Concho is a rural town in Arizona with about 3,000 residents. As a community we enjoy large open space, and sky as well as clean air and water. There is an abundance of natural beauty, wildlife and mountain views. While there is a center of town, most residents live spread throughout its 600 square miles of land. Since our community is so spread out, our strengths lie in the resourcefulness and creativity of our residents. Many residents are artisans and crafters, cottage industry workers and organic farmers. Although we pride ourselves on our natural beauty, the widespread nature of the town has posed some challenges. There is no public transportation and few services available (including government, shopping and medical). During our community assessment, many residents discussed feeling isolated from services and community life.
Our Communities for All Ages team has been working to leverage the resourcefulness and creativity of residents of all ages to bring more resources to our town and decrease the experience of isolation. Our efforts have focused on resident leadership development, civic engagement and economic development. Vital, positive changes in our community have included the establishment of a local community center, the only place in the community (so far!) where people of all ages can come together, and a monthly newsletter that provides widely dispersed residents a mode of communication with each other.