WestTexasAg said:

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Thinking about getting a place in southern Colorado. We've been going to Pagosa for years. Really like it there. Been to Durango less, but plenty of times.

Pagosa is a lot more reasonably priced. Is the extra money to get a place in Durango worth it? Obviously the town is bigger, but is there actually that much more to do?

I love fly fishing, and know the areas to fish around Pagosa well. Haven't fished as much at Durango. Thoughts?

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goodags85 said:

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Is medical in any way an issue? If so, Durango. Long story, but I spent a week in the hospital in Pagosa Springs. To be clear, they probably saved my life, but it really isn't the place you want to be in case of a serious medical issue.

On the humorous side, the hospital and the jail share the same kitchen. I don't know which was worse, me having to eat prison food, or the inmates having to eat hospital food. Also, at the time (2010) the hospital didn't have cable tv, and only had three stations, One was one of the big three, CBS/ABC/NBC, PBS, and QVC. It was a fund raising week for PBS and they were running a Lawrence Welk marathon. Between the meds and the fever, I'm fairly certain watching Lawrence Welk was about what an acid trip would be like.

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Mas89 said:

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Check out Hebron/ Midway Utah area. Fly fishing, nearby skiing, 40 minutes from SLC airport which has numerous daily Direct Flights to Houston and Dallas. American, SW, United, and Delta. No connections, and no Liberal Colorado bs.
The limited direct flights to the smaller Colorado airports made Utah our choice, among other things.

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HouAg12 said:

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Pagosa is awesome, I just wish Wolf Creek had more infrastructure similar to Purg

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cupofjoe04 said:

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goodags85 said:

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Is medical in any way an issue? If so, Durango. Long story, but I spent a week in the hospital in Pagosa Springs. To be clear, they probably saved my life, but it really isn't the place you want to be in case of a serious medical issue.

On the humorous side, the hospital and the jail share the same kitchen. I don't know which was worse, me having to eat prison food, or the inmates having to eat hospital food. Also, at the time (2010) the hospital didn't have cable tv, and only had three stations, One was one of the big three, CBS/ABC/NBC, PBS, and QVC. It was a fund raising week for PBS and they were running a Lawrence Welk marathon. Between the meds and the fever, I'm fairly certain watching Lawrence Welk was about what an acid trip would be like.

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I'm not questioning you, but genuinely curious as to when this was . I lived in Pagosa full time for 7 years. My wife was a nurse in the hospital, and with my job I was in the hospital a couple times per month at least. Many of our closest friends worked there as well. I spent time with my own kids in the hospital there. I have never heard anything about the prison and hospital sharing a kitchen. The prison not anywhere close to the hospital. Maybe I am dense and missed the joke? Maybe I somehow just never heard that it used to be that way a long time ago?

Yes, it is (was, not so much anymore) a smaller rural community- so you have to scale expectations. But compare Pagosa's hospital and medical services to any other similar sized town in the 4 corners area, and you will see they have invested significantly more.

Medical access would not be my concern at all after living in Pagosa. The hospital is very good and always expanding their scope of care, Durango is 60 minutes way, and they care flight to ABQ and The Springs for anything else.
There are lots of other things that I would be worried about before medical care. You will face similar or worse issues in any rural mountain town.

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HouAg12 said:

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Pagosa is awesome, I just wish Wolf Creek had more infrastructure similar to Purg

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cupofjoe04 said:

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OP-

I lived in Pagosa for 7 years, and frequented Durango as well. I think it really depends on what you are looking for. They are two VERY different towns.

Durango is bigger, for sure, but these days the gap of how big each feels is shrinking. Pagosa has come a long ways, but still retains a small town mentality with the locals. Durango is going to have more city-like amenities (services, stores) and problems (crime & homeless). Pagosa retains a more rural feel, but is more affordable.


If you want to know some areas of Pagosa to look at, let me know and I would be glad to point you to some of the different housing areas and what they offer. Make sure you check into what services are available in each spot. You can find a couple acres with a nice house pretty cheap, but you may be having to haul your own water and have limited snow plow services. Things like that.

Overall- I LOVED Pagosa, and preferred the culture there for my family. If skiing is your thing, Durango is superior due to proximity. But, for many other things, I found Pagosa to have a great variety. And the beauty of Pagosa is much better than Durango, in my opinion. Durango has more of a high desert feel, but Pagosa is more alpine.

If you can afford a home and to live there, I don't think you could go wrong in either place.

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cupofjoe04 said:

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OP-

I lived in Pagosa for 7 years, and frequented Durango as well. I think it really depends on what you are looking for. They are two VERY different towns.

Durango is bigger, for sure, but these days the gap of how big each feels is shrinking. Pagosa has come a long ways, but still retains a small town mentality with the locals. Durango is going to have more city-like amenities (services, stores) and problems (crime & homeless). Pagosa retains a more rural feel, but is more affordable.


If you want to know some areas of Pagosa to look at, let me know and I would be glad to point you to some of the different housing areas and what they offer. Make sure you check into what services are available in each spot. You can find a couple acres with a nice house pretty cheap, but you may be having to haul your own water and have limited snow plow services. Things like that.

Overall- I LOVED Pagosa, and preferred the culture there for my family. If skiing is your thing, Durango is superior due to proximity. But, for many other things, I found Pagosa to have a great variety. And the beauty of Pagosa is much better than Durango, in my opinion. Durango has more of a high desert feel, but Pagosa is more alpine.

If you can afford a home and to live there, I don't think you could go wrong in either place.

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