San Juan County is a county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 14,518. Its county seat is Monticello, while its most populous city is Blanding. The Utah State Legislature named the county for the San Juan River, itself named by Spanish explorers.
Mesa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 155,703, making it the most populous county in western Colorado, and 11th most populous in the state. The county seat and most populous municipality is Grand Junction. The county was named for the many large mesas in the area, including the Grand Mesa, which is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world.
De Beque is a statutory town located in Mesa County, Colorado. The population was 493 at the time of the 2020 census. De Beque is a part of the Grand Junction, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town consists of a small grid, including a historic downtown featuring a town hall, a tavern, and several commercial businesses in historic structures. The surrounding streets include houses, several churches, and a school.
Fruita is a home rule municipality located in western Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 13,395 at the 2020 United States census. Fruita is a part of the Grand Junction, Colorado Metropolitan Statistical Area and lies within the Grand Valley. The geography is identified by the bordering Colorado River on the southern edge of the town, the Uncompahgre Plateau known for its pinyon-juniper landscape, and the Book Cliffs range on the northern edge of the Grand Valley. Originally home to the Ute people, farmers settled the town after founder William Pabor in 1884. Ten years later, Fruita was incorporated.
Grand Junction is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and largest city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction's population was 65,560 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the most populous city in western Colorado and the 17th most populous Colorado municipality overall.
Cortez is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 8,766 at the 2020 United States Census.
Montrose is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,291 at the 2020 census, within a total area of 18.5 square miles. The main road that leads in and out of Montrose is U.S. Highway 50.
Capitol Reef National Park is a national park of the United States in south-central Utah. The park is approximately 60 miles (100 km) long on its north–south axis and just 6 miles (10 km) wide on average. The park was established in 1971 to preserve 241,904 acres of desert landscape and is open all year, with May through September being the highest visitation months.
The Western Slope is a colloquial term generally understood to describe the part of the state of Colorado west of the Continental Divide. Bodies of water west of the Divide flow toward the Pacific Ocean; water that falls and flows east of the Divide heads east toward the Gulf of Mexico. The Western Slope encompasses about 33% of the state, but has just 10% of the state's residents. The eastern part of the state, including the San Luis Valley and the Front Range, is the more populous portion of the state.
Loma is an unincorporated town, post office, and census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Mesa County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Grand Junction, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Loma post office has the ZIP Code 81524. At the 2020 census, the population of the Loma CDP was 1,314.
Mesa High School is a public high school in Mesa, Arizona, United States. Mesa High School currently accommodates grades 9–12 as part of Mesa Public Schools. Mesa High School is the oldest high school in Mesa, Arizona, and is home of the Jackrabbits. Mesa High has more than 3,200 students and boasts award-winning athletics, music, theatre programs and more.
James Van Pelt is an American science fiction author who began publishing in the mid-90s. He is also a teacher in the language arts department at Fruita Monument High School in Fruita, Colorado.
Grand Junction High School (GJHS) is a public high school located in Grand Junction, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Mesa County Valley School District 51. It is one of four high schools located within the Grand Valley.
Mesa Ridge High School is a school in Widefield School District 3, a school district in El Paso County, Colorado. The school is zoned to receive students from Fountain, and the Colorado Springs suburbs of Security and Widefield. Mesa Ridge opened in 1997. The first graduating class commenced in 2000. Mesa Ridge is the newest of three high schools in the district, after Widefield High School and Discovery High School. The district also includes a K-12 online school, The Haven.
James Niehues is an American landscape artist and cartographer best known for painting ski trail maps for ski resorts. He has painted 255 maps for 175 ski resorts around the world.
Grand Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) within Mesa County, Colorado located in a high-altitude river valley surrounding the county seat of Grand Junction and stretching 24 miles (39 km) east-west between the municipalities of Palisade and Fruita. It lies approximately 200 miles (320 km) west-southwest of Denver along Interstate 70. The river valley encompasses 75,990 acres (118.73 sq mi), with an average elevation between 4,000 and 5,000 feet (1,200–1,500 m) above sea level and is defined by an irrigated agricultural area served by canals in the Grand Valley of the Colorado River. Grand Valley AVA was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on December 26, 1991, upon the petition submitted by Mr. James Seewald of Vintage Colorado Cellars Winery, and the first viticultural area registered in the Centennial State. In 2001, the smaller West Elks AVA, located southeast of Grand Valley, became the state's second federally-designated AVA.
The Dinosaur Diamond is a 486-mile (782 km) scenic and historic byway loop through the dinosaur fossil laden Uinta Basin of the U.S. states of Utah and Colorado. The byway comprises the following two National Scenic Byways:
Mesa County Valley School District 51 is a school district in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. It is the tenth largest school district in the state. It comprises the Grand Junction area.
Jared Wright is an American newspaper editor, editorial cartoonist, and former Colorado politician. He has also worked as a police officer. Wright served a single term in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015, representing House District 54 in Mesa and Delta counties.
