A Mountain Hideaway in the Land of Enchantment: Southwest Aviator
“…Silver City is an undiscovered, civilized hideaway situated on the outskirts of the vast Gila Wilderness Area, home of the archeologically significant Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. Silver City is also gateway to one of the most visually stimulating and geologically fascinating areas of the Southwest, with spectacularly wooded mountains, rustic western towns, and unique adventures.”
Read more: A Mountain Hideaway in the Land of Enchantment
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36 Hours in Silver City, N.M.: New York Times
“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, especially compared with places like Santa Fe and Taos – but that’s the way the locals like it.”
Read more: 36 Hours in Silver City, N.M
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Visiting Silver City, NM: TripAdvisor.com
“As suggested by its name, Silver City began as a mining town at the height of the prospecting boom in the 1800s and has survived a long Wild West history that hosted such notorious notables as Billy the Kid and “Dangerous Dan” Tucker. Evidence of its even earlier history can be seen at the nearby Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, where ancient homes of the Mongollon Pueblo still stand. Hikers, cyclists and outdoors enthusiasts flock to explore the scenery of the Gila National Forest.”
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Healthiest Places to Live: New Mexico Magazine
“Recently selected as one of the healthiest places to live and retire, Silver City placed in the top 1 percent of over 3,000 communities its size or larger. “Our low-risk lifestyle is a way of living that eliminates all health-destroying habits and replaces them with health-promoting habits.” The survey was based primarily on climate, elevation, terrain and lack of urban stress.”
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Remnants of the riches of the 1880s silver boom… “Phoenix Home and Garden” March 2009:
“With two dozen art galleries and studios, plus antiques stores and a tile workshop, Silver City, New Mexico, appears to be on its way to becoming a gestating arts center. Set on a hillside at the edge of the 3.3 million-acre Gila National Forest, the town is an appealing mix of sophistication and down-home “comfyness.””
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ROOM WITH A VIEW: At the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in New Mexico
(LA Times December 12, 2008)
“In Southwestern New Mexico, more than 750,000 acres of unspoiled terrain form the heart of the Gila National Forest — 3.3 million acres of publicly owned forest and range land.”
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The Untamed West: Los Angeles Times
(September 12, 2008)
“Like thousands of travelers who visit the wilderness annually, I had come to see the hardscrabble patch of New Mexico that became the model for every protected wilderness in the country. I came to explore the same rocky trails cut by the Apache warrior Geronimo, homesteaders and gun-packing fugitives. But most of all, I wanted to see whether America’s first wilderness area — protected 84 years ago from roads, cars and other modern intrusions — was still as pristine and untamed as Leopold had intended.”
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50 Best Places to Live: The Next Great Adventure Towns
(National Geographic 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.”
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Where to Retire: Silver City
(Where to Retire, Dec. 2007)
“Mixes rustic settings with strong community spirit: 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, informal 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.”
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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.”
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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 more: Dozen Distinctive Destinations Silver City, NM
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Top Public Hunting Areas: Outdoor Life Magazine
“The Gila and Cibola national forests of Catron and Grant counties … are legendary for large mule deer.”