Durango too small for Phoenix city kids? (Denver, Boulder: house, unemployment)

[gmm_24]

Depends on how old your kids are. My son at 14 was very bored when we moved out to the country... at first. Then the kid discovered that in the country you can make a potato gun and no one was going to complain, dig giant holes into the ground, play paintball and etc. Although once he was mobile ( could drive) he spent alot of time driving away I also did alot of driving his friends here, them to places to do things like the rec.
My daughter was 6 when we moved here and she cannot imagine living " like sardines" in town. She loves it here and adjusted well. Neither has said they regret it, but she adjusted better being younger. Plus she likes to spend more time with the farm animals then he does.

I have never been to Durango but with the economy the way it is if you are offered a great job take it! Your kids will hopefully adjust as long as you put in enough effort to make it a fun and positive move. Make sure you get high speed internet so they can keep in touch with their old friends.

[Robinstyler]

I recommend to the person moving here with kids, to check out this site:
Durango Colorado Official Web Site - Recreation Center (http://www.durangogov.org/reccenter/index.cfm - broken link)

Not everything in Durango is through the Rec Center, but it's a great central hub for finding out what is going on fun for kids. You can get them excited and even enroll them into a few things so they can socialize outside of school.

Snowdown is coming soon (Jan 26-31) . This community event is a fun, quirky thing that Durango enjoys to break up the winter blahs.
Snowdown Winter Festival 2010 in Durango Colorado
There's lots of fun for people of all ages.

[80skeys]

Nobody contests the fact that Colorado is great for the outdoors.
But there's more to life than just the outdoors.

[Robinstyler]

I agree. But what exactly are the kids missing indoors that they wouldn't get in Durango?

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by Robinstyler

I agree. But what exactly are the kids missing indoors that they wouldn't get in Durango?

There's a lot of cultural stuff you just aren't going to get. Nothing beats a large city for being exposed to a lot of venues and people from all walks of life. I grew up in a medium sized city in an artistic family. As a kid I was exposed to artists, musicians, scientists, cultured people, and people from different countries. I was in choir, theater, music, etc. It's one thing to take piano lessons from someone in a small town. It's another thing entirely to be around piano competitions and talented people from different places.

These activities were in addition to my normal kid activities like playing with my friends outside and going to theme parks and stuff.

Your kids will have plenty of outdoors activites in Durango. What they'll be missing are museums, theme parks, wide variety of kids from different places, cultural exposure, art, people from different walks of life. There are so many industries that simply aren't present in Durango, so you'll never have the opportunity to meet interesting people who are scientists and other sorts. I mean it's a very one-sided town and that's what you're getting when you move there.

[Dorthy]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

There's a lot of cultural stuff you just aren't going to get. Nothing beats a large city for being exposed to a lot of venues and people from all walks of life. I grew up in a medium sized city in an artistic family. As a kid I was exposed to artists, musicians, scientists, cultured people, and people from different countries. I was in choir, theater, music, etc. It's one thing to take piano lessons from someone in a small town. It's another thing entirely to be around piano competitions and talented people from different places.

These activities were in addition to my normal kid activities like playing with my friends outside and going to theme parks and stuff.

Your kids will have plenty of outdoors activities in Durango. What they'll be missing are museums, theme parks, wide variety of kids from different places, cultural exposure, art, people from different walks of life. There are so many industries that simply aren't present in Durango, so you'll never have the opportunity to meet interesting people who are scientists and other sorts. I mean it's a very one-sided town and that's what you're getting when you move there.

Durango has artists, musicians, scientists. They also have theatre, live music, art galleries and museums. It's a college town, so there are educated people from a wide variety of fields from all over. I moved from a medium sized city to Durango as a teenager and definitely thought that Durango had a lot more going for it then my medium sized city.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

I totally do not agree with this. I think it's a travesty to raise kids in small towns. Durango is a little better because it has a college and it's such a draw for people from all over, but when you're talking about places like Cortez, Rangley, Meeker, it's horrible to subject kids to that type of socially stagnating environment.

To each his own! I think it's a travesty to raise kids in an urban environment where the mentality of "just trying to get ahead" is all around you. I was raised in Aurora, and I HATE suburbia and large cities because of that. I was exposed to lots of cultural things, but in the end, what mattered most to be was to feel a sense of community. I never got that in a large city. I think kids in cities are BORED too. They are trapped in the concrete jungle and find trouble. I think you can raise kids in a small town and still expose them to cultural things. To call these towns a socially stagnating environment is rude and derogatory!

