Durango, CO

[brightdoglover]

Sorry if I was redundant!
I do feel a little odd, though, since I'm not a Colorado resident (although a frequent visitor. My last trip, I almost single-handedly supported the economy by overbuying local artists).
I am overall against growth, especially population growth. The U.S. would be steady-state except for immigration, and I think that would be a good thing. Steady-state at lower than 300 million, I wish.

[synchro]

Moved out of Durango in '83 - convinced that the town was "used up" at that time.
By the mid 80's nothing of the original Durango scene existed. I commute 25 minutes from
the South to work. Our lifestyle is nothing like it would be any where else due to the fact that
we have to depend upon Durango wages to pay Durango prices (low and high).
That being said, we choose to be here because I cannot duplicate my quality of life
anywhere else at this time. -Moved here in '69 with my folks at 12 - my tombstone will
read "He was Almost one of us".
(If you can figure out how to live here, they won't let you go anywhere else.)

[eddie cantrell]

Hey Crackerjack
I will be in Durango first week of November, do you think that it will be OK weather for a flatlander to drive to Ouray? I have been there before but it was summer, what an amazing drive up from Silverton!!! Also do you have any other tips for day drives, maybe 1 or 2 hours in one direction, thanks.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

I am currently researching Durango as a possible relocation. I have noticed that there are a lot of new homes for sale in the area which makes me think a lot of other people are moving to Durango as well. My question is, who is buying all these homes? It seems that the population of Durango is too small to be supporting so many $500K+ new home sales. Also, is there anything I need to be aware of when buying a home there? For instance, water availability and the like. Lastly, what is your favorite area near Durango? We are looking for at least an acre lot with good views (of course!) and not more than a 30-40 minute drive to downtown Durango. We are not interested in golf course communities or master-planned subdivisions.

Thanks for any information you can provide!

And we're not from California, if that makes a difference!

Ugh Durango.

Try Cortez, or Ignacio or even Dove Creek for a "real" town. You can take your fingernail and scrape off all the charm of Durango, it's so superficial.

20yrsinBranson
formerly in Durango

[greyscreek]

Regarding moving to Durango. We have a homestead in rural Alaska and used to live in a lumber mill town in the Sierras and also in the mountains of Az. so we are pretty laid back, hardworking and enjoy simple country life. Very hard up here in winter with 40-50 below temps. and last two years the snow depth was 11 1/2 feet. How are winters there and are there places where a person can purchase an acre or two within ten miles of town? Hope to get some input on hunting, 4-wheeling, fishing, etc. Is it a good area for growing fruit trees and gardens? I'm an artist and hope to sell arts and crafts and paintings. Is the town kind of geared to that type of thing? Are there any 4-H clubs? Fairs nearby? Thanks so much for any info you can give me. Milk up here goes for $3.59 a gallon to $8.)) gallon depending if you live where we do or in the bush. Most supplies come by barge so it's super expensive. An 80 year old home in bad shape(maybe 950 sq. ft. and 2-3 bed.) costs $170,000 on up. And that's with a small lot size of 1/7th an acre. Kashwitna, Alaska

[DurangoJoe]

Plenty of land for sale here in the Durango area. We paid $30K/ acre for 5 acres waterfront w/LaPlata views, utilities to the lot line & an existing 15GPM well in early 2011. Prices move up/down with the swings of the real estate market. Our land is out on the Florida Mesa, about 10 miles south of Durango. There is cheaper land available but views & water affect the price tremendously. You'll find the best deals by staying away from town. The closer in, and the bigger the view, the lot will be much smaller & much more expensive. Were it not for my wife's desire to live close to the hospital in our senior years, I'd personally have chosen to live even further away.

Just search some of the southwest CO real estate agency sites. They all have pretty much the same MLS listings and you'll see plenty of land to keep you busy researching for a while.