Silver City is One of the 100 Best Small Towns in America!

And we're proud to be
One of the 100 Best Small Towns in America!

Folks have been living and working in this part of the Southwest for more than 1,200 years. Now our unique combination of climate, lifestyle, environment and opportunity are drawing new visitors and residents from around the world!

A trip to Grant County takes your family into the heart of the Old West. Our 3 million acres of untamed wilderness show you what the West was like, and historic sites throughout the county highlight our vibrant past. Shown: Recreation of a cabin style typical to the region in the 1870s, at the Silver City - Grant County Chamber of Commerce office.

We're proud of our reputation as an outstanding community and as a great place to work, live or retire. Here are a few of the good things being said about us:

50 Best Places to Live: The Next Great Adventure Towns
"National Geograpgic Adventure Magazine", September, 2008
Quaint, friendly, and affordable, southwestern New Mexico’s Silver City is what Santa Fe was before trustafarians took over. Hike or bike seven miles of rocky trails in the rolling Boston Hills, a reclaimed historic mining area overlooking town. Or hook up with the nearby Continental Divide Trail ascending the Pinos Altos Mountains in 3.3-million-acre Gila National Forest. Read more!
Bordering a wilderness area, historic mining town mixes rustic settings with strong community spirit
"Where to Retire", December, 2007
Combine a gentle high-desert climate, intense natural beauty where solitude and wilderness reign and an average of 300 sunny days a year, throw in a low-key, infomal vibe and Old West charm, and what do you get? Silver City, NM: an off-the-beaten path town boasting vast scenic splendor and a burgeoning arts scene.
America's Top Ten Bargain Towns for Boomers
"55-Alive!"
Dark, billowing clouds that cover Silver City on summer afternoons cast ominous shadows across the mountains and plains, presenting a variety of multihued colors in the evening's brilliant sunset. More than three million acres of the Gila wilderness awaits the hiker, mountain biker, camper, or wildlife observer, and plenty of lakes are strewn about the gorgeous desert terrain. The landscape draws people here, but its low property taxes, attractive housing costs, a state-of-the-art health center, and top-notch university keep them here.. Read this article!
"Dozen Distinctive Destinations"
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Once an Apache Indian campsite, later the boyhood home of the notorious gunslinger Billy the Kid, and more recently a silver and copper mining boomtown, Silver City, N.Mex. (pop. 12,500) is as strikingly beautiful as it is historic... Read this article!
"Ten Coolest Towns"
Budget Travel Magazine, September 2007
A little bit hip and a little bit homey, these up-and-coming towns guarantee a fun detour on your next road trip. You'll be browsing the local real estate pages before you know it. Read this article!
"Blending comfort and conservation"
Houston Chronicle, August 14, 2007
SILVER CITY, N.M. — I am sitting in a big, comfy Adirondack chair on the veranda of a 1928 hacienda-style lodge looking out at a grassy savannah dotted with young pinion pines, junipers and oaks. Deep green mountains dominate the near distance. A far-off dog barks, the wind sighs, a titmouse calls. At dusk, freeloading mule deer will turn up, as if on cue, to help themselves to a snack from the many bird feeders around the lodge. A few hours later, a bright, full moon will rise. Read this article!
"The Real New Mexico Experience." — New York Times, January 13, 2006
"People who live in Silver City like to say that their town of 10,000 offers 'the real New Mexico experience.' Perched on the edge of the Gila National Forest in a high-desert wonderland of ponderosas, deep gorges and red-rock mesas, Silver City is a bit rough around the edges... but that's the way the locals like it." Read this article!
"From mining bust to tourist boom, Silver City celebrates 20 years of New Mexico MainStreet"
" ... As New Mexico’s longest-running MainStreet community, today’s Silver City is a colorful, bustling burgh that Outside magazine declared one of its 20 “Dream Towns.” Read more!
"Top Public Hunting Areas" — Outdoor Life Magazine; September 2005. "Top Public Hunting Areas: The Gila and Cibola national forests of Catron and Grant counties (as well as the adjacent Apache-Sitgreaves national forest in Arizona) are legendary for large mule deer."
"A Mountain Hideaway in the Land of Enchantment" — SW Aviator Magazine; January 2005. "... Silver City is an undiscovered, civilized hideaway situated on the outskirts of the vast Gila Wilderness... Plan a lot of time for your visit ... (otherwise) you will regret you didn't stay longer." Read More

"One of the 20 Dream Towns" — Outside Magazine; August 2004.

"A Treasure of a Town" — Arizona Star Newspaper; January 2004.

"Best of the West Mining Town" — True West Magazine; 2003.

"Making Your Move to One of America's Best Small Towns " — Norman Crampton; 2003.

"Best American Cities You've Never Heard Of " — Cowboys and Indians Magazine; May 1999.

"Hundred Best Small Art Towns in America " — John Villani.

"USA's Dozen Distinctive Destinations - 2002 " — National Trust for Historic Preservation; 2002.

"50 Healthiest Places to Live and Retire in the United States " — Norman D. Ford.

"50 Best Places to Live" — Modern Maturity Magazine; June 2000.

"100 Best Small Towns in America" — Norman Crampton

"Outstanding Community of 2000 and Top Place in the USA to Retire" — Searchers.

"One of 11 Top Retirement Spots" — Kiplinger Magazine.