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Years ago, a U.S. Army surveyor named Capt.
J. N. Macombs, the first white man to write about Pagosa Springs,
noted in his journal that "there can scarcely be a more
beautiful place on the face of the earth."
Residents partake in an abundance of outdoor recreation, from
kayaking and rafting on the San Juan River that runs through town
to horsepacking in the surrounding hills to playing on 27 holes of high
altitude championship golf to watching wildlife meander outside the back door.
Pagosa has a lovely, restored downtown, and although it is small,
basic necessities can be found. A trip to Durango once a
month, though, is probably required and can be accomplished by
traveling along a well-maintained 2-lane, and in some places, 4-lane,
highway. Mountain Express provides limited
bus service in and around Pagosa, operating Monday through Friday
with four runs a day. There is also a small local
airport, Stevens Field, with one runway. Volunteer
opportunities are not overwhelming, but the Chamber of Commerce
Visitors' Center has 50 volunteers, many of them retirees, and the
eighteen churches and one synagogue provide further avenues for
giving time and talent. The Ruby
Sisson Memorial Library also has an active volunteer program, as
does the Humane Society and Habitat for Humanity. The Silver
Foxes Den is the senior center and is located inside the Pagosa
Springs' community center, a new 28,000 square foot
facility. Transportation services are available, and lunch
is served four days a week and breakfast once a month. Call
(970) 264-2167 for more information.
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And although the town is
small, it does have four newspapers (one online, two
dailies and a monthly) and a handful of broadband Internet
providers. So while it is remote, Pagosa Springs is not
isolated. There is little crime (thefts, mostly),
little traffic (until a few years ago Pagosa only had one
stop light) and a lot of community spirit. Everyone
knows everyone, and those that live here seem to cherish
the lifestyle.
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Of course, Pagosa
Springs has its drawbacks. Cultural amenities are lacking,
although there is an Arts Council and the Music Boosters is the
community theater group. The elevation is 7,100 feet, so it
takes a hardy soul to live here year-round, particularly when
winter comes. From October through April, snow
averages 4 to 5 inches per month, and temperatures dip into
the teens, but much of Pagosa Springs does business as
usual. And winter storms are usually brief, leaving behind
skies so deeply blue and Evergreens so sparkling white that one
can only whisper, "Wow." Summers are cool
(temperatures in the 70s and low 80s), and humidity is low
year-round.
And something to keep in mind is that the Wolf Creek
ski resort may be expanding, and as in many small towns facing
change, emotions are mixed when it comes to choosing between
increased revenue or maintaining a current way of life. If
the ski resort expansion takes place (it is currently on hold),
Pagosa Springs could be completely transformed into a trendy
resort. Depending on one's point of view, this could be good
or bad, but either way it will create a different retirement
environment. If Wolf Creek does not expand, Pagosa will probably retain much of its
current rural mountain flavor
and continue to be the peaceful, low key spot for retirement that
it is now. Return
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