Moving to Durango (Denver, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction: transplants, for sale, real estate)

[Babyteeth]

Planning on moving to Durango and need some local input:

1) Would you say that this area is good for young children? What is the best school (all age groups) or are they all good? Are the schools better than average for Colorado academically?

2) Saw this was a great place to retire. Would you think most that are moving into this area are retirees?

Essentially, we are a young family looking to establish ourselves in the community. I have a potential job lined up. My heart tells me that this would be a great place to raise a family. What do you thinK?

Be gentle, Jazzlover!! I love how you tell it like it really is.

[jazzlover]

I don't have kids, but if I did, I wouldn't live in Durango. There are better places, and I will leave it at that. Durango is only an OK place to retire if you bring money--a LOT of money--with you. I don't know what job you may have lined up, but make sure it provides a large enough income to afford Durango's living costs--most jobs there don't. For that reason, Durango tends to be pretty "transient." People fall in love with the place, move there, go broke after a few years, then move on. The cycle starts again--I've watched it for nearly 40 years now. You will find very few Durango natives in the town--people who grow up there can't afford to stay. I have many friends who are Durango natives--not ONE of them lives there now. That should tell you something. Durango is a fun town to visit--but that is not the same as living there. Far too many people fail to make that distinction.

By the way, I put virtually no stock in some magazine that publishes "rankings" or a "study"--usually made by some young yuppie wannabe journalist/tourist who spends two days in a town and writes about how great it is. Magazines like "Money", "Outside", etc. are just full of that fluff and bull****.

[Bob from down south]

I once had stars in my eyes about the place, too...I used to take 2-3 trips there every year for fishing, hiking, biking etc.

One stark reality is that it's a very long way from civilization. Farmington, NM is an hour away and the next small/medium-sized town. If you have need for specialized medical care not available in Durango, you're going to have to travel many hours away to get it.

Jazz is dead-on w/r/t the cost of living. Get on realtor.com and have a look at how expensive housing still is. Food, energy, and basic necessities are not cheap, either. Lots of the real estate there is vacation property without full-time residents, so most of what you buy must be trucked in over great distances and will carry a "tourist premium" in its price.

The roads in/out of town are pretty dangerous in the winter months. If your job doesn't last, the employment picture in town isn't generally pretty, and might require you to commute some distance.

I still really like Durango. But I prefer to visit rather than live there.

[AMB8301]

Like Jazzlover said, Durango is fairly transient. I really notice it with families, or maybe it really is every age group, but I know mostly families. I've lived here most of my life and people come and go. I have young children though mine are not in the public school system. The 3 public elem schools in town are all about the same, I really wouldn't say one is better then the other. They aren't bad at all, probably on par for most schools. There are two middle schools, 1 high school, with two charter high schools slated to open this fall. There are 3 elem school out of town, Durango no longer has open enrollment so if you settle out of town then look to see what school you would be routed to because some areas can be 7 miles or less from town and have the school in the opposite direction far from town. There are also several private schools which is what we've chosen for our children to go to school due some some special needs that the public schools can't address.


Durango is a child friendly town, there always seems to be something going on for children. There is Durango Discovery Museum, the new library, rec center, several good parks/playgrounds. Medical care above basic needs is not always available here, I've had to travel and live in Denver personally for periods of time to get care that my children required. It's part of rural living, not everything is available here!

[80skeys]

My impression, from living in Colorado and having passed through/stayed in Durango a few times, is that it would be a great place to live. Nice town. Beautiful setting close to the mountains. It's a neat place, one of my favorite places in CO.

[80skeys]

Hey Jazz,

What are the "better" places?

80skeys -

p.s. if you are a jazz lover, check out Lou Levy recordings from the 50s.

