Durango has been recognized for its great outdoor recreation, the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic and even the Ore House’s New York strip steak. Now we’re being recognized for something else: our culture.

Durango was No. 6 on Smithsonian Magazine’s ‘The 20 Best Small Towns in America’ list.

The magazine created its list by searching for towns with populations less than 25,000 that have a high concentrations of museums, historic sites, art galleries and “other cultural assets common to big cities.”

“We think any best place worth traveling to should have one quality above others: culture,” the magazine said in its description of the list.

The Western feel of Durango helped it land the No. 6 spot, along with the Henry Strater Theatre, the Music in the Mountains festival and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

This isn’t the first time Durango has been placed on a “best of” list. Last year, Durango also received these accolades: Top 10 Western Towns, True West Magazine; Top 200 Towns, Outdoor Life; Best Places to Live, Men’s Journal; Top Micropolitan Area in the U.S., Policom Corp.; Award of Merit to the La Plata County Historical Society, American Association for State and Local History; and Life Is Better Here, Outside magazine.

Herald Staff