Mora County | |
|---|---|
 Mora County Courthouse in Mora | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNew Mexico | |
 New Mexico's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°01′N104°56′W / 36.02°N 104.94°W /36.02; -104.94 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Mexico |
| Founded | February 1, 1860 |
| Named after | Mora, New Mexico |
| Seat | Mora |
| Largest village | Mora |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,934 sq mi (5,010 km2) |
| • Land | 1,931 sq mi (5,000 km2) |
| • Water | 2.3 sq mi (6 km2) 0.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,189 |
| • Density | 2.2/sq mi (0.84/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | countyofmora |
Mora County (Spanish:Condado de Mora) is acounty in theU.S. state ofNew Mexico. As of the2020 census, its population was 4,189.[1] Itscounty seat is thecensus-designated place (CDP)Mora.[2] The county has another CDP,Watrous, a village,Wagon Mound, and 12 smallerunincorporated settlements. Mora became a formal county in the US, in what was then theNew Mexico Territory, on February 1, 1860.[3] Ecclesiastically, the county is within theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe.[3] County population peaked at about 14,000circa 1920, declining to about 4,000 to 5,000 since the 1970s; the 2018 estimate was 4,506.
Prior toSpanish conquest, the Mora area was Native American country. Although not an area of heavy settlement by stationary tribes such as thePuebloans, the Mora Valley was often used by nomadic nations, including theUte,Navajo, andApache.[citation needed]
Hispano settlers had occupied lands within the Mora Valley without legal title sinceGovernorJuan Bautista de Anza ofNuevo México (then under the authority of theSpanish Empire) made peace with theComanches in the late 18th century, opening up the east side of theSangre de Cristo Mountains for settlement.[4] The Mora Valley then became a travel way for various Spanish explorers and others. It was not permanently inhabited by colonists until the early 19th century. The written history of the settlement of Mora dates toChristian missionary church building in 1818,[3] three years beforeMexican independence from Spain.
The creation of theMora Land Grant by the Mexican government of New Mexico in 1835 began the legal and extensive settlement of the county.[4] The settlers came primarily fromLas Trampas, but also fromPicuris andEmbudo,[5] then fromSanta Cruz de La Cañada,Taos, and theOjo Caliente area, and later still from the southern part of New Mexico, moving on from theSan Miguel del Vado Land Grant, and also coming in viaLas Vegas, New Mexico.[3] The families each received a strip of property by a September 28, 1835,land grant ofCentralist Republic of Mexico Governor of New MexicoAlbino Pérez.[4] The grant gave land title for over 800,000 acres (1,250 square miles; around 323,800 hectares, or 3,200 km2) in Mora Valley[6] to various families willing to relocate; estimates vary from 25[6] to 76[4] families.
When theRepublic of Texas seceded from Mexico on March 2, 1836, it claimed, but did not actually control eastern New Mexico, including what is now Mora County. The town of Mora was raided unsuccessfully in 1843 by a group offreebooters from the more narrowly defined Republic of Texas, on the pretext of stoppingcattle rustling, but with a clear intent ofhorse theft and taking the local women and children asslaves. Theannexation of Texas by the United States on February 19, 1846, and US GeneralStephen W. Kearny's taking ofSanta Fe, New Mexico, in August of that year, made these lands subject to American control under theKearny Code and theUS provisional government of New Mexico, but the area remained in the minds of many long-term residents part of the Republic of Mexico under PresidentSanta Ana.
During theMexican–American War, beginning on April 25, 1846, much of New Mexico including Mora County was subject to themilitary occupation of United States undermartial law. During theTaos Revolt of the war, Mexican nationalist Hispano and Puebloanmilitia fought theUnited States Army, repelling a small force in theFirst Battle of Mora on January 24, 1847, only to endure the village and surrounding ranches, farms, and crops being burned to the ground in theSecond Battle of Mora on February 1, effectively ending active rebellion in the area. The provisional government's first legislature met on December 6, 1847, beginning American civil government in the region.
