Socorro, New Mexico | |
|---|---|
 Socorro aerial view | |
 Location of Socorro in Socorro County, New Mexico | |
  Socorro, New Mexico Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°03′05″N106°53′18″W / 34.05139°N 106.88833°W /34.05139; -106.88833 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Socorro |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ravi Bhasker[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.46 sq mi (37.46 km2) |
| • Land | 14.45 sq mi (37.43 km2) |
| • Water | 0.012 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,675 ft (1,425 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 8,707 |
| • Density | 602.4/sq mi (232.59/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code | 87801 |
| Area code | 575 |
| FIPS code | 35-73540 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411919[3] |
| Website | www |
Socorro (/səˈkɔːroʊ/,sə-KOR-oh) is a city inSocorro County in theU.S. state ofNew Mexico. It is in theRio Grande Valley at an elevation of 4,579 feet (1,396 m). At the2020 census, the population was 8,707.[5] It is thecounty seat of Socorro County.[6] Socorro is located 74 miles (119 km) south ofAlbuquerque and 146 miles (235 km) north ofLas Cruces.
The instruments used by theLINEAR program are located atLincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site (ETS) on theWhite Sands Missile Range (WSMR) near Socorro, New Mexico.
In June 1598,Juan de Oñate led a group of Spanish settlers through theJornada del Muerto, an inhospitable patch of desert that ends just south of the present-day city of Socorro. As the Spaniards emerged from the desert,Piro Indians of thepueblo ofTeypana gave them food and water. Therefore, the Spaniards renamed this pueblo Socorro, which means "help" or "aid". Later, the name "Socorro" would be applied to the nearby Piro pueblo ofPilabó.[7]
Nuestra Señora de Perpetuo Socorro, the firstCatholic mission in the area, was probably established c. 1626. Fray Agustín de Vetancurt would later write that around 600 people lived in the area during this period.[8] Mines in the Socorro mountains were opened by 1626.[9]
During thePueblo Revolt of 1680, Spanish refugees stopped in the pueblo of Socorro before continuing south, out of the province, to safety. A number of Piro Indians followed them. The withdrawal of Spanish soldiers left Socorro and its Piro inhabitants vulnerable to attack by soldiers fromApache bands and other tribes. By 1692 the settlement was in ruins.[10]
The Spanish did not initially resettle Socorro when they re-conqueredNew Mexico. Other thanEl Paso, there were no Spanish settlements south ofSabinal (which is approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Socorro) until the 1800s.[11] In 1800, governorFernando Chacón gave the order to resettle Socorro and other villages in the area. However, Socorro was not resettled until about 1815.[12] In 1817, 70Belen residents petitioned the crown for land in Socorro.[13] The 1833 Socorro census lists over 400 residents, with a total of 1,774 people living within the vicinity of the village.[14]
The mission ofSan Miguel de Socorro was established soon after Socorro was resettled. The church was built on the ruins of the old Nuestra Señora de Socorro.[15]
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In August 1846, during theMexican–American War, New Mexico was occupied by the American Army. InLas Vegas, New Mexico, ColonelStephen W. Kearny proclaimed New Mexico's independence from Mexico. On their way to begin their assault on Mexico, American troops stopped in Socorro. A British officer, Lt.George Ruxton, commented that these soldiers were "unwashed and unshaven, were ragged and dirty, without uniforms..." and were lacking in discipline.[16]
In September 1850, New Mexico became a territory of the United States. At the time, New Mexico encompassed what is now the states of New Mexico andArizona. In 1850, the population of Socorro was only 543 people. This included 100 American soldiers who were soon moved toValverde.[17]
The first military post built near Socorro wasFort Conrad, 30 miles (48 km) south of the town. Built in August 1851, the fort was badly constructed and was abandoned forFort Craig, located a few miles away. Fort Craig was first occupied on March 31, 1854.[18][19]
The New Mexico and Southern Pacific Railroad (a subsidiary of theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe) arrived in July 1880, as it built south through the Rio Grande valley on its way toward El Paso. Its presence contributed to growth of the community, as it also became a center of mining activity of lead and zinc.[20]
The New Mexico School of Mines (now theNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology) was founded in Socorro in 1889.
