OGJT: Online GJT
Grand Junction Regional Airport (IATA: GJT, ICAO: KGJT, FAA LID: GJT) is a
public airport located three miles (5 km) northeast of the central business
district of Grand Junction, a city in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The
airport covers 2,357 acres (9.5 km²) and has two runways. It is the largest
airport in Western Colorado.
The airport opened in 1930 as Grand Junction Municipal Airport. In 1942 it
was renamed Walker Field for Walter Walker, a former publisher of The Daily
Sentinel newspaper who helped obtain funds and business support for the airport.
The airport and the airport authority were both renamed on May 15, 2007. Grand
Junction Regional Airport is undergoing a $20 million renovation, of which
$700,000 is designated to pay for signs containing the new name. The airport's
terminal and fire building will continue to be named for Walker and a new $19
million roadway under construction will be called Walter Walker Blvd.
The City of Grand Junction is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county
seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand
Junction is situated 197 miles (317 km) west-southwest of the Colorado State
Capitol in Denver. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of
the city is 45,299. Grand Junction is the 15th most populous city in the State
of Colorado and the most populous city on the Colorado Western Slope. The
population of Grand Junction is a bit misleading because the population is only
measured for the zip codes 81501 and 81502 exclusively. The true population of
Grand Junction is in the early 100,000's. Grand Junction serves as a major
commercial and transportation hub within the large area between the Green River
and the Continental Divide. It is the principal city of the Grand Junction
Metropolitan Statistical Area which had a population of 139,137 in 2007.
The city is located along the north side of the Colorado River, where it
receives the Gunnison River from south. The name "Grand" refers to the
historical name of the upper Colorado River until renamed in 1921, and the word
'junction' is from the joining of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. The city
sits near the mid-point of a 30-mile (48 km) arcing valley, known as the Grand
Valley, a major fruit-growing region, historically home to the Ute people and
settled by white farmers in the 1880s. In recent years, several wineries have
been established in the area as well. The Colorado National Monument, a series
of canyons and mesas similar to the Grand Canyon overlook the city, while most
of the area is surrounded by public lands managed by the Bureau of Land
Management. Interstate 70 connects the city eastward to Glenwood Springs and
Denver.
Geography
Grand Junction is located at [show location on an interactive map] 39°03′53″N,
108°33′52″W (39.080531, -108.559097) . It is 20 miles east of the Utah State
Line on Interstate 70. It is about 4,597 feet above sea level in what is called
'high desert' country.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.1
square miles (80.5 km2). 30.8 square miles (79.8 km2) of it is land and 0.3
square miles (0.7 km2) of it is water. The total area is 0.87% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 41,986 people, 17,865 households, and
10,540 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,362.6 people
per square mile (526.2/km2). There were 18,784 housing units at an average
density of 609.6/sq mi (235.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.78%
White, 0.60% African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.12% Pacific
Islander, 3.81% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 10.86% of the population.
There were 17,865 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 33.2% of all
households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the
average family size was 2.84.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 11.9%
from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there
were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The population figures are for Grand Junction only; the city abuts smaller towns
and unincorporated county areas which contribute to area commerce. As of 2007,
the population for Mesa County was well over 140,000.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,152, and the median income
for a family was $43,851. Males had a median income of $31,685 versus $22,804
for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,692. About 7.5% of
families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including
11.8% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Economic history
Since settlers arrived in the 1880s until the 1960s, the main economic activity
in the region was farming and cattle. Vast oil shale reserves were known to
exist near Parachute, Colorado in the Piceance Basin. The oil embargoes of the
1970s and high gas prices resulted in major financial interest in the region.
Exxon purchased rights and used Grand Junction as its seat of operations.
Grand Junction and the surrounding Grand Valley were prosperous in the 1970s and
early 1980s largely because of oil shale. The United States, western Colorado in
particular, has the largest known concentration of oil shale in the world,
(according to the Bureau of Land Management) and holds an estimated 800
gigabarrels of recoverable oil, enough to meet U.S. demand for oil at current
levels for 110 years. Known as the "Rock That Burns" the shale can be mined and
processed to produce oil, although in the past it was significantly more
expensive than conventional oil. Sustained prices above $95 per barrel, however,
may make extraction economically attractive in the coming years. ExxonMobil was
forced to pull out of the region because of lower oil prices, which led to
economic hardship in the region.
