They also learn such things as how to live in Mexico and have a happy family there, about personal differences, along with such things as how to get the utilities turned on, basic stuff. With the layoffs and the town's sharper realization of the instability of the copper market, Silver City is taking serious steps to widen its economic base and thereby stabilize its economy. The pieces are falling into place, and with the right, sustained focus on diversification, Silver City's future can be a bright one indeed. Growing and Aging By Dennis Wall Silver City is dealing with an influx of new residents. Two decades ago, Silver City was a sleepy town where people knew each other and traffic jams were little more than a big-city rumor.
Silver remains a small town by anyone's standards, but the pace has picked up considerably of late.
The city's population is just 12,000, but 30,000 people now inhabit the county. A large portion of new arrivals are retirees, people with good pensions and a desire for a comfortable passage into their waning years. Home construction, as a result, is up considerably, as are housing costs, to the dismay of many locals. Telecommuters are another class of newcomers, taking advantage of the area's recent entry into the world of fiber optics, and the town's low-tech amenities such as the slow pace, pleasant climate, and endless natural beauty. Many of the newcomers have flocked to the Arenas Valley, a ten-mile stretch east of town bisected by Highway 180.