Another dry year pushes tribal nations, federal agencies and irrigators to find long-lasting solutions.
State of Change
Competition fosters computer skills in New Mexico schools
Rural students learn how to code by participating in a supercomputing challenge.
The New Mexico towns where less connectivity is more
Communities are embracing faster internet but rejecting better cellphone reception.
Tribes lead the way for faster internet access in New Mexico
Across sovereign governments, a group of Southwest tribes prepares to launch their own network.
How a rural electric co-op connected a community
By expanding into broadband, Kit Carson Co-op provides high-speed internet to thousands.
In small towns, a way to make remote work, work
A ‘micro’ economic development program bolsters a community of telecommuters.
In the Southwest, a sustainable breed of cattle
The criollo cow can thrive in hot, dry conditions that are difficult for other breeds.
Raton tries to rise again
A former coal mining town takes measured approach to economic recovery.
A vision for the Navajo Nation in one farm’s sustainability
Local businesses keep jobs and money circulating within their communities.
Navajo small businesses help stabilize booms and busts
To build a sustained community, the Navajo Nation experiments with entrepreneurs.
From ‘hallway’ to artery, a town rebuilds Main Street
Booms and busts withered Farmington, New Mexico, but new initiatives could revitalize it.
When federal health care falls short, tribes improvise
A growing number of tribes manage their own clinics and behavioral programs.
In New Mexico, demographic shifts have helped job growth
An influx of immigrants is preventing economic stagnation in the Borderlands.
New Mexico breweries patch the gaps between oil booms
Rural towns explore ways to diversify their economies, from tourism to hospitality.
In rural New Mexico, a new brewery creates momentum
Truth or Consequences looks for ways to attract a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Infographic: Where in the West young people are moving
Some counties in the region buck the aging trend.
Why save the small town?
Cities may seem inevitable, but rural communities are finding ways to hang on.