Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

By Tim Murrell

Occupying a small sliver of the New Mexico apportionment to the Chihuahua Desert lies the nation’s first solely commercial spaceflight facility, Spaceport America, world headquarters for Virgin Galactic. Sir Richard Branson, Virgin’s adrenaline-driven pilot, is racing to become the first to offer commercial spaceflight. Flights on Virgin’s SpaceShipTwo are expected to be available as early as 2010 with estimated out-of-world experiences beginning at $200,000 per person; a hefty price tag to enjoy the benefits of membership in the sixty-eight-mile-high club.

The Spaceport facility is being funded through state and local tax dollars, to the extraterrestrial tune of $225 million. Design plans are established, yet only the hanger and a launch pad have been completed. And it’s only after a lonely 30-mile dirt drive from the Spaceport’s sparsely developed site that you reach its closest civilization, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico — population 7,289. This is the same town that renamed itself after that quirky game show back in the 1950s. And what gives Truth or Consequences, locally referred to as T or C, its unique character and charm are its inter-earth offerings that come in the form of numerous artesian hot springs. Long before game shows and Spaceports, Native Americans would gather at these springs, considering it neutral ground amongst battling tribes; a place where one could come to heal and relax.

In reality, how many places in the country can you market both inner-earthly delights and out-of-atmosphere experiences in the same vacation? So begins the transition for T or C, one that puts this sleepy town’s future to the test.

Taking a walk around T or C today reminds one of how the
Old West must have felt when riding in on horseback, taking in a hot spring soak and finally hangin’ the chaps and spurs up in the local hotel. While not many horses and riders gallop through town today, in recent years a local art market has diversified the tourist economy while furthering T or C’s mission to relax the travelers’ mind and soul. A small local grocery (Bullocks) keeps locals cupboards stocked and a few restaurants and motels make T or C resemble what it must have decades ago; quiet and historic but with that “come-yawl” mentality. But like any hip Western community, development continues to knock at the door.

The Spaceport is not the area’s only new project. Nearby, Turtleback Mountain Resort and its 18-hole championship golf course, together with the Hot Springs Motorplex (an 8,500-acre NASCAR and off-road speedway park) spell mucho terra firma-based changes for the area’s population and open space. Those who have lived in T or C for any great length of time, as has Mayor Lori Montgomery, find its close-knit community to be one of its greatest strengths. “We have a small-town feel that is complimented by a plethora of hot springs, top-notch community facilities and quick access to the state’s largest lake (Elephant Butte).”

The Mayor has also observed the negative aspects of becoming a popular tourist destination. “In the past five years, out-of-state land speculators have purchased property and buildings sight unseen and increased property values in doing so.” Lori brings her point home with the scariest five-word phrase in the West: “Our first Wal-Mart has arrived.”

Truth or Consequence’s front-row seat to new development will not be easily launched into space. Mindy Ybarra, Executive Director of Sierra County Economic Development states, “It’s really how smart we grow that will preserve our character and benefit our economic future.”

In general, it seems locals are split on the benefits of bringing additional tourist dollars into town. Truthfully, the disagreement for commercialism of T or C started when its name was changed from then—“Hot Springs.” The obvious sell-out was such a point of contention that many locals decided to incorporate a new town directly next door, Williamsburg, as a way to protest. While Williamsburg still exists today, most locals still call the area Truth or Consequences, though a recent effort to change the name back to Hot Springs has gained some ground.

But while speculators have arrived and the buzz of development is present, the citizens and leadership of T or C do have some breathing room to gather and refine their strategies for preserving community character and strengthening their economic base. Remember, it won’t be until 2010 when Branson and his band of inter-stellar developers officially put this town on the intergalactic map. MG