One of La Plata County’s famous municipalities today is the town of Durango. Located within the county seat of the La Plata County in Colorado, the town is famous for being the site of many notable fiction works such as films “Durango Kids” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”. Durango Town is also where the US hit TV series “Prison Break” was shot on location. The town is also famous for being the hometown of Sports legends Andrea Jaeger, Jeff Walker and Steve Carlton.
The Durango Town was first organized by the “Rio Grande and Denver Railroad” project in September 1880. The town served as the sole mining district of the neighboring town, San Juan. The railroad project chose Durango as the “Southern Site” of Animas City but the Durango government allegedly declined the dowry proposed by the project. Originated from the traditional Basque word “Urango (Water Town)”, the Durango Town is named after the Mexican and Spanish community “Durango”.
The town of Durango continues to gain popularity worldwide due to its nature-friendly tourist spots, world heritage sites recommended by UNESCO and ancient cliff dwelling spots. The town is the current host to five main skiing areas in the US which includes the UNESCO Mesa Verde National Park and Durango Mountain Resort. In 1990, the town became the first host of the Mountain Bike World Championship Games.
Durango is where the Annual Snowdown Festival is held. The festival features a parade of colorful centerpieces which usually occurs within the months of January and March. The “Durango Music in the Mountains Festival” is held every summer to showcase classical music from renowned local artists. The Durango town is home to few of the most prestigious colleges in Colorado today. The colleges include the Fort Lewis and San Juan Basin Schools.