Laserfiche WebLink
DRAFT Market Study Lake Nighthorse <br />DEFINING THE MARKETS GEOGRAPHICALLY <br />This report analyzes 3 different geographies: <br />1. Local - residents that live within 25 driving miles of Durango, which coincides with the La <br />Plata County boundaries. <br />2. Regional - residents that live within 25 -100 -mile driving radii; this includes some New <br />Mexico residents. <br />3. Tourist - visitors to the area that do not reside within 100 miles of Durango. <br />See Map 1 for an illustration of the market reach. <br />Many reservoir visitors travel across state lines. On average, 88% of visitors to state parks are <br />Colorado residents, but parks near the state line exhibit higher out -of -state participation4. <br />Visitors to Bonny, Navajo and Trinidad reservoirs had greater than 15% out -of -state visitation, <br />with 29% of visitors to Bonny State Park coming from outside the state boundary. It is <br />therefore safe to assume that reservoir -based recreation facilities attract visitors across state <br />lines. <br />Local and Regional Population <br />It was possible to calculate the population that lives within 100 driving miles of Durango using <br />GIS, U.S. Census population estimates, and State Demography Office county growth rates. This <br />100 -mile reach was further split between the local population (<25 miles), the regional mid- <br />range population (25 -50 miles), and the regional outer local population (50 -100 miles). It is <br />important to note that these populations were established based on road mileages and not <br />straight -line distances. The local population (<25 miles) aligns with the boundaries of La Plata <br />County. The mid -range population includes San Juan County, portions of Montezuma County <br />including Cortez, western portions of Archuleta County including Pagosa Springs, and <br />northeastern portions of San Juan County, New Mexico, including eastern portions of <br />Farmington. The outer regional population boundary includes Ouray County, Dolores County, <br />portions of Montezuma County, Telluride and part of San Miguel County, as well as parts of Rio <br />Grande, Rio Arriba, and Archuleta counties. Additionally the local and regional geographies <br />extend into a number of the sovereign nations, primarily lands belonging to, the Navajo Nation, <br />the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. <br />Figure 6- Local and Regional Population by Drive -Mile Radius <br />Radius Population Cumulative Population <br /><25 miles 51,165 51,165 <br />25 -50 miles 110,465 161,630 <br />50 -100 miles 58,704 220,333 <br />Source: U.S. Census, State Demography Offices <br />Colorado State Parks, Intercept Survey <br />RPl <br />­14"q <br />