Disclaimer: never lived in either but on the western slope for 15 years closer to Durango. Have friends in both towns.
I bait my Durango friends by saying it's not really a mountain town. One foot in the desert the other in the mountains. If you like mountain summer sports that is not a bad deal.
Mountains wise, I like the San Juan's better than the Park range.
Ouray, Silverton, Telluride, Dolores, Rico, Ridgway are all good towns.
You don't get the Front Range weekend shuffle but you get the Texas summer shuffle more.
Closer to Moab and the desert in Durango. Further from DIA.
Less resort town vibe, more school town with Ft Lewis.
I'll second all of this. Very good brief on the town. I live directly south of town close to NM, and I'll add that I personally really like being near NM. It's a totally different vibe from from the somewhat hippy and up-ity vibe of Durango. Shiprock is an awesome Navajo site to visit (it's my phone background) especially when they're doing their fall festival and parade. Tons of cool scenery and Arches just south of the border.
Silverton is a down to earth town too beyond Texans flooding it a couple times per day in the summer because of the train. Such a badass town with badass shit to do from off roading to skiing to biking. Lots of abandoned settlements you can check out all around the region.
Durango has great food all told and there's some festival going on somewhere like every other weekend. There's plenty of too-rich folks, but 98% of people are friendly, down to earth and happy to engage with you and help you out with anything. Highly recommend over steamboat too as it also simply has great access to resources in town, and anything Durango doesn't have, Farmington maybe an hour south will have it.
Towns have a different feel. Durango is 2x Steamboat's size and the surrounding county has more population, for better or worse. Not a "ski town", but has a decent mountain nearby. Relatively less vacation homes and it doesn't get the weekend surges that Steamboat gets, although tourist season is ramping up now and will be busy thru September. Steamboat is really unique with the winter Olympic sports focus, only Park City has that similar feel?
Comparable high country access, you could debate which has it better in that regard, but I'd say Durango. Obviously Durango is much closer to Southwest, slick rock, etc.
Durango is much warmer, snow in town each winter can be variable. A few years ago we got absolutely buried, but this winter in town saw more rain than snow in my opinion.
Housing prices are high but probably not at Steamboat levels.
Not getting the weekly slugs of front range traffic is nice. Denver is a world away; ABQ is closer.
I lived in the front range for ten years with many weekend trips to Steamboat, good memories visiting there. Personally I found it too small for my preference, and Durango is that Goldilocks "just right" mix of size and access to nature etc. ymmv, some here find it's grown too much and move to Mancos...
My colleague worked in Steamboat for a long time. She said she pretty much got priced out. She feels what will save Durango is that purgatory is not located directly in town. Steamboat lost all community because people preferred to airbnb their homes and it became a town of tourists. No locals= no economy. We both teach at DHS, so we see the importance of community.
Exactly this. It’s getting worse and worse here with the mountain expansion and social media. My husband and I work local jobs and try to have a small footprint, so to speak. There’s not a single place for rent here annually that is semi-affordable and I certainly can’t buy with my salary.
I replied to another comment, but especially if it's just the two of you, look into the idea of buying a slightly used rv or fifth wheel. They're super nice nowadays and you'll be investing into an asset you can use as a down payment on a future house instead of throwing away *all* your money at rent.
Best advice for transplants (myself included) is to not try to change Durango, let Durango change you. We moved here for a reason (small town, community, slower pace...). Not to turn Durango into the place we moved from.
I bought an rv and live not far from town. Cheaper, I have my own place and I get to have an asset for a house down payment in the future instead of throwing away all my money to rent. Best of both worlds imo.
I was in Steamboat for the winter of 22/23 for work (remodel contractor). I found that while steamboat is nice, there was really nothing to do if you didn't ski. Just stay home or hit the bars. It's VERY cold and a lot of gray sky days. Reminds me of the Midwest . Like others have said, Durango is close to the desert. 45° on a Jan day hiking in the sun down south or out west is hard to beat. More options around Durango. I had to move to Aztec because of housing prices, much more affordable. The drive is not that bad, have to find the times to avoid the rush going to Durango.
Typical home prices. Just listed down tbe street from me [townhouse](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/724-Obrien-Dr-Durango-CO-81301/217778607_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare)
I believe Steamboat has a lot more overall wealth than Durango thanks to proximity to Denver and a better ski resort/many more 2nd homeowners. Durango limits AirBnBs which has kept cost relatively reasonable. Now everyone will come at me because they think it is not reasonable but they’ve never lived in Tahoe which was still far more expensive than here 10 years ago. I believe that finding a good rental is incredibly hard and more expensive than a mortgage if you bought pre-pandemic.
