Durango, Colorado | |
---|---|
Motto(s): "Open Spaces and Familiar Faces" | |
Location of the City of Durango in the United States | |
Coordinates: 37°15′57″N107°52′42″W / 37.26583°N 107.87833°W [2] | |
Country | United States |
State | Colorado |
County | La Plata County seat [3] |
Founded | 1880 |
Incorporated | April 27, 1881 [4] |
Government | |
• Type | Home rule municipality [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 | 6,529 ft (1,990 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 |
FIPS code | 08-22035 |
GNIS feature ID | 2410374 [2] |
Website | www |
Durango is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. [1] The city population was 19,071 at the 2020 United States Census. [5] Durango is the home of Fort Lewis College.
The town was organized from September 1880 to April 1881 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG, later known as the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad) as part of their efforts to reach Silverton, Colorado, and service the San Juan mining district, the goal of their "San Juan Extension" built from Alamosa, Colorado. The D&RG chose a site in the Animas Valley close to the Animas 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 Governor Alexander C. Hunt, a friend of D&RG President William Jackson Palmer, after Durango, 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 of Colorado 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 the Rio Grande Southern Railroad were vital resources to many places, including Durango, before the major introduction of the automobile, helping transport goods such as produce and mineral traffic in and out of the Southwestern Colorado area, and along with other businesses such as the Durango Smelter, immensely supporting the town's economy. However, the Great Depression and aftermath of World 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 attracting Hollywood into La Plata County for a time. Once the D&RGW ended up losing its freight traffic in 1968, the tracks from Durango east to Chama, New Mexico, and south to Farmington, New Mexico, were removed, but the Silverton Branch remained in operation until 1981 when it was sold and became the Durango & 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 the 2020 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 the Köppen climate classification system, Durango has a mediterranean-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) |
Average precipitation 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 2000 census, [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% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the city was $19,352. 17.2% of the population and 7.3% of families were living below the poverty 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 the Strater, lie at the south end of the avenue, near the Durango & 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 the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad,[ citation needed ] a heritage railroad that operates what was the Denver & Rio Grande Western's Branchline to the historic mining town of Silverton, Colorado, also still notably using historic D&RGW Steam 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 pianist Adam 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 to Silverton.
With over 35,000 employees working in the city, Durango is an economic hub in southwestern Colorado. According to Durango's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, [13] the city's top employers are:
# | Employer | Number of employees |
---|---|---|
1 | Southern Ute Tribe | 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, which include The Durango Herald , 99x Durango, The Point, KDGO, XRock 105.3, KDUR 91.9/93.9, Four Corners Broadcasting (KIQX 101.3, KRSJ 100.5, KKDC 93.3, and KKDC AM 930) and many others.
Durango is served by U.S. Highway 160 (the Old Spanish Trail), running east–west, and U.S. Highway 550, running north–south. 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, and is part of the scenic San Juan Skyway.
Durango is served by Durango–La Plata County Airport (IATA code: DRO), a major regional airport for southwestern Colorado, located near Ignacio, Colorado. The airport is serviced year-round by regional carriers Mesa Airlines (American Eagle), SkyWest Airlines (American Eagle and United Express), Republic Airways (United Express), and Envoy Air (American Eagle).
As of 2014, regional connecting hubs to DRO include Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), and Denver International Airport (DEN).
Durango Transit provides several loop bus routes in the community, including Fort 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, and Bayfield, 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 program Bustang. [15]
Durango has two sister cities , as designated by Sister Cities International :
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad began to advertise the La Plata County Area to Hollywood beginning in the mid-1930s, kick-starting Durango's future in film appearances. [17]
The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, often shortened to Rio Grande, D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a 3 ft narrow-gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado, in 1870. It served mainly as a transcontinental bridge line between Denver and Salt Lake City, Utah. The Rio Grande was also a major origin of coal and mineral traffic.
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a 3 ft narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 64 miles (103 km) of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United States. The railroad is named for two geographical features along the route: the 10,015-foot (3,053 m)-high Cumbres Pass and the Toltec Gorge. Originally part of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad's narrow-gauge network, the line has been jointly owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico since 1970.
The San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway is a 236-mile (380 km) All-American Road, National Forest Scenic Byway, and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, and San Miguel counties, Colorado, United States. The byway forms a loop in southwestern Colorado traversing the heart of the San Juan Mountains. The San Juan Skyway reaches its zenith at Red Mountain Pass at elevation 11,018 feet (3,358 m). Mesa Verde National Park was one of the original UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Silverton Historic District and the Telluride Historic District are National Historic Landmarks.
The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 miles (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally-designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
The Ghost Town & Calico Railway is a 3 ft narrow-gauge heritage railroad and amusement park attraction within Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park located in Buena Park, California.
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango to Ridgway, routed via Lizard Head Pass. Built by German immigrant and Colorado toll road builder Otto Mears, the RGS operated from 1891 through 1951 and was built with the intent to transport immense amounts of silver mineral traffic that were being produced by the mining communities of Rico and Telluride. On both ends of the railroad, there were interchanges with The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, which would ship the traffic the RGS hauled elsewhere like the San Juan Smelter in Durango.
The D&RG Narrow Gauge Trestle, also known as the Cimarron Canyon trestle, is a narrow-gauge railroad deck truss bridge crossing the Cimarron River near Cimarron, Colorado. Located within the Curecanti National Recreation Area, the trestle is the last remaining railroad bridge along the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad's Black Canyon route, a narrow-gauge passenger and freight line that traversed the famous Black Canyon of the Gunnison between 1882 and the 1940s.
