Durango was built by the railroad-literally. Platted
formally on a September morning in 1880 by the Denver
& Rio Grande Railroad, Durango became a hub for
all activity in the region.
With a surrounding environment rich in natural resources-from
the pure Animas River and the mineral rich San Juan
and La Plata Mountains that supplied the local smelters
with unprocessed precious ore, to the abundance of
coal that not only fired the railroad's locomotives,
but proved to be a valued resource for export, Durango
thrived, and ultimately became the county seat in
1881.
Durango is a Home Rule City, and adopted its most
recent charter in 1978-an update of the original city
charter, and vision for Durango, originally adopted
in 1912. The 1978 charter is designed to encourage
involvement and participation in matters of local
government. The authors of the revised charter believed
that when citizens are active participants in government,
protection of the public interest is best insured.
The form of government of The City of Durango is
the Council-Manager Plan, and all powers of the City
are exercised by, through, and under the direction
of an elected, five-member City Council. The Council
appoints a City Manager for an indefinite term and
the City Manager is thus responsible for managing
the "business" of the City of Durango.
City Council members are elected for a four-year
term, with the Mayor selected for a one-year term
by fellow council members. The City Manager is evaluated
annually by the City Council.
To access the official City of Durango website,
click
here.
