Silver City is in
Grant County (is the county seat), and in the
Southwest New Mexico region. It lies north of Lordsburg between
Truth or Consequences and the Arizona state line, along U.S. Highway 180.
In 1870, a tent city grew around a silver mine opened by John Bullard. When the yield looked promising, residents built brick houses from local clay. When the silver ran out, copper took its place as the economic mainstay.
Today Silver City, population 12,500, has seen tourism become an important economic contributor. The Main Street Project has spurred transformation of two downtown streets by helping merchants with make-over projects, including tree-planting and sidewalk replacement. Nearby attractions include the City of Rocks, an eerie natural skyline; the Catwalk, an historic trail along the Whitewater Creek canyon; and Pinos Altos, est. 1860, the oldest settlement in southwestern New Mexico.
Silver City is home to Western New Mexico University, est. in 1893.
