After knocking off one opponent, Pagosa Springs now faces Santa Fe in the second round of Outside Magazine’s online competition to be selected “Best Town in America.”
In first-round voting last week, Pagosa Springs knocked off Ogden, Utah, and is now one of the 32 towns left in the 64-town bracket. The small town about 60 miles east of Durango has taken note of the contest.
“I’ve been voting as frequently as I can remember to,” said Clint Alley, director of the Pagosa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce.
According to the rules, that means once per day. As of 2 p.m. Monday, Pagosa Springs was leading Santa Fe, 3,080 votes to 2,667. Pretty impressive when you consider that Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital, has 40 times the population (69,976 for Santa Fe to 1,727 for Pagosa).
“It looks like quite a few people in our community are aware of this,” Alley said. “We’re trying to do what we can.”
“The San Juan National Forest surrounds Pagosa Springs on all sides,” Outside Magazine notes on the online bracket. “Take your pick of camping, hiking, fishing, climbing and biking.”
Santa Fe gets 300 days of sunshine a year, Outside Magazine says. It mentions that you can go mountain biking or trail running in the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains, ski at nearby Taos or the local ski basin, or go “feasting on green chile enchiladas on the patio at the Shed.”
Win or lose, Alley said, Pagosa thinks it has a lot going for it.
“If we keep going, it’ll make us feel even more proud,” he said.
Outside defines “Best Town” as “the kind of place with top-notch restaurants, vibrant farmers’ markets, friendly neighborhoods and unparalleled access to hiking and biking trails. In short, the perfect jumping-off point for adventure.”
This is the second year for the contest. Durango was in it last year and defeated Mammoth Lakes, California, in the first round before losing a close contest to Anchorage, Alaska, in the second round.
To vote or to see the bracket, visit www.outsideonline.com/1972941/best-towns-2015.
johnp@durangoherald.com
