Raton, NM
Population 6,041 (2020 Census)
Month Year visit: March 2023
Small Town Vibe blog article link: Raton, NM: historic downtown with ale, coffee, and big plans (smalltownvibe.org)
Observations: We arrived downtown after dark and saw the downtown all lit up with lights and quite a few cars on the block near the Colfax Ale house. The next morning (Sunday) we drove through downtown again and it seemed fairly deserted. There were lots of beautiful historic buildings which generally looked in good shape, but got the impression that many did not have active businesses. We did not see any businesses obviously open on a Sunday morning. We also noted that many businesses didn't have prominent signage on the front of the buildings, so it was not obvious what businesses were housed in what buildings.
Online research
I did not find an active Raton Chamber of Commerce but did find a business toolkit and an Economic Development page on the city government website.
In my reading, I learned that there is a significant recognition of the fact that historic downtown Raton is full of economic and community potential. Having driven through the downtown, the historic building stock was readily apparent. On the Raton City website, I found many references to Raton's Economic Development plans.
Grow Raton - mission is to be a catalyst for community and economic development in the Greater Raton Area
Raton MainStreet: The Heart of Downtown – community member mission is to improve the quality of life in Raton by revitalizing their downtown area
Economic Development Strategic Plan – city government webpage that includes a Strategic Plan, Comprehensive Plan, and a downtown master plan (dated 2015).
Intrigued, I browsed the downtown master plan. It is quite comprehensive and includes an area history, a reference to community involvement in the process, and an asset inventory of the physical condition.
To better understand the business community, I searched online and found that the Raton Chamber of Commerce is inactive per a 9/6/2020 FB posting.