On April 24, 1964, Lonnie Zamora, a local policeman, claimed to have observed a flying saucer and two little beings. Zamora's claim is known as theLonnie Zamora incident.
Socorro is located 75 miles (121 km) south ofAlbuquerque, at an average elevation of 4,605 feet (1,404 m). The town lies adjacent to theRio Grande in a landscape dominated by theRio Grande rift and numerous extinct volcanoes. The immediate region encompasses approximately 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of vertical relief between the Rio Grande and theMagdalena Mountains. Notable nearby locales include theCibola National Forest, the Bureau of Land ManagementQuebradas Scenic Backcountry Byway, and theBosque del Apache andSevilletaNational Wildlife Refuges. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37 km2), of which 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2), or 0.21%, is water.
Socorro has acold semi-arid climate (BSk). Summers are hot, reaching 90 °F (32 °C) on an average of 82 days annually. Winters are mild, but nights are cold with 126 days falling to or below freezing per year. The record high temperature of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded on June 26, 1994, while the record low of −16 °F (−27 °C) was recorded on December 21, 1909.
Socorro averages 10.05 inches (255 mm) of annual precipitation, with a peak of 2.43 inches (62 mm) in July.
| Climate data for Socorro, New Mexico, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) | 82 (28) | 91 (33) | 95 (35) | 102 (39) | 109 (43) | 108 (42) | 106 (41) | 102 (39) | 95 (35) | 86 (30) | 81 (27) | 109 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 65.4 (18.6) | 72.3 (22.4) | 81.3 (27.4) | 87.0 (30.6) | 93.8 (34.3) | 100.5 (38.1) | 100.9 (38.3) | 97.7 (36.5) | 93.4 (34.1) | 85.7 (29.8) | 75.0 (23.9) | 66.2 (19.0) | 101.4 (38.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 52.2 (11.2) | 59.2 (15.1) | 67.4 (19.7) | 74.7 (23.7) | 82.7 (28.2) | 91.2 (32.9) | 91.5 (33.1) | 88.9 (31.6) | 83.6 (28.7) | 72.7 (22.6) | 60.5 (15.8) | 50.5 (10.3) | 72.9 (22.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 37.8 (3.2) | 43.6 (6.4) | 50.5 (10.3) | 57.7 (14.3) | 65.8 (18.8) | 74.1 (23.4) | 77.4 (25.2) | 75.1 (23.9) | 68.5 (20.3) | 57.1 (13.9) | 45.5 (7.5) | 37.1 (2.8) | 57.5 (14.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 33.7 (0.9) | 40.8 (4.9) | 49.0 (9.4) | 57.1 (13.9) | 63.3 (17.4) | 61.2 (16.2) | 53.4 (11.9) | 41.5 (5.3) | 30.5 (−0.8) | 23.7 (−4.6) | 42.1 (5.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 11.3 (−11.5) | 14.6 (−9.7) | 18.8 (−7.3) | 27.5 (−2.5) | 35.2 (1.8) | 45.0 (7.2) | 54.8 (12.7) | 52.8 (11.6) | 40.5 (4.7) | 26.7 (−2.9) | 16.2 (−8.8) | 10.3 (−12.1) | 8.2 (−13.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −12 (−24) | −2 (−19) | 0 (−18) | 15 (−9) | 23 (−5) | 35 (2) | 42 (6) | 37 (3) | 27 (−3) | 14 (−10) | −13 (−25) | −16 (−27) | −16 (−27) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.30 (7.6) | 0.28 (7.1) | 0.51 (13) | 0.34 (8.6) | 0.38 (9.7) | 0.42 (11) | 2.43 (62) | 2.09 (53) | 1.34 (34) | 0.94 (24) | 0.45 (11) | 0.57 (14) | 10.05 (255) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 8.7 | 9.2 | 6.5 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 53.7 |
| Source: NOAA[21][22] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 1,272 | — | |
| 1890 | 2,295 | 80.4% | |
| 1900 | 1,512 | −34.1% | |
| 1910 | 1,560 | 3.2% | |
| 1920 | 1,256 | −19.5% | |
| 1930 | 2,058 | 63.9% | |
| 1940 | 3,712 | 80.4% | |
| 1950 | 4,334 | 16.8% | |
| 1960 | 5,271 | 21.6% | |
| 1970 | 5,849 | 11.0% | |
| 1980 | 7,173 | 22.6% | |
| 1990 | 8,159 | 13.7% | |
| 2000 | 8,877 | 8.8% | |
| 2010 | 9,051 | 2.0% | |
| 2020 | 8,707 | −3.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[23][4] | |||
