Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello,
I have been dreaming of a move to the Durango area for several years now. I have done my research and know about the high cost of real estate. I love the mountains and grew up in a similar mountainous area in New Mexico. I have been visiting the area for many years, and it still calls to me.
But I do understand that living in a place is not the same as vacationing there, of course. I only wish to enjoy the outdoors and live in peace.I am not interested in having all the latest retailers at my disposal. As long as I am able to get the basics, that's fine.As a matter of fact, that is part of the attraction to the area - the lack of chain stores. I appreciate all of the locally owned businesses.
Having said that, I do have one major concern. As I have said earlier, I have done my research, and noted the negative comments directed at "outsiders." Yes, I know this is (hopefully) from a group of small, narrow-minded people. (I read several forums on this site and others.) I totally understand the feelings of having waves of people move into the area you are living in, having experienced it myself. I would love to hear from long-time Durango residents regarding their feelings on newcomers. On our last trip a couple of weeks ago, I was dismayed by our tour guide on a jeep tour. At the beginning of the tour, he started asking people where they were from, but purposely (or so it appeared) skipped over my daughter and me. Now I am not sure, but I am wondering if maybe it was because he saw the license plates on the rental car we drove up in, which were Texas plates.While we were out in the mountains, the guide stopped to show us an abandoned mining area, and he also told us about the geology of the area and rocks that could be picked up off of the ground with silver in them. When he was explaining what to look for, he commented, "People from Texas wouldn't know what the hell they were looking for." I got the feeling he was pointedly ignoring us throughout the entire tour.
Now, 40-50 years ago, growing up in New Mexico, I saw this behavior directed at people from Texas and California or the East coast. I had hoped that with the country the way it is today, with people moving more frequently in search of opportunities or different qualities of life, that this rude behavior was a thing of the past, which is why I would love to hear some local people's take on things. I currently live in the Austin, TX area. I would greatly appreciate any information. Thanks in advance.
Last edited by Mike from back east; 07-26-2017 at 08:32 PM..
Oh there are some jabs directed at Texans, Californians, easterners but for most it is fairly surface whining. Some folks might take it farther but some folks have to have an "other" to rail against. High housing prices driven up by outside demand (and housing policies slanted to protecting the housing values and continued growth of them for natives and earlier arrivals) is a legit gripe / life issue though.
A lot of folks will semi - fold if you call them on it. ("I didn't mean to insult you. You seem nice. I meant the other ones, behind the tree, who can't hear me.") If it was an owner / operator, don't go back or recommend them or recommend "passing" on them. If it was an employee, you have the option of mentioning your discomfort / displeasure to the manager or owner.
Some who diss outsiders are outsiders in fact or in the eyes of others. I can't speak for the Durango community but think most will care what you do & say more. Texans make up a pretty large share of the tourist economy. Most welcome the business. New friends? That is case by case... both ways.
I've met Texans who are normal nice, super nice and something less or way less. A lot are a mix of nice and not so nice, like others. Some people react to Texas exceptionalism unfavorably (for political and / or cultural reasons), including Colorado exceptionalists. Similar for Californians and some big city / big state easterners. Won't go away completely but it can be lessened with communication & decency. And by avoiding / tuning out the least tolerant.
Having been an "outsider" myself, I've been here 4 years now. Durango is a different kind of place & you may or may not like the people. My experience trying to live in Durango is that many people are just weird. Hard to make friends with anyone unless you were into all of the "new age-y" kind of things. I really didn't find many to be very accepting. Tried to build but it was prohibitively expensive at almost $400/SF!
Anyway, I ended up with a lovely large rural property just south of Bayfield. It is glorious & quiet here with plenty of water & long views (50 mile views!) and great people. Now I'm fairly liberal & Bayfield is a very conservative town. But the people here are very friendly & welcoming & nobody is "weird" in the sense that some Durango people are. The best thing I ever did was to move 20 miles east to Bayfield. We don't really even go into Durango much these days unless we need something from one of the "big boxes" or want a restaurant meal beyond the great little restaurants we have here in the Pine River Valley. There is great outdoor access with roads & trails everywhere up into the San Juans and if you like to travel to Denver on occasion, you're 20 miles closer. And of course we have none of the traffic woes that Durango has.
To me, Durango is one of those places that you only go to when you need to, or to take out of town guests to do the "tourist activities" that Durango offers. That's about it.
Texans represent 35% of the tourist dollars that come into Durango so they're pretty important people to have around. I'm not crazy about anybody from out of state who comes in & disobeys our traffic laws & in general just act like a$$holes. It makes me crazy to be driving at the speed limit only to have someone come flying up to my rear bumper trying to push me along, or pass over the double yellow lines, things like that which endanger everyone on the road. At least 75% of the time it's somebody from out of state. In the past two years, I've literally been run off the road twice on the way up Wolf Creek Pass in December by trucks with Texas & New Mexico plates in a hurry to get to the ski area. The second time I was forced onto a patch of ice in the outside of a corner at the bottom of the pass by a speeding pickup truck who was literally flying at 60mph in a 40mph zone with snow & ice all over the road. He couldn't stay in his lane so he forced me out of mine onto a layer of ice, sliding sideways toward the rock-faced base of the mountain. Fortunately a wheel caught a small dry area and stopped the sliding.
