{"id":559778,"date":"2018-04-10T07:10:39","date_gmt":"2018-04-10T13:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=559778"},"modified":"2018-04-13T15:17:41","modified_gmt":"2018-04-13T21:17:41","slug":"hillsboro-and-kingston-carve-out-an-existence-with-less-technological-connectivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/04\/hillsboro-and-kingston-carve-out-an-existence-with-less-technological-connectivity\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the New Mexico towns where less connectivity is more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_559791\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-559791\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room2-771x506.jpg\" alt=\"Black Range Vineyards\" width=\"771\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room2-771x506.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room2-336x221.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room2-768x504.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room2-1170x768.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barb Payla of Minnesota samples wine at the Black Range Vineyards tasting room in Hillsboro with her husband George on a Monday afternoon in March. At left is Nicki O\u2019Dell, the winery\u2019s owner.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hillsboro and Kingston, tiny mountain towns on the edge of the Gila National Forest in Southern New Mexico, have a rare quality.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from the night skies. The stars shine bright at this elevation. The nearest city lights are 31 miles from Hillsboro in Truth or Consequences and 41 miles away in Hatch.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from the mountains \u2014 rocky, rugged peaks that Apaches once called home, that people mined for silver and gold in the 19th Century, that today aren\u2019t visited by many humans.<\/p>\n<p>More than anything it comes from the people \u2014 an ideologically diverse group of folks who come together to sustain these towns through volunteerism and celebration of arts, music, history and culture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a feel here. It\u2019s a real good energy,\u201d said Nicki O\u2019Dell, a Hillsboro winemaker who at 57 says she\u2019s one of the area\u2019s younger residents. \u201cThis Kingston\/Hillsboro thing, it\u2019s very magical.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This article\u00a0is part of the State of Change project, a multi-newsroom examination of\u00a0the challenge of building resilient rural communities \u2014 and what some\u00a0in New Mexico are doing right.\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/series\/state-of-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>While many small towns agonize over how to attract a younger generation and the change that might bring, often by speeding up or expanding internet access and cell phone reception, many residents in Hillsboro and Kingston are instead focusing on sustaining the unique existence that drew them here in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Whether that can last is an open question. There are challenges to overcome, like these communities\u2019 aging populations. A steady stream of younger retirees and second-home owners replace older folks who die or move, and they help keep the towns afloat. And while many say they\u2019re open to \u2013 even enthusiastic about \u2013 faster internet service, which could improve some of their activities and attract younger folks, better cell phone reception has drawn opposition.<\/p>\n<p>In short, many residents say they\u2019re open to better technological connectivity as long as it doesn\u2019t change the character of Hillsboro and Kingston.<\/p>\n<p>As the world changes, some rural towns will adapt and survive. Others will not.<\/p>\n<p>N.M. Public Regulation Commissioner Sandy Jones, an elected official from Sierra County, said government must play a role if rural communities are to keep up with the way the world is conducting business. He has spearheaded an effort to create a fund to help companies improve broadband access. The choice for rural communities, Jones said, is expanding technological connectivity \u201cor people leave, one of the two.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are some places that are unique,\u201d Jones said, \u201cbut I think as people change, the younger people will eventually get there, and they\u2019re going to want the services.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hillsboro and Kingston are currently seeking a different path, one that allows them to survive in spite of being less connected to society. Many of their residents hope to preserve their way of life through that off-the-beaten-path character.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_559806\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-559806\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Playground-771x510.jpg\" alt=\"Playground\" width=\"771\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Playground-771x510.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Playground-336x222.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Playground-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Playground-1170x774.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">An old playground sits on a hill above the Hillsboro Community Center, which used to be a school.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>\u2018An interdependent community\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>An old playground sits on a hill above the Hillsboro Community Center. Perhaps when grandkids or tourists are visiting, people occasionally trek past the building that used to be a school, up worn steps overgrown with weeds, to use the wooden swings and the other squeaky equipment.