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 8,877 people, 3,415 households, and 2,151 families residing in the city.[24] The population density was 615.8 inhabitants per square mile (237.8/km2). There were 3,940 housing units at an average density of 273.3 per square mile (105.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 66.16%White, 0.74%African American, 2.77%Native American, 2.24%Asian, 0.06%Pacific Islander, 23.24% fromother races, and 4.79% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 54.50% of the population. There were 3,415 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% weremarried couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02. In the City of Socorro 25.4% of the total population was under the age of 18, 16.9% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,530, and the median income for a family was $33,013. Males had a median income of $31,517 versus $23,071 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $13,250. About 24.1% of families and 32.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 44.4% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.
The languages spoken at home were 62.41% English, 35.64% Spanish, 0.90% Chinese, 0.76% German, and 0.36% Navajo.[25]
Major employers in Socorro include theNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NM Tech), theBureau of Land Management, Socorro General Hospital, theNational Radio Astronomy Observatory, municipal and county governments, Socorro Consolidated Schools.
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TheElfego Baca Golf Shoot is named after a former mayor of Socorro who survived a gun battle near what is nowReserve, New Mexico, involving over 4,000 bullets that were fired over the course of 36 hours. The golf shoot begins by teeing off from Socorro Peak, also known as M Mountain, at an altitude of 7,243 feet (2,208 m), golfers proceed down the side of the mountain some 2,550 vertical feet to the one hole almost three miles (5 km) away.[1]
Socorro Consolidated School District has approx. 2,000 students and 285 staff.[26] Socorro has one publichigh school,Socorro High School.
The town is the location of theNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, which is a state-funded research- and teaching-oriented university. New Mexico Tech has approximately 1,500 undergraduate students, 500 graduate students, and 150 academic staff.
Currently, the Summer Science Program in Astrophysics is hosted at New Mexico Tech.
Freight service is provided by aBNSF line fromBelen, New Mexico toEl Paso, Texas. Passenger service ceased in 1968, whenATSF (BNSF’s predecessor) cancelled itsEl Pasoan train.
The Socorro airport, located on the southern edge of the city, received scheduled airline service byContinental Airlines in the early 1950s. ADouglas DC-3 aircraft provided a daily northbound flight to Albuquerque (that went on to Denver after several stops) and a southbound flight to El Paso with stops at Truth or Consequences and Las Cruces. Zia Airlines, a small commuter airline, also made on-demand flag stops at the Socorro airport on their flights between Albuquerque and Las Cruces in the mid 1970s.[27] The airport remains in use as a general aviation facility with several based aircraft.
12 Strong (2018) includes several scenes set in Afghanistan that were recorded in the Socorro area, including several days of filming at M Mountain within theEnergetic Materials Research and Testing Center's bomb range. Fifty extras from Socorro and surrounding areas appeared in several scenes in the film. Filming also took place atWhite Sands National Monument andFort Bliss. During this time, most of the production crew and actors on the film (made with the working titleHorse Soldiers) stayed at hotels in Socorro and ate at local restaurants.Chris Hemsworth was spotted at the Socorro Springs restaurant andNew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology's gym.[28]
Municipalities and communities ofSocorro County, New Mexico,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Village | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Populated places | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
| Other | |
