SperlingViews - Durango, Colorado

I moved to Durango because of a new job my husband was offered. I was full of dreams, hopes and wishes. Everyone seemed so friendly in this small tourist town. The mountains are beautiful. The housing is not affordable, so we ended up having to live in Bayfield, which is a town of 1,000 and 16 miles away. After two years, this is what I can tell you. This is a place of California housing prices and Mississippi wages. The business owners will tell you, with a smug laugh, that this is a "$10/hour town". If you come to Durango with plenty of money, and don't need to find a job, and can Afford to Play all of the recreational activities and afford the nice restaurants, you will love it here. If you need to find a job, as I did, this is not the place to move to. While the people are conditioned to be friendly to everyone so as not to insult the tourists, they are cliquish and not open to actually being friends with newcomers. They hire people they know, and people who are from here. If you're from out of town, it really doesn't matter how qualified you are, they won't hire you. It took me over a year to get my first job, which I was way over-qualified for, and underpaid to do. I am now on my third job within the last year. The employers here are mostly small businesses and they run them like there are no rules or laws that they have to follow. Anything goes, and does. Bullying at the workplace, especially among women, is the favorite pastime here. If you get hired and are from out of town, they will happily torment you until you leave. Be advised that no matter how much you earned at your last job, you will earn 50% less, and with no benefits. Most people here are working two to three jobs just to make it. You will have pretty mountains to look at while you're struggling to put food in your mouth. You won't be able to afford to ski, or do anything fun here, but if having the mountains to look at is enough for you, then by all means, move here. There is no shopping here to speak of other than the shops for tourists. Farmington, which has 40,000 people, is a 90 minute drive. And, there's not much there, either. It's 4 hours to Albuquerque to actually have a selection. This is a claustrophobic little place. The medical care here is pathetic. When people have something serious, they drive either to Albuquerque or Denver. We fell for the sales pitch when we came here and are now repenting in leisure. Come to visit, but don't think you can make it moving here unless you're already fully funded for the rest of your life. The honeymoon is over! [read more...]

i can not emphasize it enough....DO NOT MOVE TO DURANGO!!!! it is full of elitist people and poor struggling people, both take advantage and price gouge you in any way they can!! housing is way too expensive!! want to rent a trailer for $1500/mo...then durango is the place for you!! groceries are way too expensive. want to have 3 roommates to survive....then durango is the place for you!! clothing, shoes, everything is way over priced! want to have 3 jobs to make ends meet...then durango is the place for you!! and beware of mechanics....they will really take advantage of you. everyone here is just trying to survive, but they want YOUR MONEY to do it!! in conclusion....durango sux!! [read more...]

There is a medical crisis for seniors because doctors, clinics, hospital etc do not accept Medicare (at least 2 yrs ago). So you may have to think twice if you're a senior.[read more...]

Durango is a great placen to live and recreate, but wages are low, cost of living is high and the economy is almost entirely service, as in restaurants, and tourism. It is a college town which makes competition for entry level jobs steep. It tends towards a boom or bust economy with the booms coming when people from elsewhere feel wealthy enough to purchase a second home and the busts anytime the national economy goes sour.[read more...]

Spectacular views. Entrepreneurial friendly. Family oriented with parks, sidewalks, history.[read more...]

Brad, I hope the people of Durango aren't as close-minded as you are. Really, calling Clint an idiot because you don't like his comments? I'm thinking of relocating to Durango, been there many, many times and know it well...my only reservation is that there are too many young people and not enough 40 somethings to connect with. Your comment, Brad, indicates to me that you're one of the young ones. A bit immature. Clint's list is true on most counts, if people are going to live here shouldn't they be aware of the rapid growth, in case they were hoping something different? Your comments about People magazine's ratings are meaningless, unless you live your life according to polls; a fit person will be fit wherever they go.[read more...]

I was born and raised in Durango. I loved it and still do. However, there is no possible way to ever move back due to the lack of well paying jobs. I estimate you must make 150k+ to support a family of 4. The only industry is tourism (hotels, restaurants, and little shops) You can also make a good living as doctor or nurse, a lawyer, or a real estate agent. The problem with Durango and really the rest of Colorado is that many former Californians have moved in and jacked up the housing market. They brought their California attitudes with them. People definitely aren't as friendly as they used to be and drug use is a big problem.Traffic is a lot heavier and once public lands are now private or are being closed off by environmentalist-Nazis and special interest groups. What I miss most about Durango is how much there was to do in all seasons. 25 minutes to Purg, 2.5 hours to Lake Powell and Moab, trails right out of town, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting is great. The nightlife is ok in my book. Summer is busy with tourists, winter is a little slower but the college kids keep the town alive.[read more...]