To the OP: I think your kids will enjoy Durango. It will take some adjustment, but if you have an awesome job offer, go for it! Durango is a great little college town and has many things outdoor and cultural to expose your children to. Plus, if you think it's a good move for you, then it will be a good move for your kids, even if they aren't happy about it at first. You can certainly head to Denver or Albuquerque to get a city fix every now and then. Plus, the area is rich in Native American history with Mesa Verde practically out your door. I don't think you will regret your move!

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by gmm_24

Depends on how old your kids are. My son at 14 was very bored when we moved out to the country... at first. Then the kid discovered that in the country you can make a potato gun and no one was going to complain, dig giant holes into the ground, play paintball and etc.

I'm sorry, but this doesn't sound fun. Is it supposed to give the impression that your son had an active social life? It sounds like he had no choice but to entertain himself.

My daughter was 6 when we moved here and she cannot imagine living " like sardines" in town. She loves it here and adjusted well. Neither has said they regret it, but she adjusted better being younger. Plus she likes to spend more time with the farm animals then he does.

She doesn't know anything different. A kid of 6 years old is not in a position to form an opinion about her environment.

[Robinstyler]

80skeys:

So, according to you, Durango has no artists, scientists, choir, music, museums and people from other walks of life and it's a one-sided town....

I disagree.

We are short in Opera and theater above the community theater level. However, living in a city, how often does one go? So, for those things, visiting Albuquerque and Denver a few times a year can augment the shortage. Albuquerque is a short 3 hour drive from Durango.

Durango also does not have any large theme parks. We travel to Eliches in Denver or the Waterparks in ABQ for that.

We have a large artist community with many artists, writers and talent living here for inspiration. There are scientists that live here as well as a diverse community with an ethnic mix. There are Hispanics, Indians, Blacks, Whites, and Asians that live in Durango.

My kids say the Pledge of Allegience in THREE languages: English, Spanish, and Navajo.

Since Durango is part of the art circuit, many high end artists tour through here. You may want to check out Maria's Bookshop for a cozy look at how Durango enjoys their literature.

You can also check out Durango Arts Force for some enriching children's arts.

Music in the Mountains is also a very enriching program that all are encouraged to enjoy. We have full orchestral support to train our children on string instruments and also rare instruments.

The High School lacks a large band and orchestra, but it is active and well trained.

Many young musicians work with the college on the upper level programs if they are serious - and they become VERY serious. Take a look at Katzin Music's website to see the people who are training our children in music. These are true classically educated musicians. Also, check out Canyon Music.

We are also within 1.5 hours of Telluride, and as you may or may not know, T-ride is known well for it's festivals. Culture is within Durango's reach and is pretty much hard to miss. Though it's not quite the Santa Fe of the west, it definitely is a wonderful place to enjoy the arts. Here's a list of the Art Galleries just in Durango proper:

Durango, Colorado Art Galleries: Colorado Artist Galleries

Here are some of the Durango famous people:

People of Durango: Durango Community - Durango Area Tourism Office

Now, onto some very cool history, Mesa Verde is very close to Durango and is considered a common school trip. The ruins are toured on foot and the Anasazi history is throughout. It's incredible.

As for scientists, engineers and other professions, I don't notice a shortage. Most people I know are very educated here, and the census statistics show that the average education is higher than the nation's standard. As a percentage of population, Durango has more college level educated people than the cities in our country. Durango has Engineers without borders and Doctors without borders program here that travel to serve the under-privileged countries.

Environmental Scientists, Ecologists, Geologists as well as Archaeologists are a pretty strong force in Durango and surrounding areas.

Durango is also home to a large variety of new age practices such as: Yoga, Reiki, Massage, and Homeopathic alternatives. Durango is pretty "crunchy" in certain circles. There are three different natural food stores for those spoiled by Trader Joes. Though the small size of the stores are a shock to some moving in. The important part is that they are there and will order in anything you feel may be missing.

[Chicoan]

Also, there is BMX, snowmobiling, skateboarding, snowboarding and skiing.

Those two are everywhere, you can ride a bike and skate in any city...