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Building an economy takes an attention span of decades which unfortunately doesnt work well in the political world where the last sound bite on tv is considered ancient history. Taos is what it is going to be.... a tourist mecca and not for those who want to be surrounded by those like themselves. Ive been a part time resident of the area for 40 years..... its magical and attracts tourist who like the multi culture it offers. It is an artistic place and always will be...unfortunately funds for being a tourist are limited these days and arent coming back unless places which like jobs that produce things the world needs desparately...like energy, food and some distractions from life...provide those products better than the competition we face from serious places like China, Brazil etc. The liberals like to stop growth but want the wealth to give things to those who dont have them.....without serious consideration to how we create the jobs and wealth to provide those things.
Small towns are nice -- there are advantages to having a small town instead of some big sprawling megapolis. What's the point in growth for the sake of growth?
If you're pondering if I"m from a big sprawling city you've got it right ha. San Antonio, Texas. Though I was born North East. Taos is beautiful, just wish I could find a job out there. This discussion has been very informative.
If you're pondering if I"m from a big sprawling city you've got it right ha. San Antonio, Texas. Though I was born North East. Taos is beautiful, just wish I could find a job out there. This discussion has been very informative.
Wealth can only be created by farming, manufacture, including design, or mining. Everything else just moves the wealth around. It seems to me that Taos is too cold for agriculture, too disconnected for mass manufacture although making small very high value goods is a possibility, and most of the productive mines are used up. When I consider all of these I conclude that small very high tech manufacturing would be the way to create wealth and "making Taos a better Taos" is the way to attract more outside tourist wealth. A variant on the latter theme is to become a service oriented town designed to provide for elderly residents and their medical care. Lots of boomers are retiring and, with good medical facilities, Taos would be a good place to live a retired life.
I have suggested the same to the town manager of a small upstate New Hampshire town. I think it applies to any remote city with physical and cultural charm.
Lack of mines currently active gave me the first clue. If there were minerals in large enough deposits to be commercially viable there would be a bunch of big holes in the ground like the Santa Rita pit.
Lack of mines currently active gave me the first clue. If there were minerals in large enough deposits to be commercially viable there would be a bunch of big holes in the ground like the Santa Rita pit.
The U.S. is the world's second largest producer of copper and gold, exports over US$26 billion worth of minerals and material produced from minerals each year. Its mining industry employs over 3 million people directly and indirectly.
Minerals are New Mexico's richest natural resource. New Mexico is one of the U.S. leaders in output of uranium and potassium salts. Petroleum, natural gas, coal, copper, gold, silver, zinc, lead, and molybdenum also contribute heavily to the state’s income...
If there were minerals in large enough deposits to be commercially viable there would be a bunch of big holes in the ground like the Santa Rita pit.
Not all mines look like copper open pit mines. In fact, New Mexico's largest mined product, coal, leaves the land looking the same five years after it was disturbed (at least the modern methods used do).
What's commercially viable changes year by year. What's permitted by the state and landowners similarly changes year by year.
The amount of high-risk capital available to start new mines similarly changes. The technology of what's wanted and how easy it is to recover similarly changes.
Taos is surrounded by all sorts of commodities that are getting mined out and/or expensive from current sources. Many of these deposits haven't been discovered yet. Many are known but haven't been extracted yet.
If I get my way, I'll start processing some of those materials someday (don't worry Taoseños, they're an hour's drive out of town).
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