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About Taos

Known throughout New Mexico and beyond for its breathtaking landscape, cultural significance and outdoor opportunities, Taos, “the soul of the southwest,” is a town of roughly 6,000 that’s located 70 miles north of Santa Fe.

The centuries-old Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community that’s designated as both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark with its famous multi-story adobe buildings. The natural scenery, dominated by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, has drawn artists and novelists for decades, served as the backdrop to famous films, and is home to world-class skiing at Taos Ski Valley.

Community partner

UNM-Taos HIVE — the hub for internet-based vocations and education. HIVE’s mission is to support connecting rural Taoseños and neighboring northern New Mexico communities to online careers and the digital economy, while also supporting small business innovation and providing an entrepreneurial support center. UNM-Taos HIVE is a community-wide, cross-class movement for career training and job creation that is committed to socially responsible development, equity, and opportunity and access for all.

”HIVE” is a public-private partnership between UNM-Taos, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Inc., Taos Community Foundation, FatPipe New Mexico, Northern Area Local Workforce Development Board , and the town of Taos. Together, these organizations are addressing economic and workforce development in their community that supports Taos’ rich heritage and community values.

HIVE’s core strategies are education, entrepreneurship, and engagement. Educational programming provides career training for a digitally skilled workforce, with stackable career credentials that prepare them to enter the online workforce or open a small business. HIVE provides both workforce development and job creation, with a resource center for scalable tech start-ups and small businesses with dedicated resources and mentors available to guide them on their journey.

HIVE’s coworking space, in partnership with FatPipe NM, provides a collaborative environment and culture where students, business professionals, and entrepreneurs share best practices and social interaction, essential threads in Taos’ centuries-old cultural fabric.

What RIN means to Taos

“UNM-Taos HIVE was selected in 2020 to be a cohort of the Center of Rural Innovation. This has been an incredible opportunity. We are now a part of a family of rural communities, learning and leveraging best practices towards developing a digital economy. The training and resources provided by the CORI team has been instrumental in fortifying our core strategies and supporting the development of alternative pathways for digital empowerment. Our journey has just begun, and we look forward to what the future holds.”

Rose Reza, UNM-Taos HIVE

Explore our Network

Today, these local leaders are focused on educating and training local residents in digital skills (especially those traditionally excluded from the tech industry), employing them in new economy jobs, and empowering them to launch startups that will drive a prosperous 21st-century economy. Diverse in geography, economic origin, and demographics, these communities represent the full spectrum of rural America.