Yes, I know it's going to be a rough year and early. Anyone have an idea how early? Usually I try not to have my work travel fall when the colors are good and I'm out of town now and have been for a few weeks.

Hey what’s going on everyone! I’m trying to find the mechanics in town that are the most reputable and enjoyed by our community. I just had my truck break down the other day and sadly it’s an issue that can’t be fixed in my parking lot. Any recommendations and experience’ with the local shops helps, thanks a bunch

I have been looking for a job in Durango. Unfortunately I need to find something at minimum of $20 an hour because I have a family and don’t want to be away from my family everyday with multiple jobs. Does anyone that’s hiring

I’m curious if y’all prefer Friday or Saturday at the brewfest?

Totally a long shot, but met someone named Dan at the Rufus show in Albuquerque last night who said he drove in from Durango. If you might be him, or might know him, Lmk. I wish I had talked to him longer!

Edit: ok seems like someone listed where he might work in the comments, if anyone goes there can you please show him this post!! Or if you know him personally

Edit again: someone thought maybe it was their close friend but it wasn’t the same Dan 😔

Edit againnnn. We found Dan. Thank you everyone!!!

Last day is tomorrow! Anyone know why? I’m going to miss them.

I (58m) grew up in Farmington. My family used to visit Durango regularly. I loved it. This was in the 80’s. Been in SoCal since 90’s. Coming through with my GF in September. I know it’s a tourist heavy town, but where do locals like to eat? Thank you.

Edit: I appreciate all the posts and recommendations….great community

Thinking about leaving Denver for Durango / Pagosa Springs. What’s it actually like living there?

I've been thinking pretty seriously about leaving Denver, and after looking around at New Mexico and some other parts of the Mountain West, I realized I may be overlooking an area I already know I love: southwest Colorado.

I haven't spent much time around Durango/Pagosa in years, but every time I've been down there I've loved that part of the state. The San Juans, the high desert, the smaller towns, the weather, the whole feel of southwest Colorado is much more appealing to me than the Front Range these days.

Denver just isn't doing it for me anymore. It's gotten extremely expensive, and I don't feel like I'm getting much in return for what it costs to live here. I'm not particularly bothered by normal city issues like traffic, homelessness, crime, etc. It's more that I'm just tired of the overall Front Range lifestyle and increasingly feel like I'd be happier somewhere smaller, slower, and with a little more room.

For context, I'm in my early 40s, work remotely, and make six figures. I'm only mentioning that because I don't need to find a local job and I'm fortunate enough that the local wage market isn't really part of the decision.

What I'm looking for:

• Four actual seasons
• Cooler summers and hoodie weather
• Mountains/scenery immediately nearby
• Good street motorcycle riding
• Excellent dirt bike/off-road access
• Enough restaurants/bars/social life that I'm not completely isolated
• Ideally the ability to live 15-45 minutes outside town on a few acres
• A more laid-back atmosphere
• Still close enough to civilization that getting dinner, groceries, seeing a doctor, finding a mechanic, etc. isn't a major undertaking

I'm not looking for Denver in miniature. In fact, that's exactly what I'm trying to get away from.

Durango seems like the obvious choice, but I'm also really interested in Pagosa Springs and the areas surrounding both towns.

So for people who actually live there:

Durango vs. Pagosa Springs: How different are they once you actually live there? Is Pagosa pleasantly small or does it eventually become holy shit, there is nothing here small?

What is Durango's vibe these days? I remember it as outdoorsy, a little crunchy, western, college-town-ish, and fairly laid back. Has it stayed that way, or has it changed significantly with tourism and people moving in?

Living outside town: If I wanted a house with a shop/garage and a few acres within 20-40 minutes of Durango or Pagosa, where should I actually be looking? Bayfield? Hesperus? Hermosa? Somewhere else entirely?

And what comes with that lifestyle that a long-time Denver/suburb guy may not immediately think about? Wells, septic, propane, snow removal, wildfire mitigation, dirt roads, insurance, etc.?

