Los Alamos is aSpanish place name that typically refers to poplar orcottonwood trees. Alternatively,Los Alamos could refer to the large groves ofquaking aspen that intersperse the coniferous forest on the mountainsides above the townsite, where they are distinctly visible in the autumn due to their spectacularautumn colors.[5][6][7]
The entrance to Los Alamos was guarded at the Main Gate during the Manhattan Project.Los Alamos post office, built in 1948
The ruins ofPuebloan settlements, such as those in nearbyBandelier National Monument andTsankawi, and numerous other sites such ascliff dwellings indicate that the area has been inhabited during various eras since around 1150 AD. The first settlers on the plateau are thought to beKeres-speaking Native Americans around the 10th century. Around 1300,Tewa settlers immigrated from the Four Corners Region and built large cities but were driven out within 50 years byNavajo andApache raids and by drought.
In the late 19th century,homesteaders used the land for ranching. About 1899, a road had been blasted up one of the canyons onto the Pajarito Plateau fromBuckman (on the narrow-gaugeChili Line railroad) for the harvesting of timber, which in turn made the Plateau more accessible.[8] Homesteaders built simple log cabins that they lived in only during warm weather to feed livestock. Many of the homesteaders later moved down to the warmerRio Grande Valley. In 1917, homesteader Harold H. Brook sold part of his land and buildings to Ashley Pond II, a businessman from Detroit who founded theLos Alamos Ranch School. The area was used to teach young men basic ranching and other outdoor survival skills.
In 1943, duringWorld War II, theUnited States Department of War exercisedeminent domain over the Ranch School and all remaining homesteads in the area so that the relatively isolated location could be used for the secretiveManhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons.[9] Facilities for research and development were quickly built and scientists and engineers from all over the world were assigned to the project; all information about the town and project was held secret from the public. Los Alamos was referred to under the code name "Site Y" by military personnel and was known only as "The Hill" by many in nearby Santa Fe.
Los Alamos was originally built as aclosed city accessible from the outside world only through two gates.[10] The project's location was a tightly guarded secret. All employees recruited to work at Los Alamos were given a memorandum instructing them to travel to Santa Fe and report to theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers office at 109 East Palace Avenue.[11] There,Dorothy McKibbin gave newcomers the necessary documentation to get through security checkpoints (initially, letters signed byJ. Robert Oppenheimer, and later security passes), along with specific directions to the Hill.[12] The project was further concealed by using the mailing addressPO Box 1663, Santa Fe, N.M.[13] All incoming truckloads were falsely labeled as common items to conceal the nature of their contents, and military officials censored outbound correspondence by those working and living in Los Alamos.
Not until after thebombing of Hiroshima in 1945 was information about theManhattan Project released to the public, announced by the White House at 11 am on 6 August. A set of press releases were given out over three days.[14]
In the years after World War II, the laboratory was formally established as a research government facility under the civilian control of theU.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and is now known asLos Alamos National Laboratory. In 1957, the AEC pulled back the security perimeter to the laboratory and opened up the town to visits by the general public. The first visitor to enter the town that year without a permit from the federal government was New Mexico GovernorEdwin L. Mechem.[15] The AEC was later succeeded by theU.S. Department of Energy.
Los Alamos served as the setting for much of the 2023 filmOppenheimer,[16] but mostly for interior scenes.[16] The town's appearance had changed drastically since the 1940s, so the filmmakers arranged for the construction of a set based on 1940s-era Los Alamos atGhost Ranch and filmed exterior scenes there.[16]
Los Alamos is in northern New Mexico, between the Rio Grande and the eastern rim of theValles Caldera on the Pajarito Plateau, about 35 mi (56 km) northwest ofSanta Fe. The elevation at the post office is 7,320 feet (2,230 m) and total land area is 11.14 square miles (28.9 km2).
The Los Alamos Townsite and White Rock are on flatmesa tops separated by steep canyons known aspotreros. This location was chosen for its relative inaccessibility to help protect the secret activities of the Manhattan Project.
