The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous
city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau reported
a population of 16,887 in the 2010 census.
History The town was organized in September 1881 by
the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to serve the San Juan mining district. The D&RG chose
a site south of Animas City for its depot after Animas City refused to pay a dowry to
the D&RG. The city is named after Durango, Mexico, which was named after Durango, Spain.
The word Durango originates from the Basque word "urango" meaning "water town".
Area archaeological sites on the State and National historical registers include:
Darkmold Site, a Basketmaker culture Durango Rock Shelters Archeology Site, a Basketmaker
and Pueblo culture Spring Creek Archeological District, another
Basketmaker and Pueblo site Talus Village, a Basketmaker site
Geography Durango is located at 37°16′N 107°52′W
at an elevation of 6,512 ft. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city
has a total area of 6.8 square miles. Climate
Durango has a warm-summer humid continental climate according to the Köppen climate classification
system. The average annual precipitation is 19.33 in. Its hardiness zone is 5b.
Demographics As of the 2000 census, there were 13,922 people,
5,492 households, and 2,603 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,052.4
people per square mile. There were 5,819 housing units at an average density of 857.8 per square
mile. The racial makeup of the city was 86.84% White, .5% African American, 5.51% Native
American, 0.74% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 4.12% from other races, and 2.17% from two
or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.31% of the population.
There were 5,492 households out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with
them, 34.2% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband
present, and 52.6% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals
and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household
size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city, 16.6% of residents are under the age of 18, 26.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2%
from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median
age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 104.1 males. For every 100 females age
18 and over, there are 103.8 males. The median income for a household in the city
is $34,892, and the median income for a family is $50,814. Males have a median income of
$31,812 versus $25,022 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,352. 17.2%
of the population and 7.3% of families live below the poverty line. 11.2% of those younger
than 18 and 8.9% of those 65 and older live below the poverty line.
Arts and Culture Attractions
Animas River Valley Durango is nestled in the Animas River Valley
surrounded by the San Juan Mountains. The Animas River—El Río de las Animas—runs
through downtown and boasts gold medal fly fishing waters, and is popular for whitewater
rafting, kayaking and canoeing. Durango is also popular for outdoor activities like hiking,
mountain biking, road biking, backpacking, rock climbing, hunting, off-roading, year-round
fishing, kayaking and golfing. Durango Mountain Resort
Durango is near five major ski areas, including Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, located
twenty-five minutes north of downtown. Located thirty-five miles west of Durango is Mesa
Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its Ancestral Puebloan Cliff
Dwellings. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Durango is most known for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a heritage railway,
which travels from Durango to the historic mining town of Silverton, Colorado on steam-powered
trains with rolling stock dating back to the 1920s and before.
Mountain Bike World Championships Durango hosted the first-ever Mountain Bike
World Championships in 1990. Snowdown Festival
Durango is also home to the Snowdown Festival, an event which includes fireworks and a parade.
The parade is the centerpiece and usually occurs the last Friday of January or the first
Friday of February. Many local businesses hold competitions throughout the week, including
a beard growing contest, joke off, hot wing eating contest, beer plunge, and many others.
Along with the nearby town of Pagosa Springs, Durango also hosts the annual Music in the
Mountains summer music festival, which features performances by many of the world's finest
classical musicians. Main Avenue
Main Avenue cuts through Downtown Durango, home to clothing boutiques, restaurants, newsstands,
tourist and gift shops, a mall, bars, lounges and other businesses. Many buildings downtown
are several stories high and include apartments in the upper levels. Durango's two oldest
hotels, The General Palmer and The Strater Hotel, are both at the South end of Main Avenue,
one and two blocks away from the train station, respectively. It is also home to many restaurants.
Many serve specialty foods including Mexican, Italian, French, Thai and Japanese and others
serve American favorites. Main Avenue is walked by thousands of tourists each week, making
it the most popular shopping and relaxing tourist destination in Durango.
Media
Infrastructure Transportation
Durango is served by U.S. Highway 160, running east-west and U.S. Highway 550, running to
the north and south. Part of U.S. 550 offers high-speed access to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
North of Durango, 550 is nicknamed the Million Dollar Highway, and is part of the scenic
San Juan Skyway. Durango is served by a major regional airport
for southwestern Colorado — Durango-La Plata Regional Airport. Durango-La Plata County
Airport is serviced seasonally by Frontier Airlines, and serviced year-round by regional
carriers SkyWest Airlines, Republic Airways, Expressjet Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, and
American Eagle. As of 2014, regional connecting hubs to DRO
include Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport,
and Denver International Airport. Durango Transit provides several loop bus
routes that serve the community, including Fort Lewis College. Normal hours of operation
are M-F from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm. Ignacio Road Runner provides bus service to the nearby
towns of Ignacio and Bayfield with four trips daily on weekdays and one on Saturdays. Both
services share the new Durango Transit Center as a hub.
Greyhound Bus Lines formerly served Durango, but there is no present service following
cuts. As of 15 July 2014, Road Runner Transit has restored daily bus service between Grand
Junction and Durango. Business
Durango has a regional shopping center as well as a Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Office Depot,
Bed Bath & Beyond and Big 5 Sporting Goods store.
Colleges Fort Lewis College is situated on a 350 ft
mesa overlooking downtown Durango, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. As of 2014, some 4,028 students
are enrolled at FLC. FLC is considered a public, 4-year liberal arts college.
Southwest Colorado Community College, a branch of Pueblo Community College, is located in
the Central Business District, on Camino del Rio.
Notable people Ross Anderson, World Cup/professional speed
skier, All-American record holder Travis Brown, cyclist
Steve Carlton Rick Crawford, sports coach
Tom Danielson, cyclist Missy Giove, mountain biker
Greg Herbold Will Hobbs, young adult fiction author
Andrea Jaeger, Matt Miller, NFL offensive tackle for the
Cleveland Browns James Garesche Ord, United States Army Major
General, born at Fort Lewis near Durango Ned Overend, mountain biker
Steve Paxton, dancer Bob Roll, (former Le Tour de France, Giro
d'Italia, and World Cycling Championships cyclist; currently a cycling event broadcaster
Stuart Roosa, Apollo 14 Astronaut, former USFS Smoke Jumper, carried Redwood seeds on
Apollo 14 mission, now planted in several US parks
Ed Stasium, record producer Tom Tully, actor on CBS's The Lineup
Duane Ward, Shan Wells, sculptor and illustrator
Todd Wells, cyclist Elaine Youngs, beach volleyball player
Sister cities Durango has two sister cities, as designated
by Sister Cities International: Durango, Mexico
Durango, Spain References in film
Parts of the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were filmed north of town along
the Animas River. Part of the 1991 film City Slickers was shot
in Durango. The 1999 movie Durango Kids describes a time
tunnel in the old mines outside of Durango. See also
Outline of Colorado Index of Colorado-related articles
State of Colorado Colorado cities and towns
Colorado municipalities
Colorado counties La Plata County, Colorado
Colorado metropolitan areas Durango, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area
Animas River Durango Herald
Durango Mountain Resort Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad National
Historic District Durango Telegraph
Million Dollar Highway Old Spanish National Historic Trail
References
External links City of Durango website
CDOT map of the City of Durango The Durango Herald - local daily newspaper
DurangoDowntown.com - community web site The Durango Telegraph - local weekly newspaper
The Durango Independent Film Festival