<\/p>\n<p>A sign at the entrance warns that people use the playground at their own risk.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Hillsboro is much different than the days when enough children lived in the region to fill a school, an apple festival drew thousands of people to the town every Labor Day weekend, and there was enough life to support a motel, gas station, bank and bar. Today only nine children living in the region attend public schools in Truth or Consequences. The youngest is in middle school, the school district says.<\/p>\n<p>But today\u2019s Hillsboro is a vibrant community in its own, unique way. It has largely become a place for retirees and people who can afford second homes: a former New Mexico lieutenant governor and an episcopal priest who was once dean of a branch of the divinity school at Yale University are among the homeowners.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Some residents assert that Hillsboro may be home to more PhDs per capita than Los Alamos County, the home of Los Alamos National Laboratory and one of the highest concentrations of PhDs in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Hillsboro, population 124, and Kingston, population 32, are unincorporated. County government is housed in Truth or Consequences, 31 miles from Hillsboro and 40 miles from Kingston. Residents here have turned a lack of government into a strength by tapping into their collective experience, knowledge and time to build a culture of volunteerism that powers much of what this community does.<\/p>\n<p>A community center, library, historical society and museum are run by nonprofits. There\u2019s a water board and a volunteer fire department. There are concerts and other frequent public events. Residents show off their homes during a holiday tour each year.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Dell likes it that way. The owner of Black Range Vineyards and its tasting room in Hillsboro said formal government decision-making might cause people to divide and fight. The current dynamic forces people to come together and solve problems in a proactive manner.<\/p>\n<p>Jan Haley, another longtime Hillsboro resident, agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe seem to operate very well, and better than communities that have some sort of governmental hierarchy,\u201d she said. \u201cOccasionally there have been controversies\u2026 but for the most part we tend to trust our different volunteer entities to run things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And, she said, people help each other out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very kind of an interdependent community,\u201d Haley said. \u201cWe call each other when we\u2019re going to (Truth or Consequences) and say, \u2018Can I get something for you?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Haley is aware that the aging population of these communities may threaten that existence. \u201cWe need people, even in their 40s or 50s, to come here,\u201d said Haley, who began visiting Hillsboro in the 1990s and eventually bought a home here. These days she and her husband spend 80 percent of their time in Hillsboro, she said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_559798\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-559798\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Community-board-771x510.jpg\" alt=\"Community board\" width=\"771\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Community-board-771x510.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Community-board-336x222.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Community-board-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Community-board-1170x774.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A community message board near the post office in Hillsboro.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>\u2018There\u2019s our social media\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>The companies that provide internet service in Hillsboro all offer roughly the same speed, residents say: fast enough to stream movies, but not in high definition. And with the exception of a few spots in Hillsboro and Kingston where people can pick up a weak Verizon signal \u2014 most notably the cemetery on a hill above Hillsboro \u2014 there\u2019s no cell phone service.<\/p>\n<p>That makes the speed at which people in urban centers consume media, communicate with each other online and conduct business impossible in Hillsboro and Kingston.<\/p>\n<p>During a recent interview at her wine tasting room, O\u2019Dell pointed out the community boards across the street in front of the post office and a shop. Flyers highlight upcoming community meetings and other events.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s our social media,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s part of the draw for many. Several people said they like that those who gather at the wine tasting room, the General Store Cafe or other places are having face-to-face conversations instead of staring at mobile devices.<\/p>\n<p>Still, O\u2019Dell hopes for better internet in Hillsboro. She\u2019s had problems streaming movies and music at her home, and says better connectivity would help her business, particularly through regular use of social media. The wine taproom is one of the few Wi-Fi hotspots in Hillsboro and Kingston, she said, but \u201cthat doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s real good service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Catherine Wanek, the owner of the Black Range Lodge in Kingston, also wants faster internet. She has explored options, including putting a relay tower for a company on her property, but none have materialized. Some residents have opposed Wanek\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n<p>While satellite internet service has improved in Kingston in recent months, speeds \u201cstill do not match the city,\u201d Wanek said, \u201cand I guess we\u2019re willing to live with that limitation.