Durango, Colorado

Along the Animas River at 6,525 feet above sea level in rugged southwestern Colorado, Durango is a slightly touristy, bohemian town with a “shabby chic” vibe. Backcountry adventurers, river rats, ski bums and the well-heeled all call this place home.

The cute downtown, most of which is a national historic district, boasts restaurants and ski shops, hotels and markets, banks and micro-breweries, coffee houses and art galleries. Large shopping venues are limited.

Five surrounding downhill ski resorts offer ample opportunities for winter fun, while the San Juan National Forest is perfect for fly fishing, river rafting, kayaking, hiking, and backpacking during the rest of the year.

Annual events include Music in the Mountains, a classical music celebration, and Snowdown, a winter festival, attract lively crowds. The Sky Ute Casino and Resort is 30 minutes away and offers gaming.

Fort Lewis College is a four-year liberal arts institution with 4,000 students and sits on a bluff overlooking town. It enrolls a lot out-of-state students, many of whom come to ski while they study (or study while they ski).

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a steam-powered, narrow gauge heritage railroad, runs between Durango and nearby Silverton. It’s popular with tourists, but seats are booked months in advance, as the 45-mile trek over tall train bridges, along steep canyon walls and through high-country valleys is breathtaking.

Housing stock ranges from bunglalows in town to ranch ramblers, cabins, chalets and custom estates on nearby mountainsides. Home sites are dotted with Aspen trees and Ponderosa pines.

Durango has two roads in and out. Two lane Highway 550 is mountainous and parallels the Animas River. Going north it reaches Silverton (elevation 9,320 feet) and becomes part of the Million Dollar Highway, one of the most awe-inspiring, and sometimes white-knuckle, drives in the nation.

Highway 160 is also two lanes and travels east to Mesa Verde and west over the Continental Divide’s Wolf Creek Pass (elevation 10,857 feet). Winter drives can be particularly treacherous. There is, though, a regional airport. Greyhound Bus also has service.