Grand Junction, city, seat of Mesa County, western Colorado, at the junction of the Gunnison and Colorado rivers (hence its name); settled 1881, incorporated as a city 1891. It is the center of a large irrigated farm and dairying region, and the focus of nearby uranium, vanadium, and oil shale production. Tourism is also economically important. The city is the seat of Mesa College (1925). Grand Mesa National Forest and Colorado National Monument are nearby. Population 28,144 (1980); 29,034 (1990); 41,986 (2000).
