Varelas came to Hope from Durango, Mexico, five years before Fletcher, in 1976. He walked some 200 miles with his father across the U.S.-Mexico border to work a cattle ranch north of town.

Hope 'grows on you,' says Bill Fletcher, who arrived in 1981 with no intention of staying, but is now the town's mayor. Hope, New Mexico: A small town where unlikely events ruined big ambitions ...

Hope, New Mexico, is one of many towns with the same name across the country that USA TODAY visited to discuss hopes, fears, politics and the future. More for You.

Get Hope, NM current weather report with temperature, feels like, wind, humidity, pressure, UV and more from TheWeatherNetwork.com.

Everyone we talked to here in Hope, New Mexico, seemed to have a story of the town's history. Their stories all had one thing in common – resilience. Steering population growth.

Everyone we talked to here in Hope, New Mexico, seemed to have a story of the town's history. Their stories all had one thing in common – resilience. Steering population growth.