Grand Junction, city (1990 pop. 29,034), 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.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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