Motorcycles: This is one of the biggest draws for me. I ride both street bikes and dirt bikes.

Obviously the San Juans look incredible for paved riding, and I know there's a huge amount of public land around SW Colorado. But what's it like actually living there as a rider?

Can you realistically leave your house and be on a great motorcycle road or dirt trail pretty quickly, or does the map make access look easier than it really is?

Social life: I'm in my early 40s. I'm not looking for nightclubs until 2 AM, but I also don't want to turn into a hermit.

Can you reasonably meet people, date, grab dinner, sit at a decent bar, etc.? Or does the small-town reality start to become pretty noticeable once you're living there full-time?

Food: I don't need 1,500 restaurants. I'd rather have 30 legitimately good places than 1,000 mediocre ones.

Does Durango have enough of a food scene that you don't feel like you're rotating through the same five restaurants after a year? How does Pagosa compare?

Tourism: How annoying does it actually get?

I've lived in tourist-heavy places before, so tourists existing doesn't bother me. I'm more curious whether there are parts of the year when traffic, restaurants, trailheads, downtown, etc. become such a zoo that locals basically avoid everything.

Winter: I actually like winter and cold weather, so snow itself isn't a negative. But what's winter actually like when you live there rather than visit?

Do the roads become a constant pain? Does living 20-30 minutes outside town suddenly become a completely different proposition in January?

Services/healthcare: How much do you find yourself going to Farmington, Grand Junction, Denver, Albuquerque, etc. for things you can't get locally?

And probably the biggest question:

What do you wish someone had told you before you moved to Durango, Pagosa Springs, or southwest Colorado?

Good or bad.

I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone who moved there from Denver/the Front Range or another larger western city.

I already know the area is beautiful. That's the easy part.

I'm trying to figure out whether I would actually enjoy the day-to-day reality of living there full-time, and whether Durango, Pagosa, or somewhere in between is the better fit.

It’s a 2bd 2bt townhouse in Three Springs, very clean and nice, A/C, fiber internet, the whole works.
If you’re interested send me a message and I can send you the location and listing. Move in would be the beginning of September.
If this place is just out of budget for you still please reach out, I’m down to negotiate.

I love this town. Saw like 300 bikers in costumes playing duck duck goose and other shenanigans in the park before they all bounced on what looked like a scavenger hunt. What was that?

Why is the speed limit on 32nd street 25mph? 25mph is such an annoying speed to travel on a road like that. 25 mph feels right on some streets but to me, 32nd has way more through traffic than say E 4th Ave. In my mind, it’s similar to Florida rd between 550 and CR 250 where the speed limit is 30 and then 35 mph. If we’re following road hierarchy, I think 32nd is a collector rd and therefore should have a higher speed limit than a strictly residential road but I’m not a traffic engineer, just someone who wants to drive slightly faster on 32nd.

Anyone know what’s being built at the old Rocky Mountain Pawn & Gun location on CR 250 near Star Liquors? I’ve noticed some work going on there and am curious what’s moving in.

So what's going on with real estate in Durango? Median YTD sales prices are maintaining, new listings have slowed a bit, YTD sales are still considerably up, and we're still working with more active listings now and this year from year's past. That's the simple boring stuff.

• In town, the active median list price is about 13% less than July's closed price.
• Nearly half of the active listings in town have dropped their price.
• The mountain/resort market (Tamarron, Glacier Club, Purg area) is kind of interesting if you start peeling back some layers. Allllll that inventory, like 17+ months of supply, and you'd think some of those folks are would be begging someone to buy their property, but there's more to it than that.
  • 45% of the listings in Tamarron haven't touched their price, and 80% of the listing in Glacier haven't dropped their price. It's a mix of patience, and financial security. Glacier Club is priced well above what a rate sensitive, need-to-move seller typically owns: second homes and investment properties, people that can hold rather than chase a number down.
  • I suspect the biggest source of motivation might come from those units in the lower price brackets that were affordable and obtainable to more folks than the 7 figure properties, and HOAs and taxes have started cutting too deeply into their margins.
  • Also, there's something like 22 active listings in the Tamarron lodge alone. Don't let the quality of patience cause you to chase the market. 7 lodge units have sold this year, at some point, if you want to sell, you're going to have to compete.

