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Bayfield
Bayfield
is in the heart of the Pine River Valley where the Pine runs
from the Weminuche Wilderness to Navajo Lake. The San Juan
National Forest is located just outside of town where a National
Forest District office and Ranger reside. Many of the town's
1,580 residents access trails on the forest for recreation
in what is increasingly an urban interface of public and private
land use. The town also lies at the center of rural residential
population that commutes, works, and shops in Durango, which
lies 18 miles west on US Highway 160. The town grew in population
42 percent between 1990 and 2000 and the surrounding rural
area has also grown rapidly. Expectations for a new municipal
water line serviced by Vallecito Reservoir and distributed
through a large portion of the rural area appears to facilitate
increased residential development in that area.
The
town's objective recently has been to become a more self-sustaining
community rather than being dominated by commuter residences.
Stakeholders have been participating in developing a village
architectural plan for preserving its quaint rural feel.
Travelers
in Bayfield are typically seeking outdoor recreation experiences
and are often en route to a nearby public land attraction.
Bayfield touts accessibility to a variety of "regional"
attractions that are all within an hour's drive. However,
even though the access to these attractions is relatively
close, the distance has been far enough to inhibit Bayfield's
attempt to attract sustainable tourism development.
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