BlockBefore

Fruita, Colorado

14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1956 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Fruita census division. It lies in ZIP code area 81521. It stands on Little Salt Wash. The Survey maps it on the Fruita quadrangle. 13,395 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 4,514 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Fruita within Mesa County

On record in Fruita

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 4 records

Population over time

2 figures

Fruita grew from 12,646 to 13,395 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201012,646
202013,395+749 (+6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 14 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

397 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 397 fires within 5 miles of Fruita between 1992 and 2020, burning about 840 acres in total. 44 started naturally. 8 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined222
Smoking61
Natural44
Equipment and vehicle use31
Debris and open burning10
Recreation and ceremony9
Arson/incendiarism8
Fireworks6
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
7 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresNorthwest District, Grand JunctionKINGS VIEW
6 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMesa CountyMM 20
6 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNorthwest District, Grand JunctionFLUME CREEK
6 September 1996Naturalunder an acreColorado National MonumentJOES FIRE
5 September 2014Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreLower Valley Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN
5 September 2013Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreGrand Junction Fire DepartmentUNKNOWN
4 September 2014Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreLower Valley Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN
4 September 2014Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreLower Valley Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Mesa County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 21 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 21 workings within 5 miles of Fruita: 13 unknowns, 5 producers, 3 occurrences. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Fire Clay (Refractory), Clay, Stone, Dimension. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
UnknownStone, DimensionOccurrence
Unnamed MineStoneUnknown
UnknownFire Clay (Refractory)Occurrence
UnknownFire Clay (Refractory)Occurrence
Unnamed MineClayUnknown
Unnamed MineClayUnknown
Allen PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Fruita Ready MixSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown

