Durango, Colorado
| City of Durango | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  State of Colorado |
| County | La Plata County[1] |
| Incorporated | April 27, 1881[2] |
| Government | |
| - Type | Home Rule Municipality[1] |
| - Mayor | Leigh Meigs[3] |
| Area | |
| - Total | 6.8 sq mi (17.7 km2) |
| - Land | 6.8 sq mi (17.6 km2) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,523 ft (1,988 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 13,922 |
| - Density | 2,047.4/sq mi (786.6/km2) |
| - Demonym | Durangutan |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| - Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP codes[4] | 81301-81303 |
| Area code(s) | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-22035 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0202983 |
| Website | City of Durango |
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.[5] The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 15,501 in 2005.[6]
Contents |
History
The town was organized in September 1880 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 allegedly 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".
Geography
Durango is located at at an elevation of 1988 metres (6523 feet). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.6 km²).
Attractions
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 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 is 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.
Durango hosted the first-ever Mountain Bike World Championships in 1990.
Durango is also home to the Snowdown Festival [7], 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. The city is also home to the annual Music in the Mountains summer music festival, which features performances by many of the world's finest classical musicians.
Transportation and Business
Durango is served by U.S. Highway 160 (the Old Spanish Trail) and U.S. Highway 550. Part of U.S. 550 offers high-speed access (primarily a 4-lane, divided highway) to Albuquerque, New Mexico. North of Durango, 550 is nicknamed the Million Dollar Highway.
Durango has a regional shopping center and is served by a major regional airport for southwestern Colorado—La Plata Regional Airport (actually located near Ignacio). Durango-La Plata County Airport is serviced by Lynx Aviation (Frontier Airlines), United Express (United Airlines), and US Airways.
Colleges
- 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.
Demographics
As of the census[8] of 2000, 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 (792.8/km²). There were 5,819 housing units at an average density of 857.8/sq mi (331.4/km²). 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.
Notable residents or natives
- Jeff Walker (Product Launch Formula)
- Tom Danielson
- Steve Carlton (Former Major League Baseball Pitcher)
- Andrea Jaeger (Former professional Tennis Player)
- Missy Giove
- Ned Overend
- Elaine Youngs
- Bob Roll
- John Cole
- Travis Brown
- Ross Anderson (skier)
- Ed Stasium
- Todd Wells
- Chris Moss
- Shan Wells
- Greg Herbold (First downhill mountain biking World Champion - Durango 1990)
Sister cities
Durango has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
References in fiction
- The 1999 movie Durango Kids describes a time tunnel in the old mines outside of Durango.[9]
- Durango is the home of Alexander Mahone's wife and young son in the television series Prison Break.
- Some episodes of Blueberry (comics) are located in Durango.
- A scene depicting a jump off a cliff into a river in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was filmed just north of Durango at Baker's Bridge.
See also
- Animas River
- Colorado municipalities
- Durango Telegraph
- Durango Herald
- Durango Micropolitan Statistical Area
- Durango Mountain Resort
- Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad National Historic District
- La Plata County, Colorado
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Million Dollar Highway
- Old Spanish National Historic Trail
- State of Colorado
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
- ↑ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. 2004-12-01. http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/muninc.html. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
- ↑ "Current City Council". City of Durango. http://www.durangogov.org/council/index.cfm.
- ↑ "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21, 2006. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-04-08.csv. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
- ↑ Snowdown
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ IMDB: Durango Kids, motion picture.
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
- Durango Climate Summary
- The Durango Independent Film Festival
- Dining in Durango
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