\u201d Still, the lodge built a sound stage last year and started a summer concert series, and Wanek wants fast enough internet to stream those events online.<\/p>\n<p>The former <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0910821\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hollywood screenwriter and assistant director<\/a>, who grew up in Las Cruces, found Hillsboro more than 30 years ago on her honeymoon. Her vision of writing screenplays and filming movies in the area eventually faded. Wanek has instead focused on straw bale construction \u2014 she\u2019s written three books on the topic \u2014 and building the lodge into \u201ca healthy learning and living center as well as just a regular bed and breakfast for people to unwind from the regular urban scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_559794\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-559794\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Wanek1-771x506.jpg\" alt=\"Catherine Wanek\" width=\"771\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Wanek1-771x506.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Wanek1-336x220.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Wanek1-768x504.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Wanek1-1170x768.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catherine Wanek, owner of the Black Range Lodge in Kingston, takes a call on a landline. Wanek likes that cell phones don\u2019t work in the lodge.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>That slower pace is why Wanek is \u201cnot eager\u201d to see better cell phone service in Kingston.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe actually like the fact that cell phones are not ringing in the lodge,\u201d she said. \u201cOne of the benefits of being here is a little bit of disconnection \u2014 not entire disconnection, people still need the internet \u2014 but at least there\u2019s not ringing phones that interrupt conversation. People have told us that\u2019s a real positive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Former N.M. Lt. Gov. Diane Denish started visiting Hillsboro in 1994, the first time she ran for that office. She and her husband Herb made friends here and visited regularly. They bought a home in Hillsboro in 2003 and have been part-time residents ever since.<\/p>\n<p>During her eight-year stint in public office, which ended in 2010, Denish visited Hillsboro when she needed a break from politics. She recalls getting questions from the state police about how to reach her if she was needed. She assured them she had a landline.<\/p>\n<p>Though the internet in Hillsboro is fast enough for Denish\u2019s needs, she said she would welcome better internet \u2014 \u201can absolute necessity\u201d for attracting younger people. But she doesn\u2019t want better cell phone service, and she has opposed such efforts in the past when people have asked her about helping get a cell phone tower in town.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the aesthetics,\u201d Denish explained. \u201cAnd for me, it\u2019s that I don\u2019t want anybody calling me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Haley agrees. She\u2019s OK watching Netflix and HBO without the high-definition quality she could get other places. She\u2019s figured out how to use her cell phone in her home by connecting it to Wi-Fi. She\u2019s fine with her cell phone not working when she\u2019s around town.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the most part I think that people are able to be connected if they want to be,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t want us to stay in the dark ages, but I think that we have a really unique situation here.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_559796\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-559796\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Cemetary1-771x497.jpg\" alt=\"Cemetary\" width=\"771\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Cemetary1-771x497.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Cemetary1-336x217.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Cemetary1-768x495.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Cemetary1-1170x755.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The old cemetery on a hill just south of Hillsboro is the best spot in town to get cell phone reception. Residents sometimes come here to make calls.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Rev. Joe Britton, an Episcopal priest in Albuquerque, first visited Hillsboro on his honeymoon in 1982. He and his wife bought a second home in Hillsboro in 2006. They were living in Connecticut at the time. Britton was dean of the Berkeley Divinity School, the Episcopal seminary at Yale University, where his wife still teaches architectural history.<\/p>\n<p>Hillsboro is \u201ca place to escape to. It\u2019s been a place where we\u2019ve done a lot of writing and it\u2019s a place to catch one\u2019s breath,\u201d Britton said. \u201cI think we have always loved the sense of community that the town has.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For his purposes, Britton said the technological connectivity \u201cworks as is.