The town of Los Alamos was built on four potreros—Barranca Mesa, North Mesa, Los Alamos Mesa, and South Mesa—along with the connecting communities at the base of the mountain.Los Alamos National Laboratory occupies half of South Mesa, Two Mile Mesa, Frijoles Mesa, Mesita de Buey, and several nearby areas in the region (in the valleys and at the base of the mountain). White Rock lies at the top of White Rock Canyon.
Much of Los Alamos County is within the Española Ranger District of theSanta Fe National Forest.
Los Alamos has ahumid continental climate (Dfb)[17][18] with four distinct seasons. Summer days are moderately warm in the 70s°F (20s°C), but reach 90 °F (32 °C) on only 5 days per year on average.
Climate data for Los Alamos, New Mexico, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1918–present
Los Alamos's wildlife and vegetation are diverse compared to surrounding areas. "The variation in elevation creates precipitation and temperature gradients that support a wide diversity of plant communities".[21] There are six differentplant communities in the county; each is home to uniqueflora andfauna.[21]Ponderosa pine trees are the most common trees at the elevation of Los Alamos (7,000 and 8,000 feet (2,100 and 2,400 m)). Common shrubs in the area includesagebrush,Gambel oak, andwild rose.[21]
Wildfires have affected the county, but the most destructive to the townsite was theCerro Grande Fire of 2000, which caused an estimated $1 billion in damages and destroyed more than 400 homes. The CDP was evacuated for eight days. TheFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) built temporary housing on North Mesa for those who were displaced by the fire. Though there was no loss of life, other effects include damage to LANL facilities (nuclear material was not affected), flash-flooding, and erosion.
TheLas Conchas Fire of 2011[24] burned about three times as many acres and also prompted evacuation of Los Alamos, but there was no damage to property in Los Alamos.[25] It was the largest recorded wildfire in New Mexico until theWhitewater-Baldy complex fire in 2012.[24][26]
Over 2,000 sites in the area have been determined to have been affected by past activities at LANL. These sites have been identified throughout the county, and are primarily (but not exclusively) on DOE property. Contaminated sites vary widely in significance. Corrective action and environmental restoration has been deemed necessary for certain areas; LANL takes part in this process.[32] Some residents have voiced concern about a lack of public participation and opportunity to comment on the cleanup schedule and funding.[33]
Of the 5,653 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18; 50.4% were married couples living together; 22.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 32.4% of households consisted of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[35] The average household size was 2.2 and the average family size was 2.9.[39] The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 50.6% of the population.[40]
22.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males.[35] For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 97.6 males.[35]
The 2016-2020 5-yearAmerican Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $114,034 (with a margin of error of +/- $9,349) and the median family income was $139,184 (+/- $15,168).[41] Males had a median income of $83,875 (+/- $7,095) versus $57,000 (+/- $11,331) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $72,606 (+/- $8,291).[42] Approximately, 3.2% of families and 4.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.2% of those under the age of 18 and 3.6% of those ages 65 or over.[43][44]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 12,019 people with apopulation density of 1,078.7 inhabitants per square mile (416.5/km2).[45] The median age is 40 years.[citation needed] 24.8% of the people are under the age of 18, 4.8% are ages 18 to 24, 29.2% are ages 25 to 44, 28.2% are ages 45 to 64, and 12.9% are ages 65 years or older.[citation needed] For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males.[citation needed]
Los Alamos is demographically unique compared to its surrounding counties and the state as a whole. Over 35% of the population of surrounding counties (Rio Arriba,Santa Fe, andSandoval) and the state are Hispanic or Latino, while only about 20% of Los Alamosans are Hispanic or Latino. The white and especially the Asian populations of Los Alamos are significantly higher than in the rest of New Mexico.[45]
George Kistiakowsky, chemist and designer of shaped implosive charges. He was also an avid skier who used implosive rings to fell trees for development of the Sawyer's Hill ski area near Los Alamos.
Emil Konopinski, American physicist of Polish descent, worked with Edward Teller.
John Henry Manley, physicist and later executive secretary of the general advisory committee for theAEC. Returned to Los Alamos and remained there for the rest of his life.
