In 2019, Archuleta County had a population of 13,928. Five years later in 2024, Archuleta County’s population is 14,389. That’s a total increase of 3.3% over five years or a net gain of 52 people per year. This slow growth pattern has existed for decades.
Pagosa is a tourism-based economy which is subject to all kinds of ups and downs. Six months of the year, the economy expands because of tourism and the influx of part-time residents. This can lead to false and overly optimistic expectations of dynamic growth. However, during the remaining six months (tourism’s shoulder seasons of Spring and Fall), the economy contracts. The result? A pattern of “boom”, predictably followed by a relative “bust.” Businesses, services, and full-time residents must somehow navigate this see-saw economy.
Recently, there have been new subdivisions proposed which claim to promote economic development by building businesses and residences that are largely focused on serving the housing and recreational needs of tourists and part-time residents. This approach does not add significant and long-lasting value to our area because it fails to create local jobs that are full-time, year-round, with livable wages.
Let’s not overbuild large subdivisions and businesses that cannot be sustained year-round. Look around. How many restaurants, hotels, and small businesses have you seen that have failed in the past five years? There are commercial buildings and lots that sit empty. The housing market is cooling. Why continue to build based on a concept of rapid and continuous growth when the facts do not support it?
Instead let’s direct growth in a planned, sustainable way that supports what has always made Pagosa a place where people want to live and raise families.
Sharon Carter
Pagosa Springs
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