Durango, Colorado | |
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 Durango as seen from Rim Drive | |
 Flag | |
| Motto(s): "Open Spaces and Familiar Faces" | |
 Location of the City of Durango inLa Plata County, Colorado | |
  Durango Location of the City of Durango, Colorado. Show map of the United States Durango Durango (Colorado) Show map of Colorado | |
| Coordinates:37°16′31″N107°52′48″W / 37.2753°N 107.8801°W /37.2753; -107.8801[3] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | La Plata[2] |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Incorporated | April 27, 1881[4] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home Rule City[1] |
| Area | |
| 17.103 sq mi (44.296 km2) | |
| • Land | 14.708 sq mi (38.093 km2) |
| • Water | 2.395 sq mi (6.203 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,532 ft (1,991 m) |
| Population | |
| 19,071 | |
| • Density | 1,297/sq mi (501/km2) |
| • Metro | 55,638 |
| Demonym | Durangoan |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| ZIP codes[6] | 81301-81303 |
| Area code | 970 |
| GNIS pop ID | 202983 |
| GNIS city ID | 2410374 |
| FIPS code | 08-22035 |
| Website | City of Durango |
Durango is thehome rule city that is thecounty seat and themost populous municipality ofLa Plata County, Colorado, United States.[1] The city population was 19,071 at the2020 United States census.[5] Durango is the home ofFort Lewis College.
The town was organized from September 1880 to April 1881 by theDenver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG, later known as the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad) as part of their efforts to reachSilverton, Colorado, and service the San Juan mining district, the goal of their "San Juan Extension" built fromAlamosa, Colorado. The D&RG chose a site in the Animas Valley close to theAnimas River near what is now the Downtown Durango Historic Business District for its railroad facilities following a brief and most likely perfunctory negotiation with the other establishment in the area known as Animas City, two miles (3.2 km) to the north.[7] The city was named by ex-Colorado GovernorAlexander C. Hunt, a friend of D&RG PresidentWilliam Jackson Palmer, afterDurango, Mexico, based on his favorable impression of that city resulting from a scouting trip undertaken on behalf of Palmer.[8]
Palmer, among other D&RG associates such as William Bell, started a subsidiary company known as the Durango Trust to sell land and plan a Main Street, 2nd, and 3rd Avenue, and so on to organize the town, taking inspiration from how Palmer founded the city ofColorado Springs. Sales from the Durango Trust skyrocketed by the completion of the D&RG's Silverton Branch, and by 1885, Durango's business district had seven hotels and restaurants, eleven saloons, dance halls and stores, two bakeries and blacksmith shops, and a variety of other businesses, also boosting the town of Silverton's population to 2,000 at the time.[8]
The D&RG(W) and theRio Grande Southern Railroad were vital resources to many places, including Durango, before the major introduction of theautomobile, helping transport goods such as produce and mineral traffic in and out of the Southwestern Colorado area, and along with other businesses such as theDurango Smelter, immensely supporting the town's economy. However, theGreat Depression and aftermath ofWorld War II hurt the area's railroad industry. The Rio Grande Southern lost its contract to transport mail in 1951, and soon thereafter suspended operations. The D&RGW also ended their San Juan Express passenger service from Durango to Alamosa. However, the natural scenery along their Silverton Branch had been recognized as a major tourist attraction. In turn, the D&RGW introduced the major tourism industry into the Durango area, transporting visitors up to Silverton and back and attractingHollywood into La Plata County for a time. Once the D&RGW ended up losing its freight traffic in 1968, the tracks from Durango east toChama, New Mexico, and south toFarmington, New Mexico, were removed, but the Silverton Branch remained in operation until 1981 when it was sold and became theDurango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.[8][9]
There are significant archaeological sites surrounding the Durango area featured on the State and National historical registers, including:
At the2020 United States census, the town had a total area of 10,946 acres (44.296 km2), including 1,533 acres (6.203 km2) of water.[5]
According to theKöppen climate classification system, Durango has amediterranean-influenced humid continental climate (Dsa /Dsb).