\u201d But he understands the tenuousness of Hillsboro\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can certainly see that attracting new people to the community might require some better technological connectivity,\u201d he said. \u201cI think long-term that is an issue for Hillsboro, that it needs to be able to renew itself from within. If that means better connectivity, then so be it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The current internet speed in Hillsboro is an impediment to Travis Perry\u2019s work. The biology professor at Furman University in South Carolina spends about half his time in New Mexico researching mountain lions at three sites, including in the Black Range near Hillsboro and Kingston.<\/p>\n<p>He and his wife Megan own a home in Hillsboro. Perry said he loves the location, the small size of the town, and its residents. The only downside, he said, is the internet.<\/p>\n<p>His research involves uploading and downloading hundreds or thousands of photos to a remote server in a session from cameras placed at mountain lion study sites. He\u2019s explored internet options in Hillsboro and currently uses the internet and phone company Windstream, \u201cbut unfortunately, this is likely not fast enough for my needs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis may be a real problem this\u00a0summer as I&#8217;ll have two research students staying at the house in Hillsboro who will be relying on this photo data capture for their work,\u201d Perry said.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Barnes also has issues, but he\u2019s found what for him is an acceptable workaround. The Hillsboro resident <a href=\"http:\/\/bobbarnes.us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">publishes several websites<\/a> about the history of the Black Range and other adventures. He uploads videos to the sharing website Vimeo. He can upload most from Hillsboro. When a file is too large, he puts it on a thumb drive and visits his brother in Deming, who has broadband Internet through Comcast, and uploads the file there.<\/p>\n<p>Faster internet in Hillsboro \u201cwould make a world of difference,\u201d Barnes said. But he used to install fiber optics on transmission lines for a utility company in Oregon, and said he understands the financial challenge of a company recouping the cost of such an investment with so few residents.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_559805\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-559805\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Kingston-771x508.jpg\" alt=\"Kingston\" width=\"771\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Kingston-771x508.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Kingston-336x221.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Kingston-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Kingston-1170x771.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">At the junction of N.M. Highway 152 and Main Street, the primary road through Kingston, a satellite company advertises fast internet.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Government efforts<\/h3>\n<p>Regardless of whether residents want it, the challenge of expanding or improving connectivity in Hillsboro and Kingston could be insurmountable in the short-term.<\/p>\n<p>Corporations often won\u2019t make such investments without government assistance. Verizon has no plans at this time to add coverage in the area around Hillsboro and Kingston, spokeswoman Jeannine Brew said.<\/p>\n<p>New Mexico\u2019s Public Regulation Commission is implementing a program to help companies expand broadband access in rural areas. Starting this year, part of a fee on landline and cell phone bills will be used to create a $5 million fund for that purpose. Companies can apply through a competitive process for money to pay for a portion \u2014 but not all \u2014 of the costs of expanding broadband to unserved or underserved areas.<\/p>\n<p>Windstream, one of the internet providers in Hillsboro \u2014 whose service doesn\u2019t extend nine miles up the road to Kingston \u2014 is interested in the grant money. But don\u2019t expect it to benefit Kingston.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn remote rural areas like Kingston, there is no rational business case for broadband expansion or improvement due to the high cost and inordinately long cost-recovery periods,\u201d said Windstream spokesman Scott Morris.<\/p>\n<p>Even with financial help from the PRC, Morris said, \u201cwe must invest our money where the funds will make the biggest impact at the lowest cost, so that the greatest possible number of people can be served.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other states have built larger funds to assist companies with rural broadband investments, said the PRC\u2019s Jones. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.psc.nebraska.gov\/ntips\/ntips_nusf.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nebraska\u2019s fund is tens of millions of dollars each year<\/a>, Jones said. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cpuc.ca.gov\/casf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California\u2019s is even larger<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Jones said he hopes New Mexico\u2019s initial $5 million investment will benefit a few rural communities and convince the state Legislature to \u201ccommit some real money to it\u201d down the road.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018Remarkable resiliency\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s \u201chard to extrapolate lessons\u201d for most other rural communities from Hillsboro and Kingston because of the unique circumstances here, said Chris Mehl with <a href=\"https:\/\/headwaterseconomics.