J. Carson Mark, Canadian mathematician, joined the Manhattan Project in 1945 and was involved with development ofthermonuclear weapons. He remained in Los Alamos for the rest of his life.
Joseph Laws McKibben, physicist and engineer; designer of theair muscle. Remained in Los Alamos for the rest of his life.
Edwin McMillan, physicist and recipient of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Nicholas Metropolis, Greek-American physicist and computer pioneer. Returned to Los Alamos in 1948 and again in 1965, remaining there for the rest of his life.
J. Robert Oppenheimer, theoretical physicist and first director of the Los Alamos Laboratory.
Deak Parsons, Navy Captain (later Rear Admiral); Robert Oppenheimer's second in command.
Louis Slotin, physicist and chemist; died from radiation poisoning at Los Alamos in May 1946.
Edward Teller, Hungarian-American theoretical physicist sometimes called "father of the hydrogen bomb."
James L. Tuck, British physicist specializing inshaped charges. Returned to Los Alamos in 1949, researchingthermonuclear fusion for power generation, for which he developed thePerhapsatron. Retired from LANL in 1972 but remained in Los Alamos for the rest of his life.
Stanislaw Ulam, Polish-American mathematician. Remained a consultant with LANL for many years after the Manhattan Project, with a home in nearby Santa Fe for the rest of his life.
John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist, a frequent non-resident visitor working with Stan Ulam.
Michelle Lujan Grisham, current governor of New Mexico and former U.S. congresswoman, born in Los Alamos
Ed Grothus, machinist and technician at LANL, later peace and anti-nuclear activist and proprietor of the Los Alamos Sales Company, known as "The Black Hole"
Los Alamos's geography lends itself to several sports and recreational activities. There is an extensive system of trails in the canyons and into the mountains above the town, catering to all skill levels of running, hiking andmountain biking. The Aquatic Center is an indoor, Olympic-length public swimming pool with a therapy pool and lazy river. A public 18-hole golf course (par 72, 6500 yards) has existed since 1947.
Winter sports include skiing at the community-ownedPajarito Mountain Ski Area on 10,440 ft. Pajarito Mountain[51] between November and April. The county maintains New Mexico's only refrigerated,NHL regulation, outdoorice skating rink on the sun-shaded floor of Los Alamos Canyon, almost beneath the Omega Bridge; the rink has existed since the Ranch School days.Snowshoeing andcross-country skiing are possible atValles Caldera National Preserve and other locations, weather permitting.
Los Alamos hosts several sporting events:
Tour de Los Alamos (road cycling race)
Pajarito Punishment (mountain-biking race)
Los Alamos Triathlon (Los Alamos Junior Triathlon)
DirectorChristopher Nolan shot scenes fromOppenheimer in Los Alamos in March 2022,[52] filming at locations including the historic Fuller Lodge, Oppenheimer's house, Civilian's Women's Dormitory,[53] and United Church.[54] The production sought approximately 450 local background talent[55] for the film, including real local scientists.[56]
Ian Donnelly, a character played byJeremy Renner in the 2016 filmArrival, is a theoretical physicist from Los Alamos.
Tiger Eyes is a 2012 film based onJudy Blume's 1981 young adult novel of the same name. This was the first major motion picture adaptation of any of Blume's books, which have sold more than 82 million copies in 41 countries.[57] Several outdoor scenes were shot in and around Los Alamos.
The Atomic City is a 1952 Americanfilm noir spythriller film aboutH-bomb secrets that was the firstfeature film shot in Los Alamos, during the period that the community was still closed to the public at large. Scenes include the East Gate and its tower (some inside the building), and documentary footage of laboratory interiors, with workers’ faces redacted. Filming was also done at the nearbyPuye Cliff Dwellings.[58]
Manhattan, two series aired in 2014–15 about life in the city during Project Y. Not intended to be historically accurate but inspired by its history, with mostly fictional characters, though it does reference historical persons.
