Country State County Incorporated Government • Type • Mayor • Mayor Pro Tempore • City Manager
• City Council
United States Colorado La Plata County April 27, 1881
• Total • Land • Water Elevation
Home Rule Municipality Doug Lyon Dick White Ron LeBlanc Dick White Christina Thompson Doug Lyon Paul Broderick
• Total • Density
Sweetie Marbury
• Demonym Time zone • Summer (DST) ZIP codes Area code(s)
Area 6.8 sq mi (17.7 km2) 6.8 sq mi (17.6 km2) 0 sq mi (0.1 km2) 6,512 ft (1,988 m) Population (2011) 17,069 2,047.4/sq mi (786.6/km2) Durangoan Durangotang(informal) MST (UTC-7) MDT (UTC-6) 81301-81303 970
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. The town was organized in September 1881 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) 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 (near Bayfield), another Basketmaker and Pueblo site • Talus Village, a Basketmaker site •
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Geography Durango is located at 37°16′N 107°52′W at an elevation of 1988 metres (6512 feet). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.8 square miles (18 km2).
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 steampowered trains with rolling stock dating back to the 1920s and before.
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 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. Fort Lewis College is situated on a 500 ft mesa (bluff) overlooking downtown Durango, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. • Southwest Colorado Community College, a branch of Pueblo Community College, is located in the Central Business District, on Camino del Rio. • San Juan Basin Technical College, located outside of Cortez, Colorado, 45 miles away, offers EMT certification in Durango.
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Ross Anderson, World Cup/professional speed skier, All-American record holder • Travis Brown • Steve Carlton (former Major League baseball pitcher) • John Cole • Tom Danielson • Missy Giove • Greg Herbold (First downhill mountain biking World Champion - Durango 1990) • Will Hobbs, young adult fiction author • Andrea Jaeger (former professional tennis player) • Chris Moss • Ned Overend • Steve Paxton Bob Roll (former Le Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and World Cycling Championships cyclist; currently a cycling event broadcaster •
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Greg Ryder, singer-songwriter in Durango • Ed Stasium • Tom Tully, actor on CBS's The Lineup Duane Ward, (Former Major League Baseball Pitcher - Won 2 World Series rings with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993) • Shan Wells • Todd Wells • Elaine Youngs •
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Sister cities Durango has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: • •
Durango, Mexico Durango, Spain
References in Film 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. •
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