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Surprisingly, Durango and its mountainous environment contrast sharply with the rest of the state. East of the Continental Divide, the flat countryside stretches out to the Nebraska and Kansas borders and forms the westernmost edge of the Great Plains. The farther east you go, the flatter and more sparsely populated the state becomes. Travel west to where the plains meet the mountains, and you're confronted by the heavily populated Front Range with its attendant traffic jams, smog and other problems of ur ban life.
Yes, Durango represents the Colorado you've always imagined. Whether you fly into the Durango-La Plata County airport or drive into town, you'll see the 14,000-foot peaks of the San Juan Mountains as they rise over the high deserts of northern New Mexico. You'll fly over pristine lakes and rushing rivers in the high country. You'll drive by herds of elk grazing in fields and meadows along the highway. To the north are Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain passes with scenery that locals call the "Switzerland
of America." To the west is Mesa Verde National Park, 
where the Anasazi Indians built spectacular pueblo cliff dwellings before they left the region by 1300 A.D. Drive a little farther and you run into the red-rimmed canyons of southeastern Utah and northwestern Arizona. Southwest Colorado and the Four Corners Region offer an environment you'll never forget!
Durango itself sits in the Animas River Valley at 6,512 feet elevation. It was born a railroad town in the 1880s and nurtured on the gold and silver mines of the surrounding mountains. Much of its turn-of-the-century glory is preserved today in its Victorian business district and Third Avenue neighborhood, both of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In fact, hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to Durango each summer to capture a bit of history as they ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train through the mountains to the old mining town of Silverton. And in winter, they arrive to challenge the slopes at the Purgatory/Durango Ski Area. Those are just two of the hundreds of activities available year-round to visitors and residents alike. Recreational opportunitesare wonderful in this Southwest Colorado town.
Modern Durango not only is a popular destination resort, it's also a progressive college town. Fort Lewis College, a four-year liberal arts college, draws students and faculty from throughout the country and adds a vibrant dimension to the Durango lifestyle with the educational, cultural and artistic programs it offers the community. The college also is an invaluable resource to area businesses with its accredited School of Business Administration and a number of economic development programs.
Source: La Plata County Economic Development Business Opportunities
Information compiled by Fort Lewis College
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