| Climate data for Durango, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1991–2018 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 60 (16) | 71 (22) | 78 (26) | 84 (29) | 98 (37) | 96 (36) | 99 (37) | 95 (35) | 96 (36) | 86 (30) | 72 (22) | 62 (17) | 99 (37) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.2 (4.0) | 45 (7) | 54.1 (12.3) | 62.8 (17.1) | 71.3 (21.8) | 81.3 (27.4) | 85 (29) | 82.3 (27.9) | 75.7 (24.3) | 64.3 (17.9) | 50.1 (10.1) | 39.9 (4.4) | 62.6 (16.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 26.1 (−3.3) | 31.8 (−0.1) | 39.6 (4.2) | 46.4 (8.0) | 54.3 (12.4) | 63.5 (17.5) | 68.9 (20.5) | 66.9 (19.4) | 60.1 (15.6) | 48.6 (9.2) | 36.4 (2.4) | 26.7 (−2.9) | 47.4 (8.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 13 (−11) | 18.6 (−7.4) | 25.1 (−3.8) | 30 (−1) | 37.2 (2.9) | 45.6 (7.6) | 52.9 (11.6) | 51.5 (10.8) | 44.5 (6.9) | 32.9 (0.5) | 22.7 (−5.2) | 13.4 (−10.3) | 32.3 (0.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −12 (−24) | −5 (−21) | 0 (−18) | 10 (−12) | 21 (−6) | 28 (−2) | 35 (2) | 40 (4) | 26 (−3) | 11 (−12) | −2 (−19) | −14 (−26) | −14 (−26) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.17 (55) | 1.71 (43) | 1.32 (34) | 1.25 (32) | 1.18 (30) | 0.53 (13) | 1.92 (49) | 2.28 (58) | 2.22 (56) | 1.93 (49) | 1.46 (37) | 1.65 (42) | 19.62 (498) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 19.4 (49) | 15.4 (39) | 5.3 (13) | 3.8 (9.7) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.1 (2.8) | 5.5 (14) | 13 (33) | 63.7 (161.01) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 7.1 | 8 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 4.4 | 11.3 | 12.6 | 8.7 | 7.3 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 92.9 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 6.9 | 6.5 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 6 | 29.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA[10] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS2[11] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 2,726 | — | |
| 1900 | 3,317 | 21.7% | |
| 1910 | 4,686 | 41.3% | |
| 1920 | 4,116 | −12.2% | |
| 1930 | 5,400 | 31.2% | |
| 1940 | 5,887 | 9.0% | |
| 1950 | 7,459 | 26.7% | |
| 1960 | 10,530 | 41.2% | |
| 1970 | 10,333 | −1.9% | |
| 1980 | 11,649 | 12.7% | |
| 1990 | 12,430 | 6.7% | |
| 2000 | 13,922 | 12.0% | |
| 2010 | 16,887 | 21.3% | |
| 2020 | 19,071 | 12.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
As of the 2000census,[12] there were 13,922 people, 5,492 households, and 2,603 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,052.4 inhabitants per square mile (792.4/km2). There were 5,819 housing units at an average density of 857.8 units per square mile (331.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.8%White, 0.5%African American, 5.5%Native American, 0.7%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 4.1% fromother races, and 2.2% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 10.3% 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% weremarried couples living together, 9.4% had a single female householder, and 52.6% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% 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 were 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,892, and the median income for a family was $50,814. Males had a median income of $31,812 versus $25,022 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $19,352. 17.2% of the population and 7.3% of families were living below thepoverty line. 11.2% of those younger than 18 and 8.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Main Avenue is a Nationally Registered Historic District that cuts through downtown Durango and is home to galleries, boutiques, restaurants, bars, and other businesses. Two notable and historic hotels, the General Palmer and theStrater, lie at the south end of the avenue, near theDurango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad depot. With its combination of historic architecture, entertainment, and shopping, Main Avenue has historically comprised the center of Durango and is a popular year-round tourist destination.