The Mexican–American War ended February 3, 1848, with Mora Valley and rest of the region then under formal US control, as theMexican Cession of theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo relinquished all claims by Mexico to lands north of theRio Grande. Still claimed by state of Texas until theCompromise of 1850, theNew Mexico Territory, with smaller boundaries, was formalized on September 9 of that year.
A US Army installation,Fort Union, was built in 1851 in Mora Valley. It encroached on 8 square miles of private lands of the Mora Grant for its entire span of operation, without permission of or compensation to the local land owners. This led to a protracted legal controversy, reaching all the way to the General Land Office, the Secretary of War, and the US Congress;[7] Nevertheless, the nearby fort and its garrison provided a stable source of income to local farmers, and severalgrist mills were founded in Mora, including a successful one opened in 1855 by regional trader and Taos Revolt US volunteer cavalry veteranCeran St. Vrain. The US county of Mora was established in the territory on February 1, 1860.[3] A church was built in the Mora Valley village ofChacon in 1864,[3] reflecting additional settlement into the area. The Mora Grant / Fort Union land dispute was exacerbated in 1868 by an order of PresidentAndrew Johnson that established a government timber reservation that encompassed 53 more square miles the private grant land (the entireTurkey Mountains subrange of the Sangre de Cristos). After being rebuilt twice, the fort eventually closed in 1891, still without restitution to land owners, despite the Kearny Code, Hidalgo Treaty, and other agreements supposedly guaranteeing continuity of Spanish and Mexican land-grant rights.
New Mexico (with reduced land area) became the 47th US state on January 6, 1912, despite concerns in Congress that the population was insufficiently assimilated into American culture, especially after an influx of Mexican refugees from 1910 onward, fleeing theMexican Revolution. These newcomers mostly settled far south of Mora County, though it remained primarily Spanish-speaking, as it was still largely populated by the same, now-expanded, families who had settled the area three-quarters of a century earlier). On February 21, 1916, Special Master William E. Gortner sold off unallotted common lands of the Mora Grant to the State Investment Company and Edward B. Wheeler in an auction at the door of the San Miguel County Courthouse.[8][9] Without access to the grazing and timbering lands, many residents sought work outside Mora.[8]
In April 2013, Mora County became the first county in the United States to ban oil and gas drilling on public and private lands.[10][11]
The moderncounty seat, Mora, is a census-designated place, and consists of four neighboring settlements and threeplazas.
According to theUS Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,934 square miles (5,010 km2), of which 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) (0.1%) are covered by water.[12] The highest point in the county is thesummit of Truchas Peak at 13,102 feet or 3,993 metres.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 5,566 | — | |
| 1870 | 8,056 | 44.7% | |
| 1880 | 9,751 | 21.0% | |
| 1890 | 10,618 | 8.9% | |
| 1900 | 10,304 | −3.0% | |
| 1910 | 12,611 | 22.4% | |
| 1920 | 13,915 | 10.3% | |
| 1930 | 10,322 | −25.8% | |
| 1940 | 10,981 | 6.4% | |
| 1950 | 8,720 | −20.6% | |
| 1960 | 6,028 | −30.9% | |
| 1970 | 4,673 | −22.5% | |
| 1980 | 4,205 | −10.0% | |
| 1990 | 4,264 | 1.4% | |
| 2000 | 5,180 | 21.5% | |
| 2010 | 4,881 | −5.8% | |
| 2020 | 4,189 | −14.2% | |
| US Decennial Census[13] 1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15] 1990–2000[16] 2010[17] | |||
As of the2000 census,[18] 5,180 people, 2,017 households, and 1,397 families lived in the county. Thepopulation density was 3 people per square mile (1.2 people/km2). The 2,973 housing units had an average density of 2 units per square mile (0.77/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 58.88% White, 0.10% African American, 1.14% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 36.97% from other races, and 2.80% from two or more races; 81.64% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
Of the 2,017 households, 31.2% had children under 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were not families. Of all households, 26.90% were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county, the population distribution was 26.7% under 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county wasUS$24,518, and for a family was $27,648. Males had a median income of $24,483 versus $18,000 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $12,340. About 20.9% of families and 25.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 25.9% of those under 18 and 18.40% of those 65 or over.