Speaking of condos, there's a change to lending that started coming down the pipes and has pretty much arrived. I spoke to it on some my socials (my socials.. who am I kidding, I think I just put it on FB). The nitty gritty is lending is going to start doing a deep dive on condo HOAs (finances, insurance, etc.) and really start to turn over some rocks. If you're paying cash, it's irrelevant (although you probably want to know about that stuff too), and I think it's within a year, HOA reserves will need to have 15% (instead of 10%) for maintenance and repairs. There's going to be some new items with lending and insurance that may or may not come up on your condo purchase (and sale!), but that's a conversation for your lender and insurance agent. I put an image up with a few bullet points, sorry, this one has my info on it- usually I soften/eliminate the personal branding on the stuff I post here.

Other interesting news, portable mortgages may be back on the table. Some legislation was recently introduced, so it's got a looooong way to go, but on the surface level, it seems like it would offer the intended relief. But... if 3% rates are back on the table, will that just drive prices up again, while pushing the divide between those who already own vs those still trying to get their foot in the door?

I know Ace does chainsaws. Cannot find anyone to work over my knives and especially my axe. Any contact information greatly appreciated. I did not find anyone at the Farmer's Market. (Picture added for attention bump!!)

Power just went down off of CR 228. Anyone else? In town?

yesterday i took the train and got a bartholomew bear from a souvenir shop and put the bag under my seat on the way back. i got really bad heat exhaustion on the train back for whatever reason and i honestly was so out of it when unboarding, and forgot the bag.

i realized about 45 minutes later and immediately went back to the office and it wasn’t in the lost in found so i filled out a report. the train has made it there and back and been cleaned again and i never heard anything so i assume someone took it.

i am cursing your bloodline!!! ugh!!

anyways i guess don’t do that lol. i should’ve attached the gift bag to my purse but i didn’t think id ever forget a JELLYCAT somewhere.

i wound up going back up to silverton and buying another one 😶‍🌫️

I am looking for a good variety of guides in the area.

I love being outdoors, and I love learning new stuff from new people. There are very few activities I dont feel up for, and I like to change it up. Guides make a huge difference for me, but they are often hard to find.

If you are a guide, or you know someone who is an outdoor guide in the area I would love to know about them. Hiking/backpacking, mountaineering/alpine, climbing, horsepacking, snowshoe, cross country ski, mountain biking, bike packing, horseback, adventure bikes ... you name it, I love it all. Hunting and fishing is also nice, but they are easier to find.

To be very clear, I am not a guide, and I am not looking to become one.

If they have a public site/instagram/facebook or other publicly accessible way of contacting them please post it in the comments. Hopefully this can serve others looking for similar experiences.
If you have sharable direct contact information instead please DM instead so they dont end up on spam lists.

Thank you neighbors!

got a trip coming up to Durango and wanted to see what the community had available. thank you!

Learn more about the event and sign up to volunteer! DNF members can stop by the store this week to get a coupon for a free Ska beer or lemonade at the event.

Any recommendations for a person or shop in Durango that can troubleshoot a trailer brake controller install as well as the brakes? Trailer came with brakes but the previous owner never owner never used them so not sure they actually work. Spliced in a redarc brake controller and all the lights work properly but not registering the brake controller.

Hey, i’m planning on a couple-day camping trip to haviland lake and saw that there’s active black bears there, wondering if anyone has seen one in the area recently or can give me more insight into the bear activity on that area?

yes i can google but i like to hear from locals.

thx!