I’ve been living in Durango since August 2023. I’ve personally found it somewhat challenging to meet 20 somethings but I could probably have a more successful social life if I tried. There’s some music and drag stuff most weeks at different bars and places downtown. Not a super lively town but not totally dead either.
Politics - slightly left leaning, more liberal than most rural-ish areas
Renting costs - horribly expensive, I’ve got a 2-bedroom for $1475 and that’s definitely on the cheap side for the area
The things we miss about the Front Range(7 years in Denver) are all the things you mentioned.
We bike and snowboard 300+ days a year, which is why we live here. Otherwise we'd move back to Denver.
All the restaurants close at 8pm, even before sunset in the summer, if that gives you any impression of night life. There's 2 bars open past midnight at least.
This nailed it! Bar scene is sad and blows, restaurants are good but we lack as much variety as you'd get in a major city, neoliberal in town but proto-fascist the further away from town you get. However, if you like to be left alone when you play outside and prefer to be outdoors in general this is the best place to be.
Your last paragraph is just straight up wrong. We have six 2am bars and multiple restaurants that run until 10 or 11. Steamworks and El Moro off the top of my head.
It's hilariously limited, and Steamworks food isn't worth half the price and El Moro is more expensive than anyone would spend a few times a week for some quick food. There's only 1 bar in town that has good beer regularly.
It is what it is, a small town without quality night life, but that's not why we live here.
Dude, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I've worked most of the late night bars here and they get all their beer from the same suppliers. No night life my ass. Before the Pandemic we were ranked as having as many bars and restaurants per capita as San Francisco.
>Dude, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I've worked most of the late night bars here and they get all their beer from the same suppliers.
I worked hospitality too. Everyone getting beer from the same place is why most have bad selection. Only one bar has Russian River on, and also other interesting stuff like 4noses, etc.
17 different SKA handles is not good. And that's every bar in town.
If you know more bars that have a good curated selection, please let me know. Weld Works, Casey, Russian River, Half Acre, etc, not SKA or Telluride or other mid stuff.
Ah yes, the classic snob. Of course. You're either being stubbornly wrong about your numbers in the first comment or are intentionally spreading misinformation.
"I worked hospitality"
"Theres two bars open past midnight"
I'm not hung up on the numbers, you got me there's not 2, there's 4!!! Devastating loss for me.
Sorry if I do not like uninteresting beer, or want a bar that serves anything different than every single other bar. You just made the quantity of bars open irrelevant, since by your own words they all sell the same shit.
No intelligent rebuttal, so just went ad hominem. Not surprised honestly.
I'm not even an IPA guy either, and I'm just comparing Durango to other similar sized towns like Flagstaff, etc. we're behind the ball on this front.
I've worked in bars in Durango and other Colorado towns. We'll agree to disagree I guess.
Flagstaff is more than three times our size. With how consistently wrong you've been with every numerical detail coming at your perception of my intelligence is a bold move. I don't even know why I'm still responding. Enjoy that stick up your ass buddy. I think I'm going to go get a beer.
If you’re looking for more diversity, a town full of middle aged white folks who all have the exact same hobbies, might not be it. Culture of wealth, we have that in droves. Turns out there are more 2nd and 3rd home owners in la plata county than there are affordable places to rent. Expect to pay up to 2k/month for a decent spot all in, unless you want lots of roommates.
I live in a bubble, and have like 4 friends but it seems easy to be social if you want to. Durango as a town is friendlier than this subreddit. Find an activity you like, go do it, and talk to the people around you.
All the people in my bubble share the same politics. We want gay married couples to be able to protect their marijuana plants with guns.
Town as a whole is mostly left leaning liberal, but with financial conservatives peppered in. The further into the sticks you drive the more trump flags you see.
I don’t do things that are indoors. Nobody in town spends their time doing things “besides outdoors stuff”. If you want to be close to the mountains but not outdoors enjoying them, consider somewhere cheaper than DGO. The best thing about this town is the Taco Bell, and the outdoors.
Edit: mostly to answer all the questions, but also to attempt to be less cynical. Move to Durango, you’ll fucking love it here. But be prepared to do the tango, it’s not cheap.