Pros: 1. Good mountain views and recreation opportunities 2. Excellent school system Cons: 1. High crime rate 2. Extremely high cost of living 3. Unaffordable place to live 4. Rapid growth 5. Huge drug problem[read more...]

After reading the reviews on Durango I think I will change my vacation plans. I was planning a visit this winter, but think I will opt for Michigan instead. Durango doesn't sound like a place I'd like to visit.[read more...]

My husband and I are city slickers from Miami and Atlanta. We moved to Durango because of how amazing this place is. Bar none, this is the most wonderful place we have ever lived! We find that people are super friendly, open-minded to meet a stranger and just plain happy to live here. This is an incredible place to have small children because there is so much to do and almost everything seems to be walking distance or a 5 to 10 minutes ride away when you live in town. The only drawback is that it seems incredibly difficult to make "good" money here. My husband is an engineer and I am an intern architect. The salaries really don't match up with the cost of living and the prices most houses are selling for. I have not seen one house below $318,000.00 (and that one being not even two bedrooms). That might not seem like a problem to most people, but who wants to work four jobs making a total of 90k a year to actually pay for the cheapest 2-bedroom house you can find when you have three kids? This place is amazing when it comes to quality of living; however realistically, the income is challenging. My advice is come here already with a great employment opportunity making more than 80k a year. There are great professional jobs (and plenty other simpler jobs not requiring a college degree) but I see many of them offering around 40k a year. Durango is amazing and many people move here because they see "paying for their quality of life" as already being taken out of their salary. That is how amazing it is! [read more...]

Durango is also a nice place for a retiree.[read more...]

Durango pros/ cons 1. very pretty town 2. very nice people 3. low crime rate Cons 1. Very expensive 2. awful job market 3. very limited cultural scene[read more...]

There is so much to do in Durango. Whether it's hiking, skiing, or biking in the mountians or kayacking, fishing or tubing in the River, it always seems like there is something to do all year round. There are some great hiking trails just on the edge of town and the city is basically surrounded by undeveloped land. The majority of the population is mid-20's because it is a college town. However, that's where it's downfall is. Outside of being in school, there are not that many jobs outside of the resturant, recreation or landscaping industry. At least not enough jobs to cover the high cost of living. It's a great place to go if you have money, or an even better place to visit.[read more...]

I lived in Durango for eleven years and find the other posted comments absurd. First it is very safe and DOES NOT have the highest crime rate in Colorado (look it up). I have never heard of anyone being robbed in the entire time I lived there. We never once locked our doors and always left our keys in the ignition without a problem. Secondly, It is one of the friendliest places I have ever been. While home prices are somewhat above the national average, rents are very reasonable and good jobs are not so hard to come by. We were very sorry to leave but can't wait to return. With so much to do and see it should be on everyones list of relocation places. Property taxes are very low and services are excellent. There is decent public transit, a fantastic community rec center and outstanding family center. It is a small town with city sized amenities due to its popularity as a tourist destination. Good sking, river sports, hiking and unbelievable weather make it a true mountain gem.[read more...]

Durango now tops the list in Colorado for crime. Robberies, burglaries and assaults are all up 10-20% year over year. Most of this is probably due to meth addicts breaking into summer vacation homes. Nonetheless, the impossibility of finding a decent job combined with the high crime makes Durango no longer a destination of choice.[read more...]

Difficult to earn a living. The cost of maintaining a house and car is higher than the average service worker wage of $9 / hour. Not many large companies that pay well. A good place to telecommute from.[read more...]

Firstly, I was born and raised in Durango. I do have a few good memories of this place, but they are few. I've struggled trying to raise my two kids here as a single mother. I would like to say I'll always call it "home" but unfortunately I've never felt that way because of the overall unfriendliness here. I'm making plans to move now that my kids are older; that's why I came to this website originally. In Duango, high cost of living makes working two jobs a must. The traffic is very congested throughout the year. They're closing out our trailer parks to make room for the condos springing up all over town, even along the river's edge, taking away the view. There's no peacefulness to this entire town. If there's anyone truly happy here, they're difficult to find. You take your life in your hands when you become a pedestrian. I've known several people over the years who've been hit by cars while either riding their bicycles or walking around town. Places are so expensive, I don't foresee ever being able to purchase a home for us here. Between the high cost of living, and overall cold attitude of this town, I'm sorry to say, it rates as another "nice place to visit, but you don't want to live here" places. P.S. If you do come to visit, bring LOTS of money; it's another tourist trap.[read more...]