PRESS
Stories from the Sonoran Desert
From adaptive reuse and creative placemaking to desert landscapes and cultural experiences, the Sonoran Desert Inn & Conference Center offers many stories worth sharing. We invite members of the media to explore our resources, learn more about the Curley Creative Campus, and connect with us for interviews, visits, and press materials.
April 9, 2026
World Atlas
7 Whimsical Towns to Visit in Arizona
Arizona has plenty of small towns that offer everything from vast expanses of sandstone red rock formations to creative local artwork. In Jerome, a former copper boomtown once known as the “Wickedest Town in the West,” old mining history now mingles with bohemian galleries and the dramatic Jerome Grand Hotel perched above town. In Lake Havasu City, the sight of the original London Bridge stretching across the Colorado River brings a wonderfully offbeat twist to the Arizona desert. Below are 7 of the most whimsical and fun towns in Arizona.
April 25, 2025
World Atlas
2025's Most Underrated Towns In Arizona
While visiting the Grand Canyon is a bucket-list experience for people across the globe, many travelers and Arizona natives are looking to expand their horizons in 2025. By opting for more off-the-beaten-track destinations in Arizona’s underrated small towns, travelers can engage in more authentic experiences in place of tourist traps, with the added perk of smaller crowds. From turquoise waterfalls to historic saloons, these towns and their wonders will reveal a vibrant side of Arizona you may not know existed.
December 18, 2019
Market Watch
This trend in shared kitchen spaces is a recipe for success
This former copper town has made a name for itself as an artistic destination, and is also stirring up new possibilities for culinary businesses. Opened in 2015, under the International Sonoran Desert Alliance, the nonprofit Sonoran Desert Inn both accommodates travelers but also partners with local businesses to foster economic development.
July 19, 2019
AZPM
Tourism a growing priority in some rural communities
“The goal was really, one, to meet an affordable housing need; two, to save a really important building; and three, to get a bunch of creatives together in one place. What we’ve seen historically is when you get a critical mass of creatives all together cool things happen. People open coffee shops and galleries,” Aaron Cooper said. Cooper is with the International Sonoran Desert Alliance, a group that works to improve the economy and celebrate the culture of the region.
June 18, 2019
Fox 10 Phoenix
Saguaro fruit harvest teaches native tradition to anyone who wants to learn
At the end of the month, the fruit of the saguaro cactus will be ready to harvest. It's a long-time tradition the people of the Tohono O'odham nation have passed down. Now, a resort in Ajo is allowing anyone who wants to learn about this practice to take part. "People had to go out and harvest in order to survive the winters, which was very lean," said Ajo resident Lorraine Marquez Eiler.
October 29, 2018
Visit the USA
Explore Ajo, Arizona | Street Art & Hiking
Ajo, Arizona, offers small-town charm, great outdoors and art. Begin your day by exploring Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, then discover street art in Artists’ Alley, and enjoy a relaxing stay at the historic Sonoran Desert Inn and Conference Center.
May 2018
The Desert Leaf
About and Around Ajo
Ajo’s transformation from historic mining town to creative desert destination is highlighted in The Desert Leaf Magazine, which spotlights the Curley School Creative Campus and the growing arts community helping shape Ajo’s future. The feature celebrates the town’s unique blend of history, architecture, and artistic energy that continues to draw visitors seeking a meaningful Southwest experience.
August 18, 2017
La Repubblica
Arizona: Beauty and Culture Beyond the Desert
The first stop on the tour is Ajo , a town located in the heart of the spectacular Sonoran Desert, home to a unique, cultured and environmentally conscious community that has made the restoration of the area's original culture a way of life. Ajo's key players in its cultural revival are Stuart and Emily Siegel, two young people who moved to the desert from Boston a few years ago, accepting the challenge of working to revive tourism in a once-mining area now suffering from depopulation.
February 3, 2017
Rider Magazine
Adventure in Southern Arizona: Fine Roads in the Old West
I find an historic public school that has been transformed into The Sonoran Desert Inn and Conference Center. It’s a delightful hotel just off the main drag. After settling into my comfortable, well-appointed room, I walk back to the highway and enjoy a great hamburger and craft beer at the 100 Estrella Restaurant. Ajo has much more to offer than the dot on the map would hint.
March 3, 2016
Diversions LA
Paint the Town Red: Ajo, Arizona and the Sonoran Desert Conference Center
Ajo’s name is just one interesting story in a town filled with them. Here is what could’ve been an abandoned community, revising, renewing, and revitalizing itself when the copper mine that gave it a reason to exist was closed. In the middle of the raw and beautiful desert the sparkling white Spanish-colonial town square and a series of beautiful murals all around town draw the eye like a very pleasant mirage.