As of the2010 census, 4,881 people, 2,114 households, and 1,295 families resided in the county.[19] The population density was 2.5 inhabitants per square mile (0.97 inhabitants/km2). There were 3,232 housing units at an average density of 1.7 units per square mile (0.66 units/km2).[20] The racial makeup of the county was 70.9% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 23.5% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 81.0% of the population.[19] In terms of ancestry, and 0.8% wereAmerican.[21]
Of the 2,114 households, 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.7% were not families, and 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 46.0 years.[19]
The median income for a household in the county was $37,784 and for a family was $42,122. Males had a median income of $42,992 versus $42,630 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,035. About 10.5% of families and 11.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.[22]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 1,010 | 40.61% | 1,439 | 57.86% | 38 | 1.53% |
| 2020 | 903 | 33.62% | 1,745 | 64.97% | 38 | 1.41% |
| 2016 | 665 | 27.24% | 1,536 | 62.93% | 240 | 9.83% |
| 2012 | 595 | 22.79% | 1,955 | 74.88% | 61 | 2.34% |
| 2008 | 569 | 20.62% | 2,168 | 78.55% | 23 | 0.83% |
| 2004 | 928 | 32.84% | 1,876 | 66.38% | 22 | 0.78% |
| 2000 | 668 | 30.49% | 1,456 | 66.45% | 67 | 3.06% |
| 1996 | 561 | 23.43% | 1,646 | 68.76% | 187 | 7.81% |
| 1992 | 668 | 27.59% | 1,555 | 64.23% | 198 | 8.18% |
| 1988 | 923 | 36.27% | 1,601 | 62.91% | 21 | 0.83% |
| 1984 | 1,017 | 44.47% | 1,235 | 54.00% | 35 | 1.53% |
| 1980 | 1,037 | 43.48% | 1,274 | 53.42% | 74 | 3.10% |
| 1976 | 904 | 38.29% | 1,438 | 60.91% | 19 | 0.80% |
| 1972 | 1,165 | 50.26% | 1,135 | 48.96% | 18 | 0.78% |
| 1968 | 1,155 | 50.97% | 1,069 | 47.18% | 42 | 1.85% |
| 1964 | 1,014 | 40.13% | 1,509 | 59.72% | 4 | 0.16% |
| 1960 | 1,349 | 48.06% | 1,458 | 51.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,736 | 58.47% | 1,233 | 41.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 1,849 | 56.61% | 1,413 | 43.26% | 4 | 0.12% |
| 1948 | 1,893 | 55.08% | 1,541 | 44.84% | 3 | 0.09% |
| 1944 | 1,783 | 55.56% | 1,425 | 44.41% | 1 | 0.03% |
| 1940 | 2,440 | 55.44% | 1,960 | 44.54% | 1 | 0.02% |
| 1936 | 2,259 | 47.81% | 2,460 | 52.06% | 6 | 0.13% |
| 1932 | 1,444 | 32.77% | 2,962 | 67.21% | 1 | 0.02% |
| 1928 | 1,998 | 52.62% | 1,799 | 47.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 2,197 | 50.90% | 2,087 | 48.35% | 32 | 0.74% |
| 1920 | 2,478 | 52.89% | 2,179 | 46.51% | 28 | 0.60% |
| 1916 | 1,590 | 51.16% | 1,505 | 48.42% | 13 | 0.42% |
| 1912 | 1,022 | 43.83% | 1,002 | 42.97% | 308 | 13.21% |
Mora County has voted for the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in every election since 1976; prior to that, it leaned Republican.
School districts:[24]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Places adjacent to Mora County, New Mexico | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofMora County, New Mexico,United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||
| International | |
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