USA Today ranks Grand Junction as best place to live in Colorado | Western Colorado

A USA TODAY Homefront survey of the top five best places to live in Colorado named Grand Junction as the best place.

Homefront’s research team ranked 22 Colorado cities on 16 different quality of life indicators, with Grand Junction, Littleton and Loveland coming in as the top three. All three cities received high scores in areas such as affordable housing and low crime rates. Restaurants and entertainment also ranked highly for all three cities in the study.

“With Colorado’s beauty, relatively affordable prices and seemingly endless activities, from beer brewing to mountain biking, it’s no wonder the state welcomed about 264,500 out-of-state and international residents in 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau data,” the USA article states.

Ranking Grand Junction at the top of the list, the study found it to be the best city in Colorado to move to due to affordable housing options for renters and buyers, low crime rates and excellent schools.

“Grand Junction may be Colorado’s hidden gem. The city boasts an incredible diversity of landscapes, including mountains, rivers, valleys, deserts and forests, as well as affordable housing and low climate risk. Downtown Grand Junction also has a wide variety of dining options and activities, ranking fourth and third in those categories, respectively,” the article states.

“Grand Junction is on the cusp of great growth and progress,” Grand Junction Realtor Christy Reese said in the article. “Our location halfway between Denver and Salt Lake City and surrounded by countless outdoor recreational opportunities makes us an ideal place to live, work and play.”

According to a USA TODAY Homefront survey, Grand Junction is the second most affordable place for prospective homebuyers and the third most affordable place for renters.

“It’s more affordable than Colorado resort towns and less crowded than Denver, yet has all the amenities you need to live the Colorado dream,” Reese added.

Additionally, Reese said Grand Junction homeowners pay lower annual home insurance premiums, likely due to the area’s relatively mild weather.

According to the study, Grand Junction has the second-lowest median income among the cities studied, but that’s balanced out by a low cost of living. It has the third-lowest percentage of rent-burdened residents, and a typical home price is six times the median income, putting Grand Junction above average compared to other Colorado cities ranked among the cities studied.

Colorado’s other large, well-known cities, Denver (19th) and Aurora (17th), ranked lower, primarily due to their high crime rates and expensive home insurance costs.

Aurora lost points because it is one of the most rent-burdened communities in Colorado, with 60% of residents spending more than 30% of their income on rent.

Rounding out the top five were Fort Collins and Longmont.

Brighton and Commerce City in Adams County ranked last, primarily due to the high cost of living and poor school ratings.

For more information on the USA TODAY Homefront survey, visit https://www.usatoday.com/money/homefront/moving/best-cities-in-colorado/