Socorro, NM
Population 8,707 (2020 Census)
Month Year visit: March 2023
Small Town Vibe blog article link: Socorro, NM: University town with two craft breweries (smalltownvibe.org)
Observations: Socorro is a university town (NM Tech) with a beautiful campus. It has a traditional historic plaza with a renovated gazebo. Several businesses (2 microbreweries, an ice cream shop, a bakery and a gift shop) are located around the plaza, but also quite a few deserted buildings. During our Saturday afternoon visit, the gazebo seemed to be a hang-out for a couple of locals. Other area buildings house various social services.
It is interesting to note that the two craft breweries are located quite close to each other – are they in competition? It may be too soon to tell. But in our experience, places with multiple options for dinner/drinks/events complement each other and draw more people – and do not compete for the same group of people! Given this is a college town, an energetic and community-centric downtown (or in this case, Plaza area) can be a real draw (see Mesilla for an example).
Online Research
The local chamber of commerce seems to be inactive, although there is a city-sponsored tourist visitors center adjacent to the plaza area - funded by a city hotel tax.
Socoro has a an impressive Town walkability score of 68 (Biking score is 71). This relatively high walkability score from the team at Walk score acknowledges that dining, groceries, shipping, parks, schools, and culture/entertainment are generally within a walkable and/or biking distance within the town boundaries. The AARP Livability Index is 43, siting topics around community engagement, neighborhoods and general opportunities.
Overall Livability Score: 43 (click image for more details)
The school and plaza are less than 2 miles apart. The proximity made us wonder if there have been efforts around a revitalization project in the Plaza that includes a tie to the University - which seems like it could be valuable from many perspectives. I couldn't find any online evidence of programs (nonprofit, gov't, local, etc) that was taking on these challenges, but suspect they exist. I would love to talk with some local leaders to learn more.