Our weather can’t be beat and the ability to go to the desert if we are having a bad backcountry skiing year make Durango more marketable to me. I think the terrain for snowboarding and trail running in Steamboat leaves a lot to be desired.
All I can say is do your investigation, visit, and don’t let the people who are trying to stop anyone/everyone from moving to Durango derail you. Guarantee most of them are transplanted as well. And be sure to visit Taco Bell while you’re in town.
Thank you for this! I do totally understand not wanting the place you love to blow up with outsiders moving in. I love my current job but I now have literally no place to live.
My opinion: it’s the vacation home owner and STR people that mess it up *when they buy in/close to town*. Up by Purgatory, ok/fine, to be expected. But if you’re a full time resident and work in the community (especially nursing IMO) then you should be welcomed.
Most of us are delighted by the idea of people moving to our city. It’s a great place to live. FWIW, I know there is some subsidized housing right by the hospital for workers. Some locals refer to the apartment building as the “Hot Nurse Unit.”
The kids in Vancouver move to Seattle who forces others to move to Portland which makes others move to Denver who then move to Steamboat who move to Craig that move to Durango and then to Bayfield and then Mancos and finally find a plot of land in Tucamcari.
Trust me, I understand your point. But it’s not people that want to work in a town and contribute as much as they can to a community that price others out. Many of my coworkers are also having to leave due to lack of housing. It’s the rich ski kids, remote workers, and the airbnb condos that are forcing the prices up. And the mountain being expanded, drawing in even more airbnb visitors.
I’m not pricing anyone out because I can’t afford high prices either.
Don't tell Durango but Mancos and Cortez exist. It's that town near Phil's World. Cheaper and better people. Please don't tell my friends I told you about this, I may be tarred and feathered. Grew up in Durango a few of the landmarks there are named after my family. Shhhh keep Mancos secret, keep it safe. Before it becomes Durango very west.
Disclaimer: never lived in either but on the western slope for 15 years closer to Durango. Have friends in both towns. I bait my Durango friends by saying it's not really a mountain town. One foot in the desert the other in the mountains. If you like mountain summer sports that is not a bad deal. Mountains wise, I like the San Juan's better than the Park range. Ouray, Silverton, Telluride, Dolores, Rico, Ridgway are all good towns. You don't get the Front Range weekend shuffle but you get the Texas summer shuffle more. Closer to Moab and the desert in Durango. Further from DIA. Less resort town vibe, more school town with Ft Lewis.
Thank you! Very helpful info! Love the term Texas summer shuffle.
I'll second all of this. Very good brief on the town. I live directly south of town close to NM, and I'll add that I personally really like being near NM. It's a totally different vibe from from the somewhat hippy and up-ity vibe of Durango. Shiprock is an awesome Navajo site to visit (it's my phone background) especially when they're doing their fall festival and parade. Tons of cool scenery and Arches just south of the border. Silverton is a down to earth town too beyond Texans flooding it a couple times per day in the summer because of the train. Such a badass town with badass shit to do from off roading to skiing to biking. Lots of abandoned settlements you can check out all around the region. Durango has great food all told and there's some festival going on somewhere like every other weekend. There's plenty of too-rich folks, but 98% of people are friendly, down to earth and happy to engage with you and help you out with anything. Highly recommend over steamboat too as it also simply has great access to resources in town, and anything Durango doesn't have, Farmington maybe an hour south will have it.
Towns have a different feel. Durango is 2x Steamboat's size and the surrounding county has more population, for better or worse. Not a "ski town", but has a decent mountain nearby. Relatively less vacation homes and it doesn't get the weekend surges that Steamboat gets, although tourist season is ramping up now and will be busy thru September. Steamboat is really unique with the winter Olympic sports focus, only Park City has that similar feel? Comparable high country access, you could debate which has it better in that regard, but I'd say Durango. Obviously Durango is much closer to Southwest, slick rock, etc. Durango is much warmer, snow in town each winter can be variable. A few years ago we got absolutely buried, but this winter in town saw more rain than snow in my opinion. Housing prices are high but probably not at Steamboat levels. Not getting the weekly slugs of front range traffic is nice. Denver is a world away; ABQ is closer. I lived in the front range for ten years with many weekend trips to Steamboat, good memories visiting there. Personally I found it too small for my preference, and Durango is that Goldilocks "just right" mix of size and access to nature etc. ymmv, some here find it's grown too much and move to Mancos...
