"The Odd Culture Clashes of Southwestern New Mexico" Top 5 Page for this destination Silver City by bocmaxima

Silver City is truly one of the strangest towns in the country. Historically, it has been a mining town, as obvious from its name. However, Silver City has the benefit of having a state university in town (Western New Mexico University), plus is near one of the most beautiful and remote wilderness areas in the Southwest, and thus the economy and community have largely diversified since the town's early days.
The first thing you'll encounter in Silver City is the strange separation through the middle of town. This is "The Big Ditch" and is actually the result of a major flood in 1895 that sank what was Main Street down about 30 feet. As a result, Bullard Street has all but taken over the duties of Main Street and serves as the main drag Downtown.
Downtown Silver City is the town's main attraction with its art galleries, small restaurants and historic buildings. The art community here is actually very surprising and comparable to that of larger towns.

• Pros:beautiful setting, undiscovered, untainted town