Durango is known worldwide for theDurango & Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad, aheritage railroad that operates what was the Denver & Rio Grande Western's Branchline to the historic mining town ofSilverton, Colorado, also still notably using historic D&RGWSteam Locomotives and other historic rail equipment.
Durango is home to Snowdown, an annual midwinter event popular for its Parade of Lights and other events. The event lasts 5 days, with competitions and costumes.
The annual Durango Ragtime & Early Jazz Festival features noted musicians from around the country. It is held in the Strater Hotel, a historic Victorian hotel in Durango. It is hosted by popular Durango resident and ragtime pianistAdam Swanson.
Founded in 1972, the Iron Horse is a 61-mile (98 km) bicycle road race held annually in Durango. Every year cyclists from around the world come together and race the Durango Narrow Gauge Train on its journey from Durango toSilverton.
With over 35,000 employees working in the city, Durango is an economic hub in southwestern Colorado and the Four Corners region. According to Durango's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[13] the city's top employers are:
| # | Employer | Number of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Ute Indian Reservation | 1,600 |
| 2 | Durango School District 9-R | 998 |
| 3 | Mercy Medical Center | 901 |
| 4 | Purgatory Recreational Management | 850 |
| 5 | Fort Lewis College | 683 |
| 6 | La Plata County | 445 |
| 7 | Walmart | 437 |
| 8 | City of Durango | 354 |
| 9 | Bayfield School District 11-JT | 216 |
| 10 | Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory | 200 |
Durango has a number of media outlets, such as the newspaperThe Durango Herald. Some radio stations in Durango are 99x Durango, The Point, KDGO, XRock 105.3, KDUR 91.9/93.9, and Four Corners Broadcasting (KIQX 101.3, KRSJ 100.5, KKDC 93.3, and KKDC AM 930).
Durango is served byU.S. Highway 160 (theOld Spanish Trail), running east–west, andU.S. Highway 550, running north–south. Part of U.S. 550 offers high-speed access (primarily a 4-lane, divided highway) toAlbuquerque, New Mexico. North of Durango, 550 is nicknamed theMillion Dollar Highway, and is part of the scenicSan Juan Skyway.
Durango is served byDurango–La Plata County Airport (IATA code: DRO), a major regional airport for southwestern Colorado, located nearIgnacio, Colorado. The airport is serviced year-round by regional carriersMesa Airlines (American Eagle),SkyWest Airlines (American Eagle andUnited Express),Republic Airways (United Express), andEnvoy Air (American Eagle).
As of 2014, regional connecting hubs to DRO includeDallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW),Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), andDenver International Airport (DEN).
Durango Transit provides several loop bus routes in the community, includingFort Lewis College. Normal hours of operation are weekdays from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm. Ignacio Road Runner provides bus service to the nearby towns of Ignacio, Colorado, andBayfield, Colorado, with four trips daily on weekdays and one on Saturdays. Both services share the Durango Transit Center as a hub.
Greyhound Lines formerly served Durango, but after budget cuts, the service was discontinued. Since 2014, Road Runner Transit (a service of Southern Ute Community Action Programs) has restored daily bus service between Grand Junction and Durango.[14] Since 2018, Road Runner's service has been incorporated into the larger mantle of the state-run programBustang.[15]
Durango is served by Durango School District 9-R. The district operates multiple schools in the city:[16]
Also located in Durango are the Juniper School and Animas High School (both public charter schools) and Big Picture High School, which offers alternative education.
Durango has twosister cities, as designated bySister Cities International:
TheDenver & Rio Grande Western Railroad began to advertise the La Plata County Area toHollywood beginning in the mid-1930s, kick-starting Durango's future in film appearances.[19]
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Media from Commons
Travel information from WikivoyageMunicipalities and communities ofLa Plata County, Colorado,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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