Originally Posted by jazzlover

I don't have kids, but if I did, I wouldn't live in Durango. There are better places, and I will leave it at that. Durango is

By the way, I put virtually no stock in some magazine that publishes "rankings" or a "study"--usually made by some young yuppie wannabe journalist/tourist who spends two days in a town and writes about how great it is. Magazines like "Money", "Outside", etc. are just full of that fluff and bull****.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Babyteeth

Planning on moving to Durango and need some local input:

1) Would you say that this area is good for young children? What is the best school (all age groups) or are they all good? Are the schools better than average for Colorado academically?

2) Saw this was a great place to retire. Would you think most that are moving into this area are retirees?

Essentially, we are a young family looking to establish ourselves in the community. I have a potential job lined up. My heart tells me that this would be a great place to raise a family. What do you thinK?

Be gentle, Jazzlover!! I love how you tell it like it really is.

If that job is fairly secure, and if you did you due diligence financial planning, and if the numbers work out with a cushion for unknowns, and if you know the weather facts and regional makeup, then why not go for it, whether it's Durango or TimBuckTu. For a kid to grow up in such a place with all the mountains, streams, wildlife, creeks, forests, snow, sun, fishing and whatnot will be nothing short of magical for that child, like my childhood was back on the waters of the Chesapeake region of Maryland.

On this board, most of us always advise renting for a year when moving to a new locale, that way, if the job evaporates, or you hate the place, you can leave with the albatross of a home to sell. During that year you can acquaint yourself with all that the location has to offer and in due course you'll know what and where to buy if you want to stay there.

[DOUBLE H]

The one thing they are trying to do down there is give the area MORE of what is happening on the front range media wise. I lived there for a short time in the late 60's, and television came out of Albuquerque, N.M., not Denver. It stayed that way for many, many, years. Finally cable came into play. On the 5 and 6 p.m. news they do get the Denver stations for the news, but not 10 p.m. Something about media territorial rights which I don't get.

While it doesn't make a lot of difference to a lot of the people who are transplants, and of course, the students, it does get a little aggravating for long time residents, who get all the news they don't really care to have about New Mexico and very little about their own home state. Another little item that the western slope is going to have to contend with is the Denver Post will not deliver the papers to the western slope towns, effective in early July. The Sunday paper will come over, and that's it.

Everybody is right regarding real estate here. It's this part of the state that I am most critical of regarding nutsy real estate prices. It's sad that when the kids graduate they move to the front range or Albuquerque because real estate prices are in the stratosphere. You'll find Bayfield, east of Durango a little cheaper but not a lot. Mike is right about renting for a while but keep in mind this is a college town. There is a very adequate supply of mom and pop motels on the main drag. Their prices WILL be up after Memorial Day weekend, but off season rates aren't too bad at all, some around $32 to $35 a night, which isn't bad for a tourist area. Not sure on kitchenettes.

While it can really snow at times in the winter (elev. 6570 ft.) the Spring climate actually is nicer than the front range, IMO. Where Denver and Colorado Springs can get wicked snows in April, it often rains in Durango. Are some exceptions, though.

Good luck to you!

[brightdoglover]

The Durango economy is hardly well rounded. There are no particular industries for new college grads to work in. I suspect that's the main reason so many people graduate and leave, not because they can't buy a house. After all, they've all been living somewhere during college.

[CosmicWizard]

Durango was on my very early list of places to check out when I was relocating 3 years ago. Via internet research only, it did not survive the cut and make it on to my short list. Travelling from Pagosa Springs to Grand Junction we made a short stop in Durango. While in Durango, my wife inquired why Durango wasn't on the list. I didn't remember exaclty why I crossed it off, but I surmised that it had to do with real estate prices. Seeing the listing prices for a few homes for sale posted on the window of a real estate office, confirmed my guess. Even though I never researched it very deeply, it seemd rather apparent that the local job market was not too robust ( even back in the boom day of 2006! ). On the other hand, if you have a good job offer, you already crossed one of the biggest hurdles to living in Durango. If you do move to Durango, rent first to get a feel for the place, and allow for greater flexibility in case it doesn't pan out the way you hoped it would. Good luck whatever you decide.