Los Alamos Public Schools provides publicKindergarten through high school education (5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school:Los Alamos High School[59]). The graduation rate, as of 2021, is 93.3%, in comparison to New Mexico's 76.9% rate and America's average rate of 85%.[60]
The median household income in Los Alamos is $98,458, and per capita income is $54,067. Income is significantly higher than the rest of New Mexico.[45] Los Alamos has the highest millionaire concentration of any US city, with 12.4% of households having at least $1 million in assets.[61] This is a result of chemists, engineers, and physicists working at LANL since the Manhattan Project.[62] Only 6.6% of people are below the poverty line, one-third the rate of New Mexico.[45] As of 2015, there were no homeless people.[63]
There are 5,249 households and an average household size of 2.23 people. There are 5,863 housing units, and the median value of owner-occupied housing units is $281,500. Median gross rent is $921.[45]
31.4% of households have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% aremarried couples living together, 6.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% are non-families. 29.8% of all households are made up of individuals, and 7.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older.[citation needed]
Los Alamos National Laboratory is the area's largest employer with approximately 10,500 employees, and is foundational to Los Alamos's economy, with an annual budget of about $2.45 billion. About 40% of the laboratory's employees live in Los Alamos, while the remainder commute from Santa Fe, Española, Taos, and Albuquerque. About 66% of the people who work in the national laboratories commute daily to the lab; some take the Atomic City Transit, Rail Runner Express, use the Park and Ride, or carpool with other employees.[64]
Los Alamos is relatively isolated, and can only be accessed from NM 4 from the south and NM 502 from the east.
NM 502 sees significantly more traffic because it connects with US 84/285, which delivers access to several Pueblo communities between Española and Santa Fe. Approximately 10,000 commuters use NM 502 daily. NM 502 begins atPojoaque, and traversesSan Ildefonso Pueblo and theRio Grande.
There are three access roads between White Rock and Los Alamos—Main Hill Road (NM 502), Jemez Road, and Pajarito Road. Since theSeptember 11 attacks, Pajarito Road has been restricted to LANL badge holders for security reasons.
Los Alamos County Airport, on the town's eastern edge, is the county's only airport. The main source of activity is from small private aircraft, with intermittent commercial commuter service.
Santa Fe Regional Airport is a 43-mile drive south of Los Alamos and serves regional flights to Dallas/Ft Worth, Houston, Denver, and Phoenix.
The 47-bed acute-care facility known asLos Alamos Medical Center is Los Alamos's only hospital and is aLifePoint Health hospital. The hospital provides "complete medical, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric, emergency, and diagnostic services"[71] and employs about 300 Northern New Mexicans.[71]
Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico (MANNM) is a group of medical providers that offers family medicine, internal medicine, cardiology, nephrology, radiology, and endocrinology among its many services.[72]
During theCold War, workers at LANL were in contact with radiation and other toxins, causing many of them illness. A nonprofit organization calledCold War Patriots provides these workers and their families with information about the healthcare benefits available to them.[73]
In 2016, a collaboration was initiated between the County of Los Alamos, the Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Feynman Center for Innovation and Community Relations and Partnerships Office to open a private, nonprofit coworking space called ProjectY cowork Los Alamos,[74] which helped create educational programs and resources for entrepreneurs and remote workers.[75]
^Jensen, Barbara."The Lure of the Hardy Aspen at Bandelier National Monument".Western National Parks Association. RetrievedSeptember 5, 2024.... The prolonged moisture necessary to the reproductive success of quaking aspen (populus tremuloides) is long absent here. ...
^Pettit, Roland A:Los Alamos Before the Dawn, Pajarito Publications 1972.
^Nichols, Kenneth (1987).The Road to Trinity: A Personal Account of How America's Nuclear Policies Were Made. New York: William Morrow and Company. p. 202.ISBN0-688-06910-X.
^abcFoxx, Teralene; Craig, Martin; Dorothy, Noonan (2016).Plants of the Jemez Mountains, Volume 1. Los Alamos, NM: All Seasons Publishing. pp. 1–3.ISBN978-0-963-90407-2.
^abTravis, James R. (October 1992).Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Los alamos County, New Mexico. Los Alamos:Los Alamos National Laboratory. pp. 2–3, 14, 51, 71, 87, 101, 145, 177.
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