Niche places the following estimates on income and housing in Grand Junction:

  • Median Home Value - $208,500
  • Median Rent - $844

Per those estimates, the average home cost is well above the national average. Rent, on the other hand, is noticeably lower.

Let's get back to the matter of Grand Junction being the 153rd best place to live in the state. That seems a little low, doesn't it? To put it in perspective,

  • Denver comes in #41
  • Glenwood Springs is #151
  • Greeley is #131
  • Fort Collins is #20
  • Colorado Springs is #69

Wouldn't you agree Grand Junction typically ranks higher on sites such as this? There have been sites which have ranked Grand Junction in the top 10. Apparently, we don't fare quite so well on Niche.

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