Moving to Durango: What do I need to know? (Pueblo: apartment complex, rent)

[Durango Bound]

A company has offered me a position in Durango that I will accept if they are going to pay me enough money (which I think they will). I'll be starting in late May/early June, once I finish college.

I've spent the last few days scouring through the Durango Herald and Craigslist to find a place to live. Most everything I've found is $650+. I want to find a pet-friendly place, and would prefer a 1 or 2-bedroom house or condo. But, I'll settle for an apartment complex as long as it's pet-friendly. Any idea of places I should look into and places I should avoid? I"d like to keep my rent and utilities under $1,000 a month.

Also, what's the town like in general? I've never been there but I've had a few people tell me that it's a great place. I've lived in Pueblo my whole life, so I know that the winters can be rough over there, but how rough are they? Can I get by without a 4-wheel drive?

Any other info would be appreciated. For what it's worth, I'm a 24 year-old single, straight, white male.

[Colorado Rambler]

Well, you'll be moving there when the college kids are leaving for the summer. That should help. Rents in Durango tend to be on the high side and landlords are in a position to be choosey. You should be able to find something in your price range, though. The pooch may make your search a little longer but not impossible. The two groups Durango landlords seem to want to keep out most are students and smokers. If you value quiet, I would avoid the area right below the mesa where Ft Lewis College is located. The students congregate there, and Ft Lewis is a party school. Lots of commotion in the student areas - especially on weekends. The rest of Durango is pretty nice in general with fantastic views and lots going on in town.

Durango is definately a tourist town as well as a college town and the downtown area can get pretty packed -especially in the summer. Plenty of upscale tourist shops in the heart of town, but Durango is surrounded by a number of respectable businesses and a few malls which cater to the locals. Anything you can't find in Durango, you can probably get in Farmington, 50 miles or less to the south. Also, Durango has a wide variety of restaurants - many upscale, but many are quite affordable.

The winters are definately colder and snowier than what you have been used to in Pueblo, but its not like you'll be living high up in the mountains. I find the winters there to be kind of fun, actually. A 4 WD drive would be good to have, but depending on what you want to do, not required. You will need to get snow tires for the winter and carry chains just in case. I was only a little older than you when I went to live in Durango the first time. I fell in love with the place, and I still like it a lot. In fact, I'm planning on moving back there myself some time this summer!

[SoButCounty]

My wife & I closed on 5 acres about 7 miles south of Durango in January. We're up on the Florida Mesa with beautiful LaPlata mountain views and on a small lake. We're going to build and retire there in about 4-5 years. We obviously won't be escaping the snow coming from western PA but it will be different. In western PA, we get lake effect snow and when the wind blows across lake erie, it might snow every day for 2 weeks straight. It doesn't amount to much because it's usually just a dusting but the result is that you feel like you live in a snow globe. There is always snow in the air and it's grey and cloudy for weeks on end. Total amount of snow we get in inches is about the same being in the mid 60's range. The difference though is that it will be nice to see some sun in the winter for a change.

Can't wait to start this life changing project.... but we have lots of time to plan & do it right. In the meantime, we visit, dream, and plan.

[CAVA1990]

Always good to understand the history of the place where you live. Here's a pretty good piece about it:

http://www.co.laplata.co.us/sites/de...ut_Jan2010.pdf