Grand Junction, city (2020 pop.
65,560), seat of Mesa co., W Colo., at the junction of the Gunnison and
Colorado rivers; inc. 1891. The shipping and processing center of a large
ranch and irrigated farm region, it also serves the area's uranium, oil
shale, gas, and coal-mining industries. Electronic equipment is
manufactured, and tourism is important. Grand Junction's airport permits
access to many Colorado ski resorts. The city is also a center during the
regional hunting season and serves as headquarters for Grand Mesa National
Forest. Uranium production was regulated in 1970 after a radiation hazard
arose from radioactive wastes (tailings) used for construction fill in
building projects.
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