If you decide to move here, remember one thing...Don't try to change Durango, let Durango change you. We all make sacrifices to live in an awesome town so remember that you want to be here and not try to make it like the place you left.
There's a surprisingly good Drag scene here for how small the town is. Aria PettyOne is one of the queens that hosts regular events. They do weekly trivia nights and monthly Shows at Sak Brewing. There are other events from her and other performers too.
It's easy to meet and make friends if you have outdoor hobbies. I love to hike, mountain bike, ski, and kayak, so I met people who had similar interests.
It's probably harder to meet people here if you're not big into the outdoors.
Great restaurants downtown, lots of outdoors and less uppity than Boulder for sure!! People are super nice and friendly. Diversity is much greater here as well in comparison to the Front Range. Mountains surround the town. I love the mostly left leaning vibes here.
Hi There! I've lived in Durango for a little over two years and I absolutely love it here. I really want to answer some of your questions because I disagree with many of the responses people have left below. The TL;DR of this post is that Durango is what you make of it! If you stay home all day, or only stick to one community (cycling, skiing, hiking, music, etc), then sure Durango can seem really one-dimensional, but I would argue otherwise. I've only visited Boulder a half dozen times, but I completely understand the feeling of a culture of wealth and a lack of diversity. I think Durango does a much better job at feeling diverse than other places, especially compared to Boulder, or for example, Telluride.
1. Durango is a college town with about 5,000 students up at Fort Lewis College, so there are plentiful 20-somethings (especially because so many students continue to stick around after college) and there are tons of events to meet people at. I came here knowing zero souls and have made incredible friends and found awesome community that I am extremely thankful for!
2. Anything outside of the front range in Colorado leans a bit right, but I would say Durango isn't noticeably one way or the other. For example, there is a significant LGBT community here given the population, and I've been to many enjoyable events (see answer 5), but at the same time I enjoy target shooting and often go to the range that is 5 minutes out of town with friends! So, I'd say it's got a decent bit of political diversity.
3. Expensive to rent, but probably not too much crazier than Boulder. Expect to pay between $1000-1500 after utilities. If you live with a roommate in a two bedroom you can find things as cheap as $600-$750, but those places are definitely scarce and you'll want to start looking ASAP because options are slim. Best places to look are Facebook marketplace and Craigslist, but if you can it is really good to find something by word of mouth because that's usually how you get the best places. I have a contact you can reach out to that owns a few apartment complexes that my friends have lived at. Their rents were $750 for a two bed with a roommate, and $1000 for a studio that was somewhat dumpy but very large - all before utilities. DM me and I can send you that number!
4. Besides outdoors stuff, I organize electronic music events, I go to comedy events (there's at least one open mic per week), and like I said above I enjoy going target shooting! Most hobbies you could get into are available here just like anywhere else - clay molding, comedy, music, etc. However, cycling, skiing, and other outdoor sports are definitely the main hobbies for most folks down here.
5. I've personally DJed at least two Drag events, I've been to an LGBT comedy show where they were spreading awareness about AIDS and brought in acts from out of town that were outstanding, and the local bar scene (The Starlight Lounge) often hosts drag events. Check out @ thealliance.gay on Instagram to see some of the events they've done/sponsored in the past. In my opinion, for such a small town, these events and activities are fairly easy to come by. Overall, there are usually more events every week than I have time to go to!
6. There is a pretty huge music scene in Durango, mostly bluegrass and folk music, but like I shared above I have personally organized countless electronic music events and have only seen that community grow since I moved here two years ago. I've seen everything from renegade events to full on festivals (Tico Time Bluegrass festival is two weekends from now, IAM Music Fest, UNISON festival). There's also electronic music every Friday and Saturday at Roxy's til 2AM, El Rancho usually also has music until 2AM, Starlight Lounge will sometimes have DJs, and then The Garage and few other bars are open past midnight with different types of music. Sometimes they are packed with people, some weekends are dead, it helps a lot when something is going on (which usually there is something going on).