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Headwaters Economics<\/a> in Montana, a nonpartisan research firm specializing in research and analysis for rural communities in the Western United States.<\/p>\n<p>The tiny populations and the core group of volunteers who power these communities give them the ability, at least currently, to sustain their situation. It\u2019s possible younger retirees and second-home owners will continue to sustain the towns into the future, even without dramatic changes like better technological connectivity. Through word-of-mouth, these towns largely attract people with financial security who aren\u2019t moving for jobs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_559800\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-559800\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/General-store-771x508.jpg\" alt=\"General Store Cafe\" width=\"771\" height=\"508\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/General-store-771x508.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/General-store-336x221.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/General-store-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/General-store-1170x771.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of the main street through Hillsboro, state Highway 152, from the General Store Cafe, one of the community&#8217;s primary gathering spaces.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As Hillsboro and Kingston lose perhaps a few people each year, it only takes a handful of new residents to sustain current levels, Mehl said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a niche, so they have a bond both with the others that are there and they have a bond with the lifestyle,\u201d Mehl said.<\/p>\n<p>But he cautioned that it\u2019s a fragile balance. The loss of a few residents, depending on who they are, could have a dramatic impact. A major event like a fire could unsettle their existence, though Kingston <a href=\"http:\/\/silvercityradio.com\/june-21st-2013-kingston-residents-return-home-silver-fire-44600-acres\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">survived the 2013 Silver Fire<\/a> without losing any structures, and both towns survived flooding that followed, which Mehl called \u201cremarkable resiliency\u201d for such small communities.<\/p>\n<p>Barnes doesn\u2019t seem concerned about the future. He pointed to the reality that as older retirees die new ones tend to replace them.<\/p>\n<p>His own experience may inform his views. Barnes and his wife were driving from Albuquerque to Tucson in 2007 and stopped at a bed and breakfast that was open in Hillsboro at the time to sleep and look at the stars. \u201cWe were enchanted,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was serendipity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next morning they saw a house that was for sale and made an offer before leaving for Tucson. They got the house.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Dell was similarly charmed. She mentioned the artists, writers, musicians and gatherings in Hillsboro and Kingston. When they discovered Hillsboro, she and her husband were living 80 miles south in Las Cruces, where they started NM Vintage Wines in Mesilla. They bought their Hillsboro home in 2006, became full-time residents in 2012 and sold Vintage in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Now O\u2019Dell operates one of Hillsboro\u2019s primary gathering spaces, in a historic building that\u2019s also been a hospital and hotel in its lifetime.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_559792\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-559792\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room3-771x506.jpg\" alt=\"Black Range Vineyards\" width=\"771\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room3-771x506.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room3-336x220.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room3-768x504.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Tasting-room3-1170x768.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Black Range Vineyards tasting room in Hillsboro.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>With that long view of how Hillsboro has changed in mind, O\u2019Dell said time may be its own solution. Young people will move in, she believes. They\u2019ll want better technological connectivity. And these communities will figure out how to address that issue like they have others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019ll change,\u201d O\u2019Dell said. \u201cI really do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>NMPolitics.net depends on financial support from people like you to keep doing in-depth stories like this. Please, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/donate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">make a donation today or sign up to make automatic monthly contributions<\/a>\u00a0to help sustain our work.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether the unique existence in Hillsboro and Kingston can last is an open question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":559791,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[118,3653,3594,238],"class_list":["post-559778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-economy","tag-hillsboro","tag-kingston","tag-technology","series-state-of-change"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=559778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/559791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=559778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=559778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=559778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}