February 17, 2026
World Day
This Arizona plaza built by copper barons in 1917 sits empty at dawn
The Sonoran Desert surrounds Ajo on three sides. Mountains frame the plaza. Ajo Peak rises west, Puerto Blanco range spreads south. This preservation exists in near-silence, not in a bustling town. Morning temperatures from October through April hover around 50-70°F. Light turns golden an hour before sunset. *Please note the photo of the plaza in this article is not actually of Ajo's plaza although we appreciate the attention!
February 8, 2023
Country Living
34 Romantic Valentine's Day Getaways for All Sorts in the U.S.
Ajo, AZ: Purpose-built for happiness by town planners, sleepy Ajo is laid out with wide streets and a spacious town plaza surrounded by whitewashed Spanish colonial revival buildings and churches... and one stoplight. Don't come expecting a buzzy scene: this small town in the Sonoran Desert is mainly known as the gateway to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, a pristine desert preserve, and hotspot for birders and nature-lovers who think hiking is a romantic activity.
December 6, 2019
CNN
Ajo, Arizona, is the story of a better America
Take a walk through the oasis of green grass and palm trees in the central plaza of the tiny Sonoran Desert town of Ajo in southwest Arizona. You’re likely to run into a Native American from the Tohono O’odham tribe, a Hispanic from the United States or nearby Mexico, or a white person, whom the whole town refers to as Anglo. These three cultures comprise most of the population of Ajo – and always have.
July 8, 2019
The Atlantic
When Small Towns Take the Big Stage
We admire how Greenville has rebuilt its downtown and Main Street from seedy to spectacular, but how do we do that? Or, Fresno had some creative ideas that had a big impact on its schools, but how can that scale? Or, Ajo, Arizona, came up with a master plan of reinvention that worked for a tiny desert town, but how do we come up with a version that would work for us in the Plains, or on the water, or in Appalachia?
April 29, 2019
New York Times
The Forbidding Reputation and Hypnotic Scenery of the Devil’s Highway
While filling out a permit application to drive El Camino del Diablo — a dirt road that cuts through 130 miles of saguaro-studded desert between Yuma and Ajo, Ariz. — I marveled at the hazards it warned I might encounter along the way, including “permanent, painful, disabling, and disfiguring injury or death due to high explosive detonations from falling objects such as aircraft, aerial targets, live ammunition, missiles, bombs, and other similar dangerous situations.” I might also stumble across warheads embedded in the ground, not to mention rattlesnakes.
June 2018
Arizona Highways
The Ultimate Road Trip
“The concept in Ajo was that you would come in to the train depot. That was the moment of arrival,” says Aaron Cooper, executive director of the International Sonoran Desert Alliance (ISDA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting economic development in the area. “Then you would walk out and see shopping and the churches and the schools, all in one vision, and think, I could see having a family here. As opposed to most of the mining communities at the time, where you would arrive and think, There’s the bar, there’s the brothel, and there’s the bunkhouse. All of those things were still in Ajo. But at least you wouldn’t see them right away.”
January 17, 2018
National Geographic
Inside Arizona: Expert Advice on What to Do and See
Drive south of Gila Bend toward Mexico on Highway 85, and several clues suggest that the approaching town of Ajo is far from typical. At mile marker 29, cell signals begin to fade. By marker 35, wildlife is abundant enough that drivers are cautioned with a WATCH FOR ANIMALS sign. Ajo, surrounded by 12 million acres of federal lands (including the nearby Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument), is no stranger to coyotes, javelinas—and travelers intrigued by its possibilities. As you pull into this Sonoran Desert community, your phone revives, but you’ll be too curious about the town’s revival to pay attention to it.
May 1, 2017
Diversions LA
Ajo Arts Weekend: Splashes of Spring Color in the Sonoran Desert
Ajo, Ariz. is a unique community in transition. A former copper mining community, through the support of the International Sonoran Desert Alliance nonprofit, the town is remaking itself with a community non-profit gallery, beautiful living/working space lofts, and the Sonoran Desert Inn and Conference Center, a former elementary school that is now a unique and beautiful destination inn.
September 17, 2016
Arizona Daily Star
Ajo reinvents itself as arts destination
“We’re creating something that Ajo needs badly,” said Tracy Taft, former executive director of the International Sonoran Desert Alliance, which is spearheading a multipronged project to bring artists and arts events to Pima County’s far-flung town. “Ajo’s only hope for becoming really a flourishing town again is that kind of niche tourism.”
