Artesia, New Mexico

Artesia is a city in Eddy County, New Mexico, centered at the intersection of U.S. Route 82 and 285; the two highways serve as the city's Main Street and First Street, respectively. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,692.

The town assumed its present name in 1903, after the discovery of an artesian aquifer in the area; artesian wells for agriculture flourished in the area until the aquifer became significantly depleted in the 1920s. The city was officially incorporated in 1905.

1 Geography
2 Located in Artesia
3 Demographics
4 External links and sources

[edit] Geography

Artesia is located at 32°50′34″N, 104°24′44″W (32.842744, -104.412315)^GR1, at an altitude of 3380 feet (1030 meters).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.7 km² (8.0 mi²). 20.6 km² (8.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.13% is water.

The Pecos River is about three miles east of Artesia.

[edit] Located in Artesia

Artesia is home to the former Abo Elementary School, identified by One Nation Underground (ISBN 0-8147-7522-5) as the first and most likely only public school which is entirely underground and equipped to function as a fallout shelter. The school, completed in 1962 (the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis), had a concrete slab roof which served as the school's playground. It contained a large storage facility with room for supplies for 2000 people in the event of nuclear warfare. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 and is located at 1802 W Centre Ave.

The city has one of the few residential training sites of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

Artesia has a high-voltage direct current back-to-back station which connects the eastern and western electric grids in Eddy County. This tie, built by General Electric in 1983, can transfer a maximum power of 200 megawatts. The used voltage is 82 kV.

The birthplaces of professional golfer Steve Jones and actress Alexa Havins are located in the city.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 10,692 people, 4,080 households, and 2,896 families residing in the city. The population density was 518.0/km² (1,341.3/mi²). There were 4,593 housing units at an average density of 222.5/km² (576.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.25% White, 1.54% Native American, 1.44% African American, 0.20% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 21.56% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 44.98% of the population.

There were 4,080 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,529, and the median income for a family was $34,598. Males had a median income of $30,085 versus $19,566 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,911. About 15.7% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.

	State of New Mexico
Regions	Central New Mexico \| Eastern New Mexico \| Llano Estacado \| Northern New Mexico \| Sangre de Cristo Mountains \| Southwestern New Mexico
Cities	Albuquerque \| Las Cruces \| Rio Rancho \| Roswell \| Santa Fe
Towns	Alamogordo \| Artesia \| Belen \| Carlsbad \| Clovis \| Deming \| Española \| Farmington \| Gallup \| Grants \| Hobbs \| Las Vegas \| Lovington \| Los Alamos \| Los Lunas \| Portales \| Raton \| Ruidoso \| Silver City \| Socorro \| Taos \| Truth or Consequences \| Tucumcari
Villages	Corrales
Counties	Bernalillo \| Catron \| Chaves \| Cibola \| Colfax \| Curry \| De Baca \| Doña Ana \| Eddy \| Grant \| Guadalupe \| Harding \| Hidalgo \| Lea \| Lincoln \| Los Alamos \| Luna \| McKinley \| Mora \| Otero \| Quay \| Rio Arriba \| Roosevelt \| San Juan \| San Miguel \| Sandoval \| Santa Fe \| Sierra \| Socorro \| Taos \| Torrance \| Union \| Valencia
Colleges	Central New Mexico Community College \| College of Santa Fe \| College of the Southwest \| Eastern New Mexico University \| New Mexico Highlands University \| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology \| New Mexico Military Institute \| New Mexico State University \| St. John's College, Santa Fe \| University of New Mexico \| Western New Mexico University