The economic bust known as "Black Sunday" (May 2, 1982) to the locals started
with a phone call from the President of Exxon to the then Governor of Colorado
Richard Douglas Lamm stating that Exxon would cut its losses while retaining
mining rights to the (then and currently) uneconomic oil. The economic bust was
felt state wide, as Exxon had invested more than 5 billion USD in the state.
Colorado historian Tom Noel observed "I think that was a definite turning point,
and it was a reminder that we were a boom-and-bust state...There were parallels
to the silver crash of 1893."
Today the economy of Grand Junction is more diverse and stable than it has been
in the last 40 years. Currently, major contributors are health care, tourism,
agriculture, livestock, and service. Major oil companies have once again
invested large amounts of money recently (within the last two years), though
more conservatively than in the 1960s. This has been a major boom to the area
though only recently, and it can see its cause directly linked to the recent
increase in oil prices.
Grand Junction is being discovered by the "nation's elite business and leisure
travelers," according to Cleveland-based Flight Options, a private jet service
that named Grand Junction as one of its clients' top ten destinations during
December 2007, citing nearby Powderhorn Resort as an attraction.
Education
Grand Junction has two high schools: Central High School (Grand Junction,
Colorado) and Grand Junction High School.
Transportation
Grand Junction Regional Airport (formerly Walker Field Airport) serves as the
major airport in the area. The airport is located in north Grand Junction on
Horizon Drive. Two-way flights to Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Dallas and
Phoenix are available for air travelers.
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Grand Junction
Station, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between
Chicago and Emeryville, California across the bay from San Francisco.
Major Highways
* Interstate 70 runs from Interstate 15 in Cove Fort, Utah to Baltimore,
Maryland, connecting Grand Junction to Denver, Kansas City, Missouri and other
major cities.
* U.S. Highway 6 serves 14 states, running east-west from Provincetown,
Massachusetts to Bishop, California. In Colorado, it runs parallel to Interstate
70 and Interstate 76.
* U.S. Highway 50 crosses 12 states, linking Sacramento, California with Ocean
City, Maryland. In Colorado, it connects Grand Junction to Montrose, Gunnison
and Pueblo
Weather
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources.
Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)
Overall, the area has a semi-arid continental climate.
* Spring & Fall: prolonged spring marked by much blossoming and the fall is very
colourful.
* Summer: Usually warm and dry. The all-time record high temperature, set on
July 21, 2005 is 106 Degrees Fahrenheit (41°C). Average highs in the mid to high
90s°F (near 35°C); average lows in the high 60s to low 70s (near 19°C), although
average temperatures have been increasing recently. Precipitation events are
uncommon before the monsoon, after that thunderstorms are common.
* Winter: Mostly mild. Frequent snows are light and usually melt away quickly.
Even the rare heavy snows of 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) disappear quickly.
Temperatures vary between the 20s and 50s (-5 to 15°C) and can go as low as -5°F
(-20°C). The all time record low was -23°F recorded on January 13 1963.
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rec. high °F (°C) 62 (16.7) 70 (21.1) 81 (27.2) 89 (31.7) 101 (38.3) 105 (40.6)
106 (41.1) 103 (39.4) 100 (37.8) 88 (31.1) 75 (23.9) 66 (18.9)
Avg high °F (°C) 37 (2.8) 46 (7.8) 56 (13.3) 64 (17.8) 75 (23.9) 87 (30.6) 92
(33.3) 90 (32.2) 80 (26.7) 67 (19.4) 50 (10.0) 39 (3.9)
Avg low temperature °F (°C) 16 (-8.9) 23 (-5.0) 31 (0.6) 38 (3.3) 46 (7.8) 55
(12.8) 61 (16.1) 60 (15.6) 50 (10.0) 39 (3.9) 26 (-3.3) 17 (-8.3)
Rec. low °F (°C) -23 (-30.6) -21 (-29.4) 5 (-15.0) 11 (-11.7) 26 (-3.3) 34 (1.1)
44 (6.7) 43 (6.1) 28 (-2.2) 16 (-8.9) -4 (-20.0) -21 (-29.4)
Avg precipitation in. (mm) 0.60 (15.2) 0.50 (12.7) 1.00 (25.4) 0.86 (21.8) 0.98
(24.9) 0.41 (10.4) 0.66 (16.8) 0.84 (21.3) 0.91 (23.1) 1.00 (25.4) 0.71 (18.0)
0.52 (23.2)
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