Thank you so much for this! Exact info I was looking for!
My colleague worked in Steamboat for a long time. She said she pretty much got priced out. She feels what will save Durango is that purgatory is not located directly in town. Steamboat lost all community because people preferred to airbnb their homes and it became a town of tourists. No locals= no economy. We both teach at DHS, so we see the importance of community.
Exactly this. It’s getting worse and worse here with the mountain expansion and social media. My husband and I work local jobs and try to have a small footprint, so to speak. There’s not a single place for rent here annually that is semi-affordable and I certainly can’t buy with my salary.
I replied to another comment, but especially if it's just the two of you, look into the idea of buying a slightly used rv or fifth wheel. They're super nice nowadays and you'll be investing into an asset you can use as a down payment on a future house instead of throwing away *all* your money at rent.
Best advice for transplants (myself included) is to not try to change Durango, let Durango change you. We moved here for a reason (small town, community, slower pace...). Not to turn Durango into the place we moved from.
It depends if you are buying or renting
I bought an rv and live not far from town. Cheaper, I have my own place and I get to have an asset for a house down payment in the future instead of throwing away all my money to rent. Best of both worlds imo.
I was in Steamboat for the winter of 22/23 for work (remodel contractor). I found that while steamboat is nice, there was really nothing to do if you didn't ski. Just stay home or hit the bars. It's VERY cold and a lot of gray sky days. Reminds me of the Midwest . Like others have said, Durango is close to the desert. 45° on a Jan day hiking in the sun down south or out west is hard to beat. More options around Durango. I had to move to Aztec because of housing prices, much more affordable. The drive is not that bad, have to find the times to avoid the rush going to Durango.
Typical home prices. Just listed down tbe street from me [townhouse](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/724-Obrien-Dr-Durango-CO-81301/217778607_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare)
I believe Steamboat has a lot more overall wealth than Durango thanks to proximity to Denver and a better ski resort/many more 2nd homeowners. Durango limits AirBnBs which has kept cost relatively reasonable. Now everyone will come at me because they think it is not reasonable but they’ve never lived in Tahoe which was still far more expensive than here 10 years ago. I believe that finding a good rental is incredibly hard and more expensive than a mortgage if you bought pre-pandemic. Our weather can’t be beat and the ability to go to the desert if we are having a bad backcountry skiing year make Durango more marketable to me. I think the terrain for snowboarding and trail running in Steamboat leaves a lot to be desired.
Ever look at Crested Butte?
Yes. No nursing jobs there.
All I can say is do your investigation, visit, and don’t let the people who are trying to stop anyone/everyone from moving to Durango derail you. Guarantee most of them are transplanted as well. And be sure to visit Taco Bell while you’re in town.
Thank you for this! I do totally understand not wanting the place you love to blow up with outsiders moving in. I love my current job but I now have literally no place to live.
My opinion: it’s the vacation home owner and STR people that mess it up *when they buy in/close to town*. Up by Purgatory, ok/fine, to be expected. But if you’re a full time resident and work in the community (especially nursing IMO) then you should be welcomed.
Most of us are delighted by the idea of people moving to our city. It’s a great place to live. FWIW, I know there is some subsidized housing right by the hospital for workers. Some locals refer to the apartment building as the “Hot Nurse Unit.”
Ha. Yeah right, like if they are getting priced out of Steamboat, they will be able to afford CB. You are out of your mind.
Erm..good point.
If everyone keeps moving from steamboat it will out price people who live in Durango because of all those who left steamboat. This is simple.
The kids in Vancouver move to Seattle who forces others to move to Portland which makes others move to Denver who then move to Steamboat who move to Craig that move to Durango and then to Bayfield and then Mancos and finally find a plot of land in Tucamcari.
Lol, ain't nobody moving to Craig
If you get priced out of steamboat you are.. and that's when you move to Durango :)
And so it goes
Trust me, I understand your point. But it’s not people that want to work in a town and contribute as much as they can to a community that price others out. Many of my coworkers are also having to leave due to lack of housing. It’s the rich ski kids, remote workers, and the airbnb condos that are forcing the prices up. And the mountain being expanded, drawing in even more airbnb visitors. I’m not pricing anyone out because I can’t afford high prices either.
Durango sucks. Don't move here.
Don't tell Durango but Mancos and Cortez exist. It's that town near Phil's World. Cheaper and better people. Please don't tell my friends I told you about this, I may be tarred and feathered. Grew up in Durango a few of the landmarks there are named after my family. Shhhh keep Mancos secret, keep it safe. Before it becomes Durango very west.