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My main point - the Durango MCA (30,000 persons 4.6%) has very low unemployment, compared to the majority of Mountain towns of its size.
My question - why is this, as I am looking for a town with demographics similar to Durango.
You're asking something that doesn't matter. Mountain towns are not like normal towns with a regular sort of economy. Mountain towns live on tourism, skiing, sometimes agriculture or mining ... things that are not part of everyday life.
If you want to live in a mountain town you need to ask yourself whether you are willing and capable of working in the tourism industry or outdoors instruction.
There's nothing special about Durango that makes its economy any better than other mountain towns.
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Professional/Scientific/Technical (natural resources for example) are significant in Durango.
You gotta be joking. You obviously have never been in Durango and it doesn't sound like you're familiar with the Southwest.
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In fact, this breakdown is very similar to Flagstaff, AZ where unemployment is almost double that of Durango at 8%,
There's no way you can compare Flagstaff to Durango. Flagstaff is a "normal" town, it's much larger than Durango, which means it has a more traditional economy. It's not even a mountain town, dude.
You need to stop paying attention to statistics and travel to the places you're interested in so you can get to know them. Moderator cut: not necessary
Last edited by katzenfreund; 01-12-2010 at 08:39 AM..
Keep in mind though that "people with money earned elsewhere" also includes telecommuters working remotely. For example a lot of IT and other service companies have people living all over the country who can do their jobs from anywhere assuming they have decent internet and phone connectivity. This segment of the economy is generally better educated, a group that is experiencing a much lower percentage of unemployment than the less educated and working class segments. Some of Durango's lower unemployment could be a function of its demographic skew toward this segment. It's a place people choose to live, rather than have to live for work related reasons.
Keep in mind though that "people with money earned elsewhere" also includes telecommuters working remotely. For example a lot of IT and other service companies have people living all over the country who can do their jobs from anywhere assuming they have decent internet and phone connectivity. This segment of the economy is generally better educated, a group that is experiencing a much lower percentage of unemployment than the less educated and working class segments. Some of Durango's lower unemployment could be a function of its demographic skew toward this segment. It's a place people choose to live, rather than have to live for work related reasons.
I've heard this argument a lot. While it holds some truth, it ignores some basic facts. Most of the service jobs (IT, for example) are providing service to some basic industry. If the basic industry finds itself in economic distress, the first things to get cut are often those types of service contracts. A lot of the other service-type work is tied to the funny-money financial sector, which is poised to take a digger of monumental proportions in pretty short order, in my opinion. The final sector that uses a lot of the type services we're talking about here is government--that is going to be no bed of roses, either.
The other dynamic that has made places like Durango popular for the "telecommuter" types is that it has been possible for them to get out of such places readily--often by air--when either business or pleasure demanded it. In the economic and energy environment that lies ahead for this country, that is likely no longer to be very possible--at least in any way like we think about it now. I would submit that a whole lot of people living in Colorado resort communities will come to find them quite unattractive when being able to travel to and from them on a whim no longer is either affordable or even possible. All one has to do is listen to all the whining and bitching that ensues if a road is closed just for a few hours, or if an airline flight or two gets cancelled--then just imagine if people were actually stuck for weeks or months in a place because fuel cost or availability, or failing infrastructure made such travel impossible for the average Joe. The world and this nation are changing, people, in ways that we can not even seem to fathom--re-ordering where and how we live is going to be one result. Places like Durango are not likely to weather it especially well.
I would submit that a whole lot of people living in Colorado resort communities will come to find them quite unattractive when being able to travel to and from them on a whim no longer is either affordable or even possible. All one has to do is listen to all the whining and bitching that ensues if a road is closed just for a few hours, or if an airline flight or two gets cancelled--then just imagine if people were actually stuck for weeks or months in a place because fuel cost or availability, or failing infrastructure made such travel impossible for the average Joe. The world and this nation are changing, people, in ways that we can not even seem to fathom--re-ordering where and how we live is going to be one result. Places like Durango are not likely to weather it especially well.
Gotta put this in some perspective though. The total workforce of the entire county is only about 25,000. There will always be enough folks from the multi-millions in the big cities wanting to relo to that type of place to keep it going.
There's nothing special about Durango that makes its economy any better than other mountain towns.
You gotta be joking. You obviously have never been in Durango and it doesn't sound like you're familiar with the Southwest.
There's no way you can compare Flagstaff to Durango. Flagstaff is a "normal" town, it's much larger than Durango, which means it has a more traditional economy. It's not even a mountain town, dude.
You need to stop paying attention to statistics and travel to the places you're interested in so you can get to know them. Sorry to be blunt, but you have no clue about what you're talking about.
That's an unkind response that hardly requires comment. I have even spent a week in Durango and met with local officials in the Chamber of Commerce.
I have lived in Flagstaff, and FLG and DUR are very similar in terms of geography, local industries, and politics.
