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Silver City

Long before silver miners began to settle La Cienega de San Vicente circa 1869, the Spanish had mined and settled nearby. Residents renamed the town Silver City in 1871 (two years before Henry McCarty in his pre-Billy the Kid days got there). The boom ended in 1893, the same year the city welcomed the founding of Western New Mexico University. Today a bastion of Victoriana (second only to Las Vegas), the Grant County seat (elevation 5,900 feet or 1,798 meters) is a competitive bicyclist's mecca (Tour de France winner extraordinaire Lance Armstrong participated in the 2009 Tour of the Gila). It's also the gateway to the Gila National Forest (and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument), and to the hot springs and headwaters of the Gila River, the birthplace of the famed Apache warrior Geronimo. It has one hotel, 17 motels, over 50 restaurants, eight private recreational campgrounds, two museums, and two historic districts. Las Cruces is 112 road miles (180.2 kilometers) away, El Paso 155 miles (249.4 km) away, Ruidoso 226 miles (363.7 km) away, Albuquerque 238 miles (383 km) away, and Santa Fe 297 miles (478 km) away.

Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce
201 N. Hudson, Silver City, New Mexico 88061
(575/538-3785 or 800/548-9378)
www.silvercity.org
info@silvercity.org