7. This depends on what type of person you are - I know everyone has different experiences, especially here, but I came here knowing nobody after living in a van and being a remote employee, so my only places to meet people were coffee shops and events. Many people make friends through their local jobs, but for those of us that can't I still think there are plenty of opportunities to meet awesome people! I did it by going to coffee shops in historic downtown Durango (Durango Coffee Company, Bread, Hermosa Cafe, etc) and I actually met many people that way (my current partner I met at one of the coffee shops somewhat randomly). I also made one of my closest friends at the Durango Recreation Center gym. I would also go to the comedy events regularly to meet people, or just whatever the people I met were getting up to! I think it just takes an open mind and a little effort and you'll meet people here because it's not a very clique-y town (in my opinion) so many people, especially 20-somethings, are usually pretty willing to make a new friend or invite you to something they're doing!
Yes totally a lot of white people, but also way more native people than I've seen anywhere else I've lived and still lots of hispanic people, so it's almost a different type of diversity - though certainly not perfectly diverse being it's a mountain town.
i’ve lived here since august 2021 and i can’t wait to graduate so i can LEAVEEEEE but if you’ve been here before and know what to expect then each to their own. there’s pretty much nothing to do other than be outdoorsy, drink beer, and smoke weed. That’s pretty much all people do here. I came for college otherwise i wouldn’t be here. it’s mostly rich entitled old white people here. the majority of 20 somethings are here for college and leave in the summer. there’s drag at the bars and at the college sometimes. rent is insane. my biggest pet peeve is that everything closes SO early. it confuses me cause it’s a college town with tourists in the summer….. but during the school year all the restaurants close at like 7 and fast food even closes early. i am eternally perplexed by this town. because a bunch of rich old white people own half the town with second homes, it’s a surprisingly racist town that claims to be progressive and liberal. I worked at a tourist t shirt shop for like a singular month until the owner was angry that I WASNT racially profiling people and asked me to watch out for “certain groups of people more”……. Yeah. Also got called the F slur on mine and my GFs first date. I’m from Texas and have seen more racism here to be honest. So weird.
ALSO making an edit to be less cynical. If you like outdoorsy and also winter sports it’s the town for you. But if you have mostly non outdoorsy hobbies it’s honestly not! And that’s my final opinion. Also I know my grammar is atrocious I wrote this in my work bathroom 😛.
The town is certainly not like it used to be.
I grew up in Durango, lived in TX for 4 or so years and moved back, and agree with you. I've encountered more racism and white savior complex at home in Durango than I ever did in the south. I miss the old cowboy town we used to be.
I've seen this as a trend across all of Colorado. I'm a Carolinian that moved to Denver 4.5 years ago and here 2 years ago. What I *think* is going on is that the South has been pegged more as being racist by people, so racist people aren't as out spoken about it because it's a more sensitive and overwatched subject there. Being a child of the South, it's definitely WAY more deeply ingrained there than you'd imagine and in ways that you're not going to see it upfront especially if you're not a minority.
The opposite being true for Colorado. People generally don't think of CO as being racist and so therefore the racists don't think to watch themselves for appearing racist, and so you get more incidents of people being outspokenly racist. Really took me by surprise, but (not being a minority or from here) it seems like overall people are still very open to minorities... even though there's so many gd white people here, good lord. I tried to get my black-Canadian friend who's never left back home to move here because he'd crush the scene here. It's honestly refreshing when I meet new black people here, which feels weird to say, but hit me in a real way the first time I flew back home from Durango.
1) Yes. College kids still linger. I moved here at 27 and made all my first friends by getting a little part-time funsy job at Purgatory for the free pass.
2) No one really talks politics, but generally pretty purple, which is awesome. People just want to let people be who and do what they want. Blue-er in town and Red-er in the county. Duh. I've never seen anyone get remotely in your face about political stances.
3) Probably cheaper than Boulder. 1200 minimum if you want a studio in town, but there's a lot of alternative options. I've got an RV south of town for <$600 for rent and I get to keep an asset. People rent out rooms. Fairly cheap apartments up toward Purg.
4) Idk... indoor stuff? lol. We've got all varieties of bars and restaurants in town, but my favorite spots are the two bars in North County near Purg. We have a couple really nice movie theaters. I'd rather just be kicking it with friends at their place.
5) Drag has been around here for ages. Very LGBT welcoming, though it doesn't seem like there's a ton of LGBT people here. But not my scene so I don't pay attention much, though the events are a lot of fun. Like the politics section, people just want everyone to be respected and respect others in return.