February 12, 2016
CBS LA
Best Romantic Getaways Six Hours Or Less From LA
Perched on the edge of the desert less than a twenty minute drive from the amazing scenery, easy hikes, and great sunsets of Organ Pipe National Monument, the center is located in the charming town of Ajo, just six hours from LA. High ceilings, plush bedding, industrial-chic style, and cozy javalina-shaped pillows are just a few of the pluses in their expansive rooms. In addition, a beautiful walk in their courtyard with a fire pit, an easy stroll into the historic town plaza, and stellar star gazing are all part of the picture here.
May 5, 2025
Newsbreak
15 of the Best Small Towns in the Southwest for Exploring National Monuments
Exploring the Southwest has always been a passion of mine, especially when it involves discovering the charm of small towns nestled near breathtaking national monuments.
There’s something magical about experiencing the grandeur of nature while immersing myself in the local culture and history of these places. From ancient cliff dwellings to stunning desert landscapes, each town offers its own unique gateway to natural wonders waiting to be explored.
Join me as I count down my top 15 favorite small towns in the Southwest that serve as perfect bases for adventuring into some of the most remarkable national monuments the region has to offer.
October 21, 2020
PBS Newshour
Arizona mining town reinvents itself as an arts destination
Once known primarily for copper mining, Ajo is reimagining itself as a vibrant arts community in the Sonoran Desert. This PBS NewsHour feature highlights the town’s creative revival, showcasing how artists, community leaders, and the Curley Creative Campus are helping shape a new chapter for Ajo as a cultural destination in the Southwest.
August 6, 2019
MisAdventures with Andi
Ajo Arizona – Our Summer Experience in Ajo at the Sonoran Desert Inn
Ajo Arizona was once a bustling little town on the Southern Arizona and Mexico border. For multiple generations, there had been a copper mine and the town was built to support the miners. It was a model-planned community with pretty pre-fab houses and a Spanish colonial town square. The town planners sought to keep the miners and their families happy and satisfied. But in 1985, union disputes broke out, copper prices plummeted and the mine closed overnight leaving 1000s of people without work. Families moved away and the town was practically abandoned.
July 6, 2019
The Chautauquan Daily
Siegels Share Revitalization Efforts, Challenges Faced in Small Border Town
Emily and Stuart Siegel, directors of the Sonoran Desert Inn & Conference Center, joined James Fallows for Week Two’s interfaith lecture theme, “Common Good Change Agents,” with a discussion of their work in the small town of Ajo, Arizona. Their lecture was titled “How Many Shrimp Tacos Does it Take to Save an Impoverished Former Mining Town?”
May 2019
American Motorcyclist
Brutal Beauty: Riding Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
After a short ride back toward the main entrance to the park, I made the turn to the east onto the 21-mile, clock wise, one-way loop that climbs into the Little Ajo Mountain Range. The same ominous warning signs greeted me at the start of this portion of my figure-eight trek.
May 3, 2018
Livability
How an Arizona Mining Town Reinvented Itself as an Arts Community
In an alley in southwestern Arizona, less than 40 miles from the border with Mexico, murals tell stories of community pride, nations divided and the humbling beauty of the Sonoran Desert. Tucked into 12 million acres of wilderness, the tiny town of Ajo is the kind of place that locals affectionately refer to as the somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
September 13, 2017
Arizona Daily Mix
Travel to Ajo
Ajo, Arizona is often overlooked or is completely unknown, but its beauty and historic significance make it a perfect vacation spot for people ready to escape Phoenix. The non-profit Sonoran Desert Inn is within walking distance of the town Plaza, and hosts group events like conferences, retreats, reunions, and weddings. So the next time you think you’re ready for a little trip to get away from it all, think about visitng Ajo. You won’t be disappointed!
April 28, 2017
USA Today
Paint the Town Red: Ajo, Arizona and the Sonoran Desert Conference Center
Ajo, a quiet, isolated community in southwestern Arizona, bested some tourism heavyweights to finish atop USA Today's 10Best Reader's Choice Best Southwestern Small Town poll, according to results revealed April 28.
May 9, 2016
Rocky Point Times
The Sonoran Desert Conference Center Celebrates One Year in Ajo!
Last spring, we announced in these pages the opening of a new inn and conference center in Ajo. Its location – just north of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and under two hours from Rocky Point – make it a wonderful destination and an ideal stopping point for travelers to Mexico. Now a year old, this new business is thriving and growing every day.
2015
Southern Arizona Guide
Ajo, AZ: A Small Town With A Big Back Yard
First, the town of Ajo is worth a good walkabout. Most of the town, and in particular the central plaza, was created by John Campbell Greenway to be a good place for his New Cornelia miners to raise their families. Visitors can pick up a walking tour map/brochure at the Visitor Center located at the old train depot.