We Finally Decide if It’s ‘On’ or ‘In’ Orchard Mesa Colorado

Have you ever shopped at one of the stores in Orchard Mesa in Grand Junction, Colorado? Do you or someone you know live on Orchard Mesa?

People have debated for some time whether a place is "in" Orchard Mesa, or "on" Orchard Mesa. At times such as this, the only thing to do is post it to social media and see what comes back.

"In" or "On" Orchard Mesa In Grand Junction Colorado

You might be asking, "Okay, Waylon. What got you started with this one?" Well, I saw a Facebook post where a few people engaged in this debate.

Many of us consider Orchard Mesa to be the quiet part of town. Some think of it as the south side of town. According to the oh-so-unreliable Wikipedia:

Orchard Mesa is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Grand Junction, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Orchard Mesa CDP was 6,836 at the United States Census 2010. The Grand Junction post office (Zip Code 81503) serves the area.

So, with that, does someone live "in" or "on" Orchard Mesa?

What If We Thought of Orchard Mesa as an Island?

Let's examine a few examples courtesy of The Grammer Exchange. According to Rachel, a moderator at the site:

...we use 'in' with the big islands only if they have another geographical name. For example, he lives ON the island of Manhattan, but IN New York City. There are weather instruments ON the island of Greenland, but IN Greenland.

If we refer to the city of Miami Beach, (it is a city), we say that he lives IN Miami Beach. But if we refer to just the island, we say ON the Beach.

Waylon's Theory

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a mesa is defined as:

mesa

noun

An isolated relatively flat-topped natural elevation is usually more extensive than a butte and less extensive than a plateau.

Let's say someone had a home located somewhere on the Grand Mesa. They wouldn't say "I live in the Grand Mesa." They would say, "I live on the Grand Mesa." In my mind, that same concept would apply to Orchard Mesa

Taking It To The Streets

The only thing to do now is to ask you. With that, I went to Facebook to ask, "Let's settle this once and for all: Is it "In Orchard Mesa" or is it "On Orchard Mesa"?

Replies came rolling in, most in agreement with one another.