Durango, Colorado

Encyclopedia : D : DU : DUR : Durango, Colorado

Durango (Navajo: Kinłání) is a city in La Plata County, Colorado (USA). The population was 13,922 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of La Plata County^{[Geographic references#6GR6]}.

Durango is located at [37°16′N 107°52′W] at an elevation of 1988 meters (6523 feet). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.6 km² (6.8 mi²).

Contents

1 History
2 Attractions
3 Transportation and Business
4 Colleges
5 Demographics
6 Notable Residents
7 Sister cities
8 External links

History

The town was organized in September 1880 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to serve the San Juan mining district. The D&SNGRR chose a site south of Animas City for its depot after Animas City refused to pay a "dowery" to the D&SNGRR. The city is named after Durango, Spain. The word Durango orgininates from the Basque word "Urango" meaning "water town".

Attractions

Durango is nestled in the Animas River Valley surrounded by the San Juan Mountains. The Animas River - El Río de las Animas Perdidas or the River of Lost Souls - runs through downtown and boasts gold medal fly-fishing waters and is very popular for whitewater rafting, kayaking and canoeing. Durango is an outdoor activity paradise - Hiking, mountain biking, road biking, backpacking, rock climbing, hunting, fishing, kayaking, rafting and golfing - to name just a few. In the winter, Durango has easy access to five major ski areas, including Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, located just 30 minutes north of downtown. Located 35 miles west of Durango is Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its Ancestral Puebloan Cliff Dwellings. Durango is also well known for another historical attraction, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a heritage railway which takes visitors back in time from Durango to the historic mining town of Silverton, Colorado.

Durango hosted the first-ever Mountain Bike World Championships in 1990.

Transportation and Business

Durango is served by U.S. Highway 160 (the Old Spanish Trail) and U.S. Highway 550. Part of U.S. 550 offers high-speed access (primarily a 4-lane, divided highway) to Albuquerque, New Mexico. North of Durango, 550 is nicknamed the Million Dollar Highway.

It offers a regional shopping center and La Plata Regional Airport (actually located near Ignacio) is a major regional airport for southwestern Colorado. Durango-La Plata County Airport is serviced by United Express (United Airlines), America West, and Delta Air Lines.

Colleges

Fort Lewis College is situated on a mesa (bluff) overlooking downtown Durango, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Pueblo Community College is a small community college located on Camino del Rio. San Juan Technical College, located outside of Cortez, Colorado, 45 miles away, offers EMT certification in Durango

Demographics

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 13,922 people, 5,492 households, and 2,603 families residing in the city. The population density was 792.8/km² (2,052.4/mi²). There were 5,819 housing units at an average density of 331.4/km² (857.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.84% White, .50% African American, 5.51% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 4.12% from other races, and 2.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.31% of the population.

There were 5,492 households out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.2% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.6% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city, 16.6% of residents are under the age of 18, 26.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 103.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $34,892, and the median income for a family is $50,814. Males have a median income of $31,812 versus $25,022 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,352. 17.2% of the population and 7.3% of families live below the poverty line. 11.2% of those younger than 18 and 8.9% of those 65 and older live below the poverty line.

Notable Residents

Sister cities

Durango has two sister cities, as designated by [Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)]:

Durango, Mexico
Durango, Spain

External links

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.