La Plata County is a county in Colorado, United States, home to the city of Durango and the northern gateway to the Four Corners region. It had a population of 55,638 at the 2020 census and covers 1,700 square miles (4,400 km2) centred near 37°17′N 107°51′W, in the southwestern part of the state.
Durango is the county seat, and its postal code is 81301. The county contains one city, two incorporated towns, two census-designated places and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities. It observes Mountain time and carries FIPS code 08067.
Towns & Villages in La Plata County
La Plata County has one incorporated city (Durango, the seat), two incorporated towns (Bayfield and Ignacio), two census-designated places (Marvel and Southern Ute) and about two dozen unincorporated communities and rural crossroads scattered across the Animas, Florida and La Plata river valleys. “CDP” below means census-designated place — a recognised community with no city government; “Unincorp.” means an unincorporated settlement, ranch community or rail siding with no municipal boundary at all.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durango | City · seat | 19,071 | 81301–81303 |
| Bayfield | Town | 2,838 | 81122 |
| Ignacio | Town | 852 | 81137 |
| Marvel | CDP | — | — |
| Southern Ute | CDP | — | — |
| Allison | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bondad | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Breen | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Carbon Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cascade | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Columbus | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Falfa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Florida | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gem Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grandview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hermosa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hesperus | Unincorp. | — | 81326 |
| Kline | Unincorp. | — | — |
| La Boca | Unincorp. | — | — |
| La Plata | Unincorp. | — | — |
| La Posta | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Loma Linda | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mayday | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oxford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinon Acres | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Redmesa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rockwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tacoma | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tiffany | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Trimble | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vallecito | Unincorp. | — | — |
La Plata is both a settlement name and the county’s own name: the community of La Plata, near the old silver-mining district in the county’s northern hills, predates the county and gave it its title — it is a small rural crossroads today, not to be confused with the county seat of Durango. Tacoma and Rockwood are former Denver & Rio Grande rail sidings along the Animas River gorge, still marked stops for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad rather than towns with resident populations.
ZIP Codes
- 81301–81303 — Durango (also serves Hermosa, Trimble and the county’s northern hills)
- 81122 — Bayfield (also serves Gem Village and Vallecito Lake)
- 81137 — Ignacio (also serves the Southern Ute Indian Reservation communities)
- 81326 — Hesperus
Most of the county’s smaller unincorporated places — Allison, Bondad, Breen, La Boca, La Posta, Marvel, Oxford, Redmesa and others — use the Durango or Ignacio ZIP codes above rather than carrying their own.
Geography
La Plata County sits on the southern flank of the San Juan Mountains, dropping from 14,000-foot peaks in the north to high desert mesas near the New Mexico line in the south. The Animas River runs through Durango on its way south to the San Juan River, and the La Plata and Florida rivers drain the county’s western and eastern halves. The San Juan National Forest covers much of the northern county, and Vallecito Reservoir, near Bayfield, is the county’s largest lake.
La Plata County borders San Juan County to the north, Hinsdale County to the northeast, Archuleta County to the east, San Juan County, New Mexico to the south, Montezuma County to the west and Dolores County to the northwest.
Demographics
La Plata County’s population was 55,638 at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 33 people per square mile. Durango, with 19,071 residents, and Bayfield, with 2,838, are the county’s two largest communities; most other residents live on rural land outside any city or town limit. Median household income runs below the Colorado median of $92,911, reflecting the county’s mix of tourism, service and ranch-economy wages against the state’s higher-earning Front Range metros.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism and outdoor recreation anchor the county’s economy — skiing at Purgatory Resort, whitewater on the Animas River, and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which has carried visitors north into the San Juans since 1882. Fort Lewis College, a public four-year college in Durango, is a major employer alongside Mercy Regional Medical Center and La Plata Electric Association. Natural gas production from the San Juan Basin’s coalbed methane fields has been a significant, if declining, part of the county’s tax base since the 1980s, and ranching remains active in the Florida and La Plata river valleys.
History
La Plata County was organized on February 10, 1874, named for the La Plata River and La Plata Mountains — “la plata” is Spanish for “the silver,” after silver deposits found in the mountains. Durango was founded in 1880 by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway as a smelter and rail town serving the mining camps at Silverton, and the county seat moved there from the earlier mining settlement of Parrott City soon after. In August 2015, a wastewater spill at the abandoned Gold King Mine near Silverton sent contaminated water down the Animas River through Durango, prompting a multi-year federal Superfund cleanup of the upper watershed.
Getting There
U.S. Highway 160 crosses the county east–west through Durango, and U.S. Highway 550 runs north from Durango toward Silverton and Ouray; Colorado Highways 140, 151 and 172 serve the county’s rural south and east.
- Farmington, New Mexico — 45 miles south
- Cortez — 45 miles west
- Pagosa Springs — 60 miles east
- Silverton — 50 miles north
Durango–La Plata County Airport (DRO), just south of the city, offers commercial service to Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is La Plata County, Colorado?
It is in Colorado’s southwestern corner, bordering New Mexico, in the San Juan Mountains foothills around Durango.
What is the population of La Plata County?
55,638 at the 2020 census.
How big is La Plata County?
1,700 square miles (4,400 km2), of which 1,692 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of La Plata County?
Durango is the county seat.
How many towns are in La Plata County?
One city (Durango), two incorporated towns (Bayfield and Ignacio) and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in La Plata County?
81301–81303 (Durango), 81122 (Bayfield), 81137 (Ignacio) and 81326 (Hesperus), among others.
What railroad runs through La Plata County?
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a coal-fired steam line running north from Durango into the San Juan Mountains since 1882.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Colorado.