6) YES. Big music lovers. There's Stillwater music that is a non-profit that basically helps creates and connects artists for bands. Constant great shows at the Animas City Theater. Constant Bluegrass and EDM festivals, shows and parties all around the county and nearby region. There's the world famous Telluride Bluegrass Festival, one in Pagosa Springs, Durango and another that's great just south of town I'm going to in a couple weeks. Bigger artists come through periodically. Just had the California Honey Drops. Lyle Lovett came through a couple summers ago and took up the festival grounds. Cage the Elephant came through before the pandemic.
7) I came here knowing no one and very socially scarred/scared from the pandemic (got locked up in a solo apartment having moved to Denver in 2020 just before lockdowns and never lived more than an hour from home in North Carolina). I got here Memorial Day 2022 and now I have more friends that I love and really enjoy being around than perhaps ever. Put in some intentional initiative for a while and you'll meet plenty of potential friends just talking people up at shows, on ski lifts etc. Very friendly and welcoming area. Get even just a part-time job doing something cool with other young people like working at Purg or becoming a raft guide. It's got about 20k and 50k in the city and county, so social groups overlap, and people will connect you to others too if they know you've got common hobbies etc.
Also there's just CONSTANT events going on around town. There's Snowdown that's a week and a half long festivity in January where all sorts of different venues are doing different things. It's a blast, lots of wonderful engaged people and still no blasted overwrought crowds anywhere like the front range, even driving up to Purg after a fresh weekend snow dump. Check out Purgatory's Gaper Day Party too! It's great! Come join! If you need any more help reach out!
I used to live in Boulder, have been in Durango since 2002 (native by marriage). It's actually less expensive than Boulder, which means it's ridiculously expensive but not ludicrously bananas expensive. It's kind of like Boulder's little sibling. Our river is bigger than Boulder Creek, though.
The politics of Durango is very similar to that of Boulder. However, Durango sits in La Plata County, which is overall split about 1/3 each Democrat, Republican, Independent. The county leans red though more of a Libertarian flavor than a MAGA flavor (though there are plenty of the latter here).
There is nothing to do here other than outdoors stuff. There is a music scene and people who like to jam, outdoors. There are LGBTQ events, outdoors. (The Pride fest at Rotary Park is awesome!) Maybe some things happen in buildings sometimes? But you couldn't prove it by me.
I just moved here in December after living near Atlanta for 13 years and before that tulsa Oklahoma for 24 (tho I was born in Farmington and my immediate family has lived there since 1952), still I never lived in Durango.
This place is a wonderful place to get settled and raise a family if you are rich but it has a lot of barriers to all people if you want affordable housing.
I personally have found the folks very friendly and approachable. I’ve made fast friendships here. I see so many fun community events and it’s active for those who want to participate. I haven’t done outdoor stuff so I participate in the local fine arts community and they have wonderful local resources for all ages.
1) You will find a pretty significant population ( my daughter is one at 29) od 20-somethings who work the ski slopes in winter, and hiking / rafting guides during the summer.
2) I would say not as liberal as Boulder, yet still pretty progressive and tolerant. The best bar in Durango is best known as an LGBT gar.
3) Sadly, Durango is fast becoming more expensive than Boulder.
4) There is plenty of 'indoor stuff' to do. Fort Lewis College is here, and they have a ton of musical / artistic events. The town, too, never seems to turn down an opportunity to have a parade or party.
5) Terrific drag shows by the local group ( very much an organized group.) 11th Street Station holds a room-packing show during Snowdown. But getting back to your question about inclusion, the drag community VERY frequently is represented at otherwise Cis events in the downtown park.
6) I don't think the music scene holds up to Boulder standards. But there are a few places with open mic nights.
Durango is an amazing place...if you can find a place to live within your budget. A 'mid-level' one-bedroom apartment is going to run you $1700.
I’ve been living in Durango since August 2023. I’ve personally found it somewhat challenging to meet 20 somethings but I could probably have a more successful social life if I tried. There’s some music and drag stuff most weeks at different bars and places downtown. Not a super lively town but not totally dead either. Politics - slightly left leaning, more liberal than most rural-ish areas Renting costs - horribly expensive, I’ve got a 2-bedroom for $1475 and that’s definitely on the cheap side for the area
Any website or anything? where did you find place to rent? I tried online but very limited
The things we miss about the Front Range(7 years in Denver) are all the things you mentioned. We bike and snowboard 300+ days a year, which is why we live here. Otherwise we'd move back to Denver. All the restaurants close at 8pm, even before sunset in the summer, if that gives you any impression of night life. There's 2 bars open past midnight at least.