On a subjective basis, it does appear that Durango is much more interested in growth and education than Flagstaff. In fact, Flagstaff has a huge anti-growth movement w/ Tree Huggers from the far left, who are collectively fighting organizations dedicated to community service, and expanding their operations in town. Recently, these folks attacked the Catholic Church, the YMCA, members of the Flagstaff Mormon stake, and the homeless shelter.
4.6% unemployment is much lower than 8% in flagstaff; 12% in Eugene and Ashland, OR, and over 14% in Bend. Durango / La Plata county is doing something correctly.
As for agriculture, the developers and rural sprawl-lovers are doing their damndest to kill what is left of agriculture in western Colorado. I know--I'm a former agriculturalist.[quoted and truncated]
Agriculture/Horticulture is one of my TWO employment areas, and I AM LOOKING for an area to actually purchase property - someday. Durango/Bayfield/LaPlataCounty are on the list.
However, first one must get a job in the place they plan to move. Ashland, Oregon is another possibility, yet has 3 times the unemployment as Durango. Another, Palm Springs/Yucca Valley/29 Palms has 3-4 times the unemployment as Durango.
So if you folks can hire me doing any kind of retail or tourism work, it would be a great experience to move there.
I also do fit into the tourism economy as I'm learning to fix used bikes. I don't know how talented I could become as a bike mechanic as I have a lot to learn.
What do you think? Could I make money working with my hands in these areas?
And again, in the 18-35 age demo, do you tend to hire Locals and Students, or do you hire newcomers from out of state?
Flagstaff only hires locals and students, and employers promote from within, instead of hiring the most talented applicants.
What do you think? Could I make money working with my hands in these areas?
And again, in the 18-35 age demo, do you tend to hire Locals and Students, or do you hire newcomers from out of state?
Flagstaff only hires locals and students, and employers promote from within, instead of hiring the most talented applicants.
In most places those kinds of jobs are going to go to friends and relatives. In fact that's true for the entire U.S. economy. When you're looking for a job, the most important thing to do is build relationships. Locals are always going to have the advantage in that regard.
That's an unkind response that hardly requires comment.
Yeah you're right. But I'm trying to get you to see the point.
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I have even spent a week in Durango and met with local officials in the Chamber of Commerce.
I grew up in the southwest.
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I have lived in Flagstaff, and FLG and DUR are very similar in terms of geography, local industries, and politics.
On a subjective basis, it does appear that Durango is much more interested in growth and education than Flagstaff. In fact, Flagstaff has a huge anti-growth movement w/ Tree Huggers from the far left, who are collectively fighting organizations dedicated to community service, and expanding their operations in town. Recently, these folks attacked the Catholic Church, the YMCA, members of the Flagstaff Mormon stake, and the homeless shelter.
4.6% unemployment is much lower than 8% in flagstaff; 12% in Eugene and Ashland, OR, and over 14% in Bend. Durango / La Plata county is doing something correctly.
I guess my question to you is: why does all this matter? If the only thing you're interested in is picking a town to move to and work, then all you need to know is that if you move to Durango, you're going to find yourself working in a restaurant, hotel or something else in the service industry. That's it. Period.
Agriculture/Horticulture is one of my TWO employment areas, and I AM LOOKING for an area to actually purchase property - someday. Durango/Bayfield/LaPlataCounty are on the list.
However, first one must get a job in the place they plan to move. Ashland, Oregon is another possibility, yet has 3 times the unemployment as Durango. Another, Palm Springs/Yucca Valley/29 Palms has 3-4 times the unemployment as Durango.
So if you folks can hire me doing any kind of retail or tourism work, it would be a great experience to move there.
I also do fit into the tourism economy as I'm learning to fix used bikes. I don't know how talented I could become as a bike mechanic as I have a lot to learn.
What do you think? Could I make money working with my hands in these areas?
And again, in the 18-35 age demo, do you tend to hire Locals and Students, or do you hire newcomers from out of state?
Flagstaff only hires locals and students, and employers promote from within, instead of hiring the most talented applicants.
Bluntly, you will likely just about starve in Durango. The type of work you say you want to do is low-wage work, and Durango is no low-cost place to live. Some of those ex-Durango natives I know, none of them spendthrifts by any means, left jobs there paying $50K or more per year (and there are very few of those paying that much around Durango) because they were falling behind financially. Most people growing up in Durango can never afford to even buy a home in their own community. The few I know that have been able to stay there either bought their home decades ago or inherited one from their parents. That is the harsh reality.
Re-read my post about agriculture. It's a very difficult, capital-intensive business in which to try to make a living. It's virtually impossible in places like Durango because land prices are many times in excess of what that land can EVER produce in agricultural production. That's why ag--except as a money-gobbling hobby or a corporate tax writeoff is largely dying in much of Colorado outside of Colorado's Eastern Plains.
You are firmly in the grip of the "Paradise Syndrome" and it is a financially devastating disease for most people.
Last edited by jazzlover; 01-12-2010 at 10:17 AM..
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Durango Economy