Every working recorded in Mesa County

Storms near this place

53 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Fruita in 53 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 20 thunderstorm wind, 14 heavy rain, 7 hail, 5 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 2005Thunderstorm WindFruita$40,000no account filed
August 2003Flash FloodFruita$30,000no account filed
August 2003Heavy RainFruita$30,000no account filed
September 2005Thunderstorm WindFruita$15,000no account filed
July 2021Flash FloodFruita$10,000A flash flood occurred in Hunter Canyon on 21 Road northeast of Fruita with an estimated 8 feet of water flowing down the wash. Though not within the Pine Gulch Fire burn scar, the heavy rain originated from the scar and flowed downstream.
July 2012Heavy RainFruita$10,000Heavy rainfall resulted in street flooding and some damage to businesses in the downtown area of Fruita. Exactly an inch of rain fell within 45 minutes at one location. Radar estimated up to 1.5 inches of rainfall at other locations in Fruita.
September 2003HailFruita$10,000no account filed
October 2005Thunderstorm WindFruita$5,000no account filed
October 2006Thunderstorm WindFruita$3,000Wind damage occurred in and around the town of Fruita.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindFruita$2,600no account filed
June 1999Thunderstorm WindFruita$2,000no account filed
July 2018Thunderstorm WindFruita$1,000Gusty outflow winds estimated up to 60 mph caused damage to roof shingles.
March 1997Thunderstorm WindFruita$1,000no account filed
September 1997LightningFruita$1,000no account filed
October 2018Thunderstorm WindFruita$500An estimated peak wind gust of 65 MPH brought down some tree limbs. A window was broken after it was hit by a 1-inch diameter, 3 foot long tree branch.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindFruita$200Gusty outflow winds estimated up to 60 mph caused damage to a portion of a wooden fence and caused it to fall down.
September 2025Heavy RainFruita-A trained spotter reported street flooding at the intersection of State Route 340 and Rimrock Drive, near the west entrance to Colorado National Monument. No reports of road closures or damages due to this flooding were received.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindFruita-At 3:06 PM MDT, NWS Grand Junction received a report from local law enforcement that powerlines had been downed in nearby Fruita, CO in association with a passing severe thunderstorm. Six minutes later, this storm reached the Grand Junction Regional Airport, where the KGJT ASOS recorded a wind gust to 68 mph. No other damages were reported with this event, and no reports of injuries or fatalities were received.
June 2025HailFruita-Between 1625 and 1650 MST, a severe storm tracked southeast through the Grand Valley from Fruita through Orchard Mesa, including the Redlands and Grand Junction, with numerous reports of severe hail from 1 inch to 1.75 inches in diameter, which is up to golf ball size. Multiple injuries occurred as a result of the large hail at the Mesa County Fairgrounds where an outdoor concert event was being held. Multiple reports of damage to windshields, roofs and siding of homes as well. The extent of injuries and damage is unknown at this time.
June 2024Heavy RainFruita-Rainfall amount of 0.37 inches fell in 10 to 15 minutes causing minor street flooding in Fruita as drains could not keep up. Rates were 1 to 2 inch per hour.
May 2023FloodFruita-Closures were implemented on the outer lane of I-70 at Skipper Island west of Fruita in both directions as a result of flooding along the Colorado River. The closure was updated to only include the right lane of I-70 westbound several days later.
August 2023Flash FloodFruita-The Colorado Department of Transportation reported flash flooding on Colorado Highway 340 at the west entrance to the Colorado National Monument. Up to 6 inches of water ran across the road as a result of heavy from thunderstorms. Additionally, some large boulder collapsed on the road as well as some mud. The superintendent of the Colorado National Monument also reported several inches of water flooded the Visitor's Center. Luckily, there were no injuries or damage to cars reported during the event. The rain gauge, located across from the Visitor's Center, recorded 0.90 inches of rain in 20 minutes.
July 2021FloodFruita-Heavy rain led to 4 to 5 inches of standing water in a driveway northwest of Fruita.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindFruita-A National Weather Service employee reported a downed power line across the road in Fruita, caused by wind gusts estimated to be around 64 mph.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindFruita-Gusty outflow winds estimated up to 58 mph caused a full Rubbermaid storage shed to fall over and both of the cabinet doors to be ripped off.
May 2015Heavy RainFruita-A thunderstorm tracked across Mesa County and dropped heavy rainfall in some locations, including 0.84 of an inch at a location 4.5 miles north-northeast of Fruita and about three-quarters of an inch from 3 miles east-northeast of Palisade to Collbran. Minor flooding was reporting in some locations.
August 2014Flash FloodFruita-Flash flooding was reported from the west entrance to the Colorado National Monument onto Highway 340 where a significant amount of mud and debris was deposited onto the roadway.
August 2014Debris FlowFruita-Rocks up to 2 feet in diameter and other debris washed across Rim Rock Drive along the western side of the Colorado National Monument.
August 2010Heavy RainFruita-Runoff from heavy rainfall was running up to 6 inches deep in the normally dry canyons of the Colorado National Monument.
June 2010HailFruita-Hail up to the size of quarters pummelled Colorado National Monument.
June 2009Dust DevilFruita-A dust devil traveled directly into an anemometer which measured a peak wind gust of 66 mph. Unsecured items were blown over and tossed about.
July 2008Heavy RainFruita-A heavy downpour resulted in 0.62 of an inch of rain within one hour.
October 2006Heavy RainFruita-A 36 hour rainfall total of 1.86 inches was measured.
October 2006Heavy RainFruita-A 24 hour rainfall total of 1.11 inches was measured.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindFruita-no account filed
September 2006Heavy RainFruita-no account filed
April 2005Heavy RainFruita-no account filed
August 2005Flash FloodFruita-no account filed
June 2004Funnel CloudFruita-no account filed
July 2004Thunderstorm WindFruita-no account filed
September 2003HailFruita-no account filed
May 2003Dust DevilFruita-no account filed
September 2003Heavy RainFruita-no account filed
September 2003Heavy RainFruita-no account filed
September 2002HailFruita-no account filed
September 2001Thunderstorm WindFruita-no account filed
July 2001HailFruita-no account filed
May 2000Thunderstorm WindFruita-no account filed
November 1999Thunderstorm WindFruita-no account filed
September 1998Heavy RainFruita-no account filed
July 1998Thunderstorm WindFruita-no account filed
September 1997HailFruita-no account filed
June 1996Thunderstorm WindFruita-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Mesa County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Gilsonite2.9 miles13
Rhone3.5 miles14
Loma5.1 miles13
Appleton6.9 miles14
Redlands7.4 miles17
Durham8.5 miles14
Mack8.5 miles13
Rosevale10.4 miles14

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on FruitaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1191112The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 204660. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.