The Durango Herald
80°F
80°F
When Outside Magazine’s October 2011 issue hits stands, all of Durango will know that we are the “Next Big Thing.”
The mountain town won the title while being awarded a coveted top-10 spot in Outside Magazine’s “Life is Better Here” article in the October issue.
“Think of it as a border town .... It serves as the geographic and cultural link between high desert and high country,” writer Will Grant wrote in the article.
The miles of mountain-biking trails surrounding Durango and the Animas River flowing alongside Main Avenue are the amenities that helped the city win the title.
This most recent award could help boost the number of tourists that come to see the sites, said Anne Klein, public-relations consultant for the Durango Area Tourism Office.
“We all know how great it is here, and we tell our story to everyone who will listen,” she said. “When a third party endorses you, there’s credibility in the message, especially if it’s coming from Outside Magazine.”
One woman wrote on the Visiting Durango Facebook page after seeing a link to Outside Magazine’s article, “I have never been to Durango. After seeing this photo I would love to get there someday. Putting it on my bucket list.”
Boulder was the only other Colorado city to make the list and was named “The City Everyone Loves to Love/Hate.”
Durango is often compared to Boulder, Klein said, but Durango has its own unique characteristics.
“We’re not striving to be the next Boulder,” she said. “There’s a small-town charm to Durango. We’re less flashy and unique.”
This isn’t the first time Durango has earned accolades from a national magazine. In March, Men’s Journal, as part of its annual “Best Places to Live” feature, selected Durango as the “Best Place to Put Your Outdoor Life First.”
Klein said the press is paying attention to the city because we’re doing “a lot of things right” and the city has an authentic, real feel to it.
“The awards we’ve been getting are much more authentic,” she said. “What we’re offering is authentic. It’s our real stories. There are real things going on, and it’s not contrived.”
Enlargephoto
Herald file photos
In a meeting of the Durango Bootleggers Society, Ken Martin of Steamworks Brewing Co.; Erik Maxson of Carvers Brewing Co; and Scott Bickert of Durango Brewing Co., combine efforts for a beer to benefit the Animas Museum. Having four breweries in Durango contributed to it being named by Outside Magazine the “Next Big Thing.”
