Long-time Morenci residents know the city as a good place to live. The benefits are many, including a good school system, three parks, a public library, tree-lined streets, social and service clubs, a variety of churches—even the small-town rarity of a movie theatre.

All of those assets and more are understood and enjoyed by residents, but if a group of developers, real estate agents, and school and city officials have their way, a lot more people who learn about Morenci as a quality place to live.

Several people met last month to discuss the promotion of the city’s housing opportunities—homes to cover a range of income levels, from the first-time buyer looking for an older starter home to the new residences constructed on the former middle school land to the buy looking to spread out onto a larger lot in the Silver Creek subdivision.

The best plan, the group decided, was to cover all the bases and tie housing choices in with the school, the industrial park and all other facets that make up the quality of life that Morenci residents enjoy.

We applaud the group’s efforts. Obviously, everyone in the community will benefit from some residential growth.

The main challenge now is to keep effort alive while riding out economic hardships. Lay-offs in Hudson and Fayette. A plant closing in Archbold. A struggling industry in Morenci. Continued regional layoffs from automotive manufacturers.

The economic news in this part of the country is not good. We hope these downturns will be balanced by the new industrial investment coming here and the major expansion of another Hudson industry. When the regional economy finally improves, Morenci will be poised to take advantage.