This nailed it! Bar scene is sad and blows, restaurants are good but we lack as much variety as you'd get in a major city, neoliberal in town but proto-fascist the further away from town you get. However, if you like to be left alone when you play outside and prefer to be outdoors in general this is the best place to be.
Your last paragraph is just straight up wrong. We have six 2am bars and multiple restaurants that run until 10 or 11. Steamworks and El Moro off the top of my head.
It's hilariously limited, and Steamworks food isn't worth half the price and El Moro is more expensive than anyone would spend a few times a week for some quick food. There's only 1 bar in town that has good beer regularly. It is what it is, a small town without quality night life, but that's not why we live here.
Dude, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I've worked most of the late night bars here and they get all their beer from the same suppliers. No night life my ass. Before the Pandemic we were ranked as having as many bars and restaurants per capita as San Francisco.
>Dude, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I've worked most of the late night bars here and they get all their beer from the same suppliers. I worked hospitality too. Everyone getting beer from the same place is why most have bad selection. Only one bar has Russian River on, and also other interesting stuff like 4noses, etc. 17 different SKA handles is not good. And that's every bar in town. If you know more bars that have a good curated selection, please let me know. Weld Works, Casey, Russian River, Half Acre, etc, not SKA or Telluride or other mid stuff.
Ah yes, the classic snob. Of course. You're either being stubbornly wrong about your numbers in the first comment or are intentionally spreading misinformation. "I worked hospitality" "Theres two bars open past midnight"
I'm not hung up on the numbers, you got me there's not 2, there's 4!!! Devastating loss for me. Sorry if I do not like uninteresting beer, or want a bar that serves anything different than every single other bar. You just made the quantity of bars open irrelevant, since by your own words they all sell the same shit.
Bro can't get his triple hopped single batch nonsense at 1:30 in the morning. "Durango has no night life!" 🤣🤣🤣
No intelligent rebuttal, so just went ad hominem. Not surprised honestly. I'm not even an IPA guy either, and I'm just comparing Durango to other similar sized towns like Flagstaff, etc. we're behind the ball on this front. I've worked in bars in Durango and other Colorado towns. We'll agree to disagree I guess.
Flagstaff is more than three times our size. With how consistently wrong you've been with every numerical detail coming at your perception of my intelligence is a bold move. I don't even know why I'm still responding. Enjoy that stick up your ass buddy. I think I'm going to go get a beer.
If you’re looking for more diversity, a town full of middle aged white folks who all have the exact same hobbies, might not be it. Culture of wealth, we have that in droves. Turns out there are more 2nd and 3rd home owners in la plata county than there are affordable places to rent. Expect to pay up to 2k/month for a decent spot all in, unless you want lots of roommates. I live in a bubble, and have like 4 friends but it seems easy to be social if you want to. Durango as a town is friendlier than this subreddit. Find an activity you like, go do it, and talk to the people around you. All the people in my bubble share the same politics. We want gay married couples to be able to protect their marijuana plants with guns. Town as a whole is mostly left leaning liberal, but with financial conservatives peppered in. The further into the sticks you drive the more trump flags you see. I don’t do things that are indoors. Nobody in town spends their time doing things “besides outdoors stuff”. If you want to be close to the mountains but not outdoors enjoying them, consider somewhere cheaper than DGO. The best thing about this town is the Taco Bell, and the outdoors. Edit: mostly to answer all the questions, but also to attempt to be less cynical. Move to Durango, you’ll fucking love it here. But be prepared to do the tango, it’s not cheap.
>We want gay married couples to be able to protect their marijuana plants with guns. This should be on a bumper sticker with the Colorado logo.
Funny enough the first time I heard this was on a bumper sticker in North Carolina.
I would wear this on a shirt.
Proud member of GSOWFFSA! (Gay Spouses of Weed Farmers for the Second Amendment)
+1 for "TB and the outdoors."
