Hatch, New Mexico | |
|---|---|
 Hatch Municipal Building, June 2009 | |
 Location withinDoña Ana County andNew Mexico | |
  Hatch, New Mexico Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:32°38′54″N107°12′31″W / 32.64833°N 107.20861°W /32.64833; -107.20861 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Doña Ana |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.07 sq mi (7.94 km2) |
| • Land | 3.00 sq mi (7.78 km2) |
| • Water | 0.062 sq mi (0.16 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,062 ft (1,238 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,539 |
| • Density | 512.2/sq mi (197.75/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code | 87937 |
| Area code | Area code 575 |
| FIPS code | 35-31820 |
| GNIS ID | 2413557[2] |
| Website | villageofhatch.org |
Hatch is a village inDoña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,648 at the2010 census. The town is experiencing moderate growth, along with its outliers ofSalem,Arrey,Derry, andRincon. Hatch is widely known as the "best chile place in the World," for growing a wide variety of peppers, especially theNew Mexican cuisine staple, and one of New Mexico's state vegetables, theNew Mexico chile.
Hatch was originally established by New Mexican farmers in 1851 along the road between theJornada del Muerto andCooke's Wagon Road, northwest of theSan Diego Crossing untilApache raids drove them away. In 1853Fort Thorn was constructed to protect the area from similar raids,[4] and the settlement was reestablished. The fort closed in 1859, and the town was abandoned again in 1860 in the face resumed raiding.[4][5] In 1875, the area was reoccupied, this time named "Hatch" forEdward Hatch, who was then of the militaryDistrict of New Mexico .[6]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), all land.
The village is located just offInterstate 25, about 40 miles (64 km) northwest ofLas Cruces, and approximately 80 miles (130 km) northwest ofEl Paso, Texas.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 364 | — | |
| 1940 | 822 | 125.8% | |
| 1950 | 1,064 | 29.4% | |
| 1960 | 888 | −16.5% | |
| 1970 | 867 | −2.4% | |
| 1980 | 1,028 | 18.6% | |
| 1990 | 1,136 | 10.5% | |
| 2000 | 1,673 | 47.3% | |
| 2010 | 1,648 | −1.5% | |
| 2020 | 1,539 | −6.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8][3] | |||
It is part of theLas CrucesMetropolitan Statistical Area.
As of thecensus[9] of 2000, there were 1,673 people, 538 households, and 402 families residing in the village. The population density was 540.2 inhabitants per square mile (208.6/km2). There were 635 housing units at an average density of 205.0 per square mile (79.2/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 46.03%White, 0.36%African American, 0.96%Native American, 0.24%Pacific Islander, 50.03% fromother races, and 2.39% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 79.20% of the population.
There were 538 households, out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% weremarried couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11, and the average family size was 3.63.[citation needed]
In the village, the population was spread out, with 35.7% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $23,819. Males had a median income of $21,923 versus $17,188 for females. Theper capita income for the village was $14,619. About 28.5% of families and 34.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 50.1% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.[citation needed]
The Hatch Chile Festival[10] is an annual event that occurs eachLabor Day.[6] This event attracts people worldwide to a place known as the chile capital of the world. The small town has accommodated up to 30,000 people for this event. This small farming community is known worldwide for raising renowned chiles. By 2012, Hatch chiles were being marketed under their name in most major urban markets in the US. Other crops such asonions,cotton, andcorn are also raised there.Irrigation of local farms is accomplished by wells pumping ground water along with surface waterirrigation ditches. These divert water from theRio Grande and two lakes approximately 20 mi (32 km) north of Hatch named Caballo (Spanish for "horse") andElephant Butte Reservoir (named after a rock formation in the middle of the lake that looks similar to an elephant).
Hatch is 40 mi (64 km) northwest ofLas Cruces, New Mexico, onInterstate 25, and 34 mi (55 km) south ofSpaceport America, a new purpose-builtspaceport being built by theNew Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) withstate and county funding.[11] In 2012, the NMSA announced it would be building a spaceport visitor center in Hatch.[12]
Hatch Valley Public Schools is the local school district.[13]
Hatch is served bySouth Central Regional Transit District, with services toLas Cruces to the south andTruth or Consequences to the north.[14]
TheSouthwestern Railroad passes through Hatch.
Municipalities and communities ofDoña Ana County, New Mexico,United States | ||
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