Our Community

Concho, Arizona is a small rural town with a population of about 3,000 people. Our large open space is filled with clean air, unpolluted water and clear skies. There is an abundance of natural beauty, teeming with wildlife and mountain views.
Although we pride ourselves on our natural beauty, the distance between residents has many members of our community feeling isolated from services and community life.

Our People:

Concho’s residents are predominantly White and Hispanic. Our community is comprised of independent, self-sufficient, resourceful individuals. Many Concho residents are artisans and crafters, cottage industry workers and organic farmers, though the majority of our residents live below the poverty line.

Our Strengths:

As a community we enjoy large open space, and sky as well as clean air and water. There is an abundance of wildlife and natural beauty. 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.

Our Challenges:

Although we pride ourselves in our natural beauty, the widespread nature of the town has created some challenges for us. Many residents feel isolated. With no local governance, lack of community pride is a significant issue. There is no public transportation system, requiring that many of our residents must drive far distances every day just to get to work. Most of our residents have homes that are on non-maintained dirt roads, where there is little or no electric, phone, water or service lines, and no Internet access. We have few services available to us, such as shopping, medical and government services so we must travel to neighboring towns. In some instances, our residents must travel 50 miles to get to the closest hospital.

Our Communities for All Ages:

Concho Communities for All Ages is a coalition of various organizations, businesses and individuals who have come together to overcome the challenges that face the Concho community. As a group we are helping to organize and promote local businesses and want to bring more resources to our community. The Communities for All Ages team focuses on developing community leadership, civic engagement and economic development for all ages in Concho. Our core team is now comprised of Concho CAN! board members, with some outside collaboration and support from community organizations and institutions. Concho Elementary School is our most involved collaborator.