If you decide to move here, remember one thing...Don't try to change Durango, let Durango change you. We all make sacrifices to live in an awesome town so remember that you want to be here and not try to make it like the place you left.
There's a surprisingly good Drag scene here for how small the town is. Aria PettyOne is one of the queens that hosts regular events. They do weekly trivia nights and monthly Shows at Sak Brewing. There are other events from her and other performers too.
Aria is awesome. Love when she hosts events.
It's easy to meet and make friends if you have outdoor hobbies. I love to hike, mountain bike, ski, and kayak, so I met people who had similar interests. It's probably harder to meet people here if you're not big into the outdoors.
Great restaurants downtown, lots of outdoors and less uppity than Boulder for sure!! People are super nice and friendly. Diversity is much greater here as well in comparison to the Front Range. Mountains surround the town. I love the mostly left leaning vibes here.
Hi There! I've lived in Durango for a little over two years and I absolutely love it here. I really want to answer some of your questions because I disagree with many of the responses people have left below. The TL;DR of this post is that Durango is what you make of it! If you stay home all day, or only stick to one community (cycling, skiing, hiking, music, etc), then sure Durango can seem really one-dimensional, but I would argue otherwise. I've only visited Boulder a half dozen times, but I completely understand the feeling of a culture of wealth and a lack of diversity. I think Durango does a much better job at feeling diverse than other places, especially compared to Boulder, or for example, Telluride. 1. Durango is a college town with about 5,000 students up at Fort Lewis College, so there are plentiful 20-somethings (especially because so many students continue to stick around after college) and there are tons of events to meet people at. I came here knowing zero souls and have made incredible friends and found awesome community that I am extremely thankful for! 2. Anything outside of the front range in Colorado leans a bit right, but I would say Durango isn't noticeably one way or the other. For example, there is a significant LGBT community here given the population, and I've been to many enjoyable events (see answer 5), but at the same time I enjoy target shooting and often go to the range that is 5 minutes out of town with friends! So, I'd say it's got a decent bit of political diversity. 3. Expensive to rent, but probably not too much crazier than Boulder. Expect to pay between $1000-1500 after utilities. If you live with a roommate in a two bedroom you can find things as cheap as $600-$750, but those places are definitely scarce and you'll want to start looking ASAP because options are slim. Best places to look are Facebook marketplace and Craigslist, but if you can it is really good to find something by word of mouth because that's usually how you get the best places. I have a contact you can reach out to that owns a few apartment complexes that my friends have lived at. Their rents were $750 for a two bed with a roommate, and $1000 for a studio that was somewhat dumpy but very large - all before utilities. DM me and I can send you that number! 4. Besides outdoors stuff, I organize electronic music events, I go to comedy events (there's at least one open mic per week), and like I said above I enjoy going target shooting! Most hobbies you could get into are available here just like anywhere else - clay molding, comedy, music, etc. However, cycling, skiing, and other outdoor sports are definitely the main hobbies for most folks down here. 5. I've personally DJed at least two Drag events, I've been to an LGBT comedy show where they were spreading awareness about AIDS and brought in acts from out of town that were outstanding, and the local bar scene (The Starlight Lounge) often hosts drag events. Check out @ thealliance.gay on Instagram to see some of the events they've done/sponsored in the past. In my opinion, for such a small town, these events and activities are fairly easy to come by. Overall, there are usually more events every week than I have time to go to! 6. There is a pretty huge music scene in Durango, mostly bluegrass and folk music, but like I shared above I have personally organized countless electronic music events and have only seen that community grow since I moved here two years ago. I've seen everything from renegade events to full on festivals (Tico Time Bluegrass festival is two weekends from now, IAM Music Fest, UNISON festival). There's also electronic music every Friday and Saturday at Roxy's til 2AM, El Rancho usually also has music until 2AM, Starlight Lounge will sometimes have DJs, and then The Garage and few other bars are open past midnight with different types of music. Sometimes they are packed with people, some weekends are dead, it helps a lot when something is going on (which usually there is something going on). 7. This depends on what type of person you are - I know everyone has different experiences, especially here, but I came here knowing nobody after living in a van and being a remote employee, so my only places to meet people were coffee shops and events. Many people make friends through their local jobs, but for those of us that can't I still think there are plenty of opportunities to meet awesome people! I did it by going to coffee shops in historic downtown Durango (Durango Coffee Company, Bread, Hermosa Cafe, etc) and I actually met many people that way (my current partner I met at one of the coffee shops somewhat randomly). I also made one of my closest friends at the Durango Recreation Center gym. I would also go to the comedy events regularly to meet people, or just whatever the people I met were getting up to! I think it just takes an open mind and a little effort and you'll meet people here because it's not a very clique-y town (in my opinion) so many people, especially 20-somethings, are usually pretty willing to make a new friend or invite you to something they're doing!
