Why Live in Durango?

Many of the subscribers to the Durango real estate blog are from out of the Durango area. These are people whose main goal is to get an idea of what Durango is all about; what goes on here that makes it attractive; and why might they want to live in Durango? I thought I would take a couple of blog postings and answer some of those questions.

There are lots of outdoor activities and events in Durango. I particularly like the Animas River Trail which runs from 32nd St. on the north end all the way down to behind Wal-Mart on the South end. I would guess that's 3 or 4 miles in length. And more Trail is being created on each end of the existing trail. This wonderful path is hard surfaced with either concrete or blacktop the entire route and is roughly 6 to 8 feet wide. Except in a few isolated spots, this trail runs right next to the Animas River and in certain spots the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is right next to the river trail as well. There are bridges in several locations so that the trail crosses the Animas and behind the high school there are many days when the kids will dive off of the bridge into the river. You could ride your bike, push a baby in a stroller, jog or just take a leisurely stroll and there's always plenty of room for everyone. There are numerous access points to the River Trail all up and down the system, so getting to it is quite easy. It's a lot of fun to watch the fishermen fly fishing for trout or the kayakers running the rapids or the tubers and rafters meandering downstream. There are a couple of gaps in the entire system and these are being filled-in every year. You see, several years ago the voters passed a very small sales tax increase to pay for the completion and extension of the river trail system. So this is something that is used not only by tourists when they come to town, but very much so by the locals.

While we're talking about the Animas River, let me also mention some of the other water resources that we have in our area. The Animas is graded as gold -medal fishing waters right downtown! Our newest reservoir is currently being filled and it is just South and West of the city limits. It will be used for boating, water skiing, fishing and other outdoor recreation. It's going to take another year or possibly two to fill up so it is currently not open to the public. This reservoir will be called Lake Nighthorse after our former US Senator from Durango, Ben Nighthorse Campbell. There are 4 other reservoirs in our area: Lemon Reservoir; Vallecito Reservoir; Pastorius Reservoir; and Navajo Lake. Of these four, Navajo is by far the largest. That lake starts in Colorado and runs all the way down into New Mexico. It is perfect for enjoying waterskiing, sail boating, and there are those who even houseboat on that lake. There is a marina in Colorado as well as one in New Mexico. Navajo Lake is about a 40 minute drive from downtown Durango on all hard surfaced roads. You get there by driving through Ignacio, which by the way, has a $92 million casino hotel complex owned by the Southern Ute Tribe.

Vallecito Lake is North and East of Durango and is a 30 minute drive, also on hard surfaced roads. It is roughly 5 miles north to south and maybe a mile wide. Trout, pike, and bass are typical fish located in this lake. There are a couple of marinas on the Lake and if you decide to go swimming or waterskiing, you better have a wetsuit because this water is cold. There are several restaurants and watering holes at Vallecito as well as places to rent a horse for a horseback ride. It's not uncommon to see sailboats on Vallecito, but you see far more of them at Navajo Lake. Lemon Reservoir is in the same general area as Vallecito, it is just one River over to the West. This is a smaller lake with no marinas or docks. Great for a quiet day of fishing or kayaking. Pastorius Reservoir is located southeast of town on the Florida Mesa and is really just a nice spot to go fishing.

My next blog article will be on the fat tire bicycle trails that are all around town. We even have a mountain bike park!

Team Lorenz is here to serve you in your real estate needs. Rick has been involved in the real estate business for 34 years and knows Durango forwards and backwards. With the real estate market in lending practices as volatile as they have been the last year or so it's good to know there's somebody on the team with a little "grey hair behind the ears" to help guide buyers and sellers through their Durango real estate transactions. We specialize in getting the transaction completed when many other brokers are not able to. For the third year in a row, Lisa and Nicole (The Team Lorenz Buyer Specialists), successfully took more buyers to the closing table than any other team, agent, or mega broker in all of La Plata County. We specialize in results. We would be happy to help you locate your "dream home", please just give us a call at 970-375-7007.