To me, anybody who's an outsider may initially encounter some resentment from locals, but as long as you obey our laws, treat others as you would like to be treated, and act to be a good citizen, I think you'll find acceptance by anyone. And as stated above, keep in mind that in many cases, the resentment will be coming from people who are outsiders themselves. They just never see the irony.
keep in mind that in many cases, the resentment will be coming from people who are outsiders themselves. They just never see the irony.
My friend Ernie from Boulder is like that. Ernie moved to Boulder from Ohio about 20 yrs ago. He now hates Texans with a passion. Says that Texans are ruining Colorado.
About 6 weeks ago, Ernie and I had a great conversation with this guy at the hot springs in Pagosa Springs. The guy bought drinks for both of us. On the drive back to the campground, several cars with Texas plates drove bay and Ernie went on one of his anti-Texan rants. Back at the campground later that day, Ernie was saying what a great guy the guy at the hot springs was, how friendly he was. When I mentioned that the guy was from Texas, his face went pale.
Texans represent 35% of the tourist dollars that come into Durango so they're pretty important people to have around. I'm not crazy about anybody from out of state who comes in & disobeys our traffic laws & in general just act like a$$holes. It makes me crazy to be driving at the speed limit only to have someone come flying up to my rear bumper trying to push me along, or pass over the double yellow lines, things like that which endanger everyone on the road. At least 75% of the time it's somebody from out of state. In the past two years, I've literally been run off the road twice on the way up Wolf Creek Pass in December by trucks with Texas & New Mexico plates in a hurry to get to the ski area. The second time I was forced onto a patch of ice in the outside of a corner at the bottom of the pass by a speeding pickup truck who was literally flying at 60mph in a 40mph zone with snow & ice all over the road. He couldn't stay in his lane so he forced me out of mine onto a layer of ice, sliding sideways toward the rock-faced base of the mountain. Fortunately a wheel caught a small dry area and stopped the sliding.
To me, anybody who's an outsider may initially encounter some resentment from locals, but as long as you obey our laws, treat others as you would like to be treated, and act to be a good citizen, I think you'll find acceptance by anyone. And as stated above, keep in mind that in many cases, the resentment will be coming from people who are outsiders themselves. They just never see the irony.
We took two road trips recently in New Mexico and Colorado. Had the exact same thing happen with out-of-control drivers -- one from California and one from Texas. Both times people were passing without sufficient room and both times we had to pull completely off the road to avoid being killed. We love the tourist money here but wish that the tourists would slow down and smell the columbines!
Sad what Durango has become.I live in Mancos but 90 percent of my work is there $$$$$.People moving there have to much of it and could care less about anyone except me and only while I'm trimming their house then bye bye forever low life.Back in the 70's I knew 80% of people walking down main st now I know nobody.Durango had 1 stoplight and they turned it off at night after the train was done.I left La Plata county 25 years ago when I saw the writing on the wall and glad I did.Bayfield and Ignacio are still cool.Lived and raised my daughters in Oxford and had the best 4H club ever. All day traffic jambs suck but Mancos is only 2 beers away and life is good.
I thank you all for the encouraging words and advice. Being a retired teacher, I do have a thick skin and can take the negatives. I chose to ignore the rude tour guide and did not stoop to his level. I have also looked into both east and west of Durango, namely Mancos and Bayfield. Both areas seemed like good, small towns with a friendly vibe. I am single and retired and in good health. My daughter who lives with me is disabled. I was concerned about people's attitudes and wondered about "neighborliness" in general. What if I needed help with something? I would really prefer to live in a rural location, but I do worry about the "what ifs." For example, a dead battery on the car or mechanical issues, a burst pipe, or any other of those normal but distressing occurrences. It sounds like the areas outside of Durango still have a sense of community.
Dead battery routine is the same as anywhere else. Have a charger on hand that you bought to prepare for such times, or call AAA. You may or may not be able to get a jump from someone else...same as anywhere! Don't count on it.
If you are worried about having nearby service help, why are you even considering outside-of-town places? Things are just plain farther away. Sounds like in Durango actually would fit--they have all services right there.
Mancos & Bayfield will have a small selection of professional services available in the basic fields and you can usually get someone from Durango to come out though it may cost travel time. About 3 out of 4 in LaPlata County live outside Durango so a lot of businesses are used to travel to the customer.
If you ask around you can also find amateur / semi-pro handymen. I have a neighbor who pulls neighbors and tourists out of ditches, does some auto repair, will help with remodeling, fixes tools, tree cutting, trash hauling, etc. You gotta ask and decide who to trust. Good out there and incompetents / cheats too.
Last edited by NW Crow; 07-28-2017 at 12:06 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Still neighbors in the area?