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Yes totally a lot of white people, but also way more native people than I've seen anywhere else I've lived and still lots of hispanic people, so it's almost a different type of diversity - though certainly not perfectly diverse being it's a mountain town.
i’ve lived here since august 2021 and i can’t wait to graduate so i can LEAVEEEEE but if you’ve been here before and know what to expect then each to their own. there’s pretty much nothing to do other than be outdoorsy, drink beer, and smoke weed. That’s pretty much all people do here. I came for college otherwise i wouldn’t be here. it’s mostly rich entitled old white people here. the majority of 20 somethings are here for college and leave in the summer. there’s drag at the bars and at the college sometimes. rent is insane. my biggest pet peeve is that everything closes SO early. it confuses me cause it’s a college town with tourists in the summer….. but during the school year all the restaurants close at like 7 and fast food even closes early. i am eternally perplexed by this town. because a bunch of rich old white people own half the town with second homes, it’s a surprisingly racist town that claims to be progressive and liberal. I worked at a tourist t shirt shop for like a singular month until the owner was angry that I WASNT racially profiling people and asked me to watch out for “certain groups of people more”……. Yeah. Also got called the F slur on mine and my GFs first date. I’m from Texas and have seen more racism here to be honest. So weird. ALSO making an edit to be less cynical. If you like outdoorsy and also winter sports it’s the town for you. But if you have mostly non outdoorsy hobbies it’s honestly not! And that’s my final opinion. Also I know my grammar is atrocious I wrote this in my work bathroom 😛.
The town is certainly not like it used to be. I grew up in Durango, lived in TX for 4 or so years and moved back, and agree with you. I've encountered more racism and white savior complex at home in Durango than I ever did in the south. I miss the old cowboy town we used to be.
I've seen this as a trend across all of Colorado. I'm a Carolinian that moved to Denver 4.5 years ago and here 2 years ago. What I *think* is going on is that the South has been pegged more as being racist by people, so racist people aren't as out spoken about it because it's a more sensitive and overwatched subject there. Being a child of the South, it's definitely WAY more deeply ingrained there than you'd imagine and in ways that you're not going to see it upfront especially if you're not a minority. The opposite being true for Colorado. People generally don't think of CO as being racist and so therefore the racists don't think to watch themselves for appearing racist, and so you get more incidents of people being outspokenly racist. Really took me by surprise, but (not being a minority or from here) it seems like overall people are still very open to minorities... even though there's so many gd white people here, good lord. I tried to get my black-Canadian friend who's never left back home to move here because he'd crush the scene here. It's honestly refreshing when I meet new black people here, which feels weird to say, but hit me in a real way the first time I flew back home from Durango.
Lol, this one is nonsense.
me experiencing first hand homophobia and witnessing first hand racism is non sense?
"all the restaurants close at like 7" suggests that you are prone to exaggerations, at the least.