The Denver and Rio Grande Western K-36 is a class of ten 3 ft narrow gauge 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) by Baldwin Locomotive Works. They were shipped to the Rio Grande in 1925 and were first used along the Monarch Branch and Marshall Pass, but were later sent to the Third Division out of Alamosa. Of the original ten, four are owned by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) and five by the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSRR). Number 485 fell into the turntable pit at Salida and was scrapped in Pueblo in 1955, with many parts being saved.
The Denver and Rio Grande Western K-27 is a class of 3 ft narrow gauge 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1903. Known by their nickname "Mudhens," they were the first and the most numerous of the four K classes of Rio Grande narrow gauge engines to be built. Two of the original fleet of 15 locomotives were preserved and operate on heritage railways in the United States. No. 463 is operational on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSRR) in Chama, New Mexico and No. 464 is currently out of service due to a rebuild on the Huckleberry Railroad in Genesee Township, Michigan.
Denver and Rio Grande is a 1952 American Technicolor Western film, directed by Byron Haskin and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is a dramatization of the building of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, which was chartered in 1870. It was filmed in the summer of 1951 on location on actual D&RG track near Durango, Colorado.
The Utah Division of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) is a rail line that connects Grand Junction, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah in the Western United States. It is now incorporated into the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) system as part of the Central Corridor. The modern Union Pacific has split the line into two subdivisions for operational purposes, the Green River Subdivision between Grand Junction and Helper, Utah and the Provo Subdivision from Helper to Salt Lake City. Daily passenger service is provided by Amtrak's California Zephyr; the BNSF Railway and Utah Railway have trackage rights over the line.
The Denver and Rio Grande Western K-37 is a class of 2-8-2 "Mikado" type narrow-gauge steam locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. They were new steam locomotives built in the D&RGW Burnham Shops as a near copy of the Rio Grande class K-36. In-house production was chosen to preemptively address material shortages and personnel issues. Burnham Shops was assisted in the construction of the class by the Stearn-Rogers Manufacturing Company. The class recycled components from Baldwin Locomotive Works-built Class 19 2-8-0 locomotives used on the Rio Grande's standard gauge; re-using the boiler, tender and other components salvaged from the C-41's. The engine components were constructed new for the locomotive class.
The Denver and Rio Grande Western K-28 is a class of ten 3 ft gauge narrow gauge 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives built in 1923 by the Schenectady Locomotive Works of the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. They were the first new narrow gauge locomotives ordered by the railroad since 1903. They initially comprised class E-4-148-S, but were reclassified K-28 in 1924 when the railroad reorganized into the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad.
The Chili Line, officially known as the Santa Fe Branch, was a 3 ft narrow-gauge branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW). It ran 125.6 miles (202.1 km) from Antonito, Colorado, to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Denver and Rio Grande Railway (D&RG) began construction of the line in 1880 and completed the line from Antonito to Española, New Mexico, but could not build any further because of an agreement with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF). The Texas, Santa Fe and Northern Railroad was incorporated to complete the line, and the line between Española and Santa Fe opened in 1886 and was transferred to the Denver and Rio Grande shortly thereafter. The D&RGW closed the Chili Line in 1941 because of competition from road transportation, and the line was abandoned shortly thereafter.
Denver and Rio Grande Western No. 315 is a class "C-18" 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type narrow-gauge steam locomotive that was originally built for the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1895. It was purchased by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) in 1917 and later became known as No. 315. It was retired in 1949 and had been on display at City of Durango parks until the Durango Railroad Historical Society restored the locomotive from 2001 to August 2007. It was operational from then until September 2021. On March 8, 2023, it returned to service, following its FRA federally mandated 1,472-day boiler inspection and overhaul. Most "sister" locomotives to No. 315 were scrapped, but two others survive today: D&RGW No. 318, on display at the Colorado Railroad Museum; and F&CC No. 10, currently in storage at the Nevada Southern Railroad Museum.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 223 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type narrow-gauge steam locomotive built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad by the Grant Locomotive Works of Paterson, New Jersey in 1881–82. Number 223 was completed in December 1881, at a cost of $11,553. Rio Grande 223 is the only surviving narrow-gauge engine built by Grant Locomotive Works. D&RGW 223 and the other Class 60 engines were part of the Rio Grande's expansion into Colorado and Utah in the 1880s.
The San Juan Express was a narrow gauge train that ran on the 3 feet (0.91 m) Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) route from Durango, Colorado via Chama, New Mexico; Cumbres Pass; and Antonito, Colorado to Alamosa, Colorado. The train ran from February 11, 1937 until January 31, 1951 as train numbers 115 and 116, though towards the end of the passenger service it took on the number 215 and 216.
Sublette is a railroad ghost town in northern Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States, built as a section station in 1880. It is located north-east of Chama, just south of the Colorado state line and at milepost 306.1 of the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. When the Denver and Rio Grande abandoned its narrow gauge lines in the late 1960s, two parts of the system were preserved independently: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad from Antonito to Chama, including Sublette itself, and the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Sublette sits at an elevation of 9,281 feet in the southeastern San Juan Mountains.
The Alamosa–Durango line or San Juan extension was a railroad line built by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, following the border between the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico, in the Rocky Mountains. The line was originally built as a 3 ft narrow-gauge line between Alamosa, Colorado, and Durango, Colorado. Portions of the route survive: the now standard-gauged segment from Alamosa to Antonito, Colorado, and a narrow-gauge portion from Antonito to Chama, New Mexico.
Rio Grande 268 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type narrow-gauge steam locomotive built for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1882. It is one of three surviving locomotives in D&RG class 60.
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