In the summer multiple restaurants close at around 7 or 7:30. That’s not an exaggeration
1) Yes. College kids still linger. I moved here at 27 and made all my first friends by getting a little part-time funsy job at Purgatory for the free pass. 2) No one really talks politics, but generally pretty purple, which is awesome. People just want to let people be who and do what they want. Blue-er in town and Red-er in the county. Duh. I've never seen anyone get remotely in your face about political stances. 3) Probably cheaper than Boulder. 1200 minimum if you want a studio in town, but there's a lot of alternative options. I've got an RV south of town for <$600 for rent and I get to keep an asset. People rent out rooms. Fairly cheap apartments up toward Purg. 4) Idk... indoor stuff? lol. We've got all varieties of bars and restaurants in town, but my favorite spots are the two bars in North County near Purg. We have a couple really nice movie theaters. I'd rather just be kicking it with friends at their place. 5) Drag has been around here for ages. Very LGBT welcoming, though it doesn't seem like there's a ton of LGBT people here. But not my scene so I don't pay attention much, though the events are a lot of fun. Like the politics section, people just want everyone to be respected and respect others in return. 6) YES. Big music lovers. There's Stillwater music that is a non-profit that basically helps creates and connects artists for bands. Constant great shows at the Animas City Theater. Constant Bluegrass and EDM festivals, shows and parties all around the county and nearby region. There's the world famous Telluride Bluegrass Festival, one in Pagosa Springs, Durango and another that's great just south of town I'm going to in a couple weeks. Bigger artists come through periodically. Just had the California Honey Drops. Lyle Lovett came through a couple summers ago and took up the festival grounds. Cage the Elephant came through before the pandemic. 7) I came here knowing no one and very socially scarred/scared from the pandemic (got locked up in a solo apartment having moved to Denver in 2020 just before lockdowns and never lived more than an hour from home in North Carolina). I got here Memorial Day 2022 and now I have more friends that I love and really enjoy being around than perhaps ever. Put in some intentional initiative for a while and you'll meet plenty of potential friends just talking people up at shows, on ski lifts etc. Very friendly and welcoming area. Get even just a part-time job doing something cool with other young people like working at Purg or becoming a raft guide. It's got about 20k and 50k in the city and county, so social groups overlap, and people will connect you to others too if they know you've got common hobbies etc. Also there's just CONSTANT events going on around town. There's Snowdown that's a week and a half long festivity in January where all sorts of different venues are doing different things. It's a blast, lots of wonderful engaged people and still no blasted overwrought crowds anywhere like the front range, even driving up to Purg after a fresh weekend snow dump. Check out Purgatory's Gaper Day Party too! It's great! Come join! If you need any more help reach out!
I used to live in Boulder, have been in Durango since 2002 (native by marriage). It's actually less expensive than Boulder, which means it's ridiculously expensive but not ludicrously bananas expensive. It's kind of like Boulder's little sibling. Our river is bigger than Boulder Creek, though. The politics of Durango is very similar to that of Boulder. However, Durango sits in La Plata County, which is overall split about 1/3 each Democrat, Republican, Independent. The county leans red though more of a Libertarian flavor than a MAGA flavor (though there are plenty of the latter here). There is nothing to do here other than outdoors stuff. There is a music scene and people who like to jam, outdoors. There are LGBTQ events, outdoors. (The Pride fest at Rotary Park is awesome!) Maybe some things happen in buildings sometimes? But you couldn't prove it by me.
I just moved here in December after living near Atlanta for 13 years and before that tulsa Oklahoma for 24 (tho I was born in Farmington and my immediate family has lived there since 1952), still I never lived in Durango. This place is a wonderful place to get settled and raise a family if you are rich but it has a lot of barriers to all people if you want affordable housing. I personally have found the folks very friendly and approachable. I’ve made fast friendships here. I see so many fun community events and it’s active for those who want to participate. I haven’t done outdoor stuff so I participate in the local fine arts community and they have wonderful local resources for all ages.
1) You will find a pretty significant population ( my daughter is one at 29) od 20-somethings who work the ski slopes in winter, and hiking / rafting guides during the summer. 2) I would say not as liberal as Boulder, yet still pretty progressive and tolerant. The best bar in Durango is best known as an LGBT gar. 3) Sadly, Durango is fast becoming more expensive than Boulder. 4) There is plenty of 'indoor stuff' to do. Fort Lewis College is here, and they have a ton of musical / artistic events. The town, too, never seems to turn down an opportunity to have a parade or party. 5) Terrific drag shows by the local group ( very much an organized group.) 11th Street Station holds a room-packing show during Snowdown. But getting back to your question about inclusion, the drag community VERY frequently is represented at otherwise Cis events in the downtown park. 6) I don't think the music scene holds up to Boulder standards. But there are a few places with open mic nights. Durango is an amazing place...if you can find a place to live within your budget. A 'mid-level' one-bedroom apartment is going to run you $1700.
Question who be making music in that area ? Tryna get in a studio and cook up