Deming is a city in
Luna County-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*77.7% White*1.1% Black*1.3% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.6% Two or more races*16.8% Other races*61.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located 60 miles (97 km) west of
Las CrucesLas Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. The population was 14,116 at the
2000 censusThe Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. Deming is the
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and principal town of Luna County.
History
The city, founded in 1881 and incorporated in 1902, was an important
port of entryIn general, a port of entry is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has a staff of people who check passports and visas and inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. International airports are usually ports of entry, as are road and rail crossings on a...
on the US-Mexican border until the
Gadsden PurchaseThe Gadsden Purchase is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that was purchased by the United States in a treaty signed by James Gadsden, the American ambassador to Mexico at the time, on December 30, 1853. It was then ratified, with changes, by the U.S...
of 1853. A
nicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
was given to the city at the time of its founding, "New Chicago". It was expected that with the surge of railroad usage, that the city would grow drastically and resemble Chicago, Illinois.
Deming is named after Mary Ann Deming Crocker, wife of
Charles CrockerCharles Crocker was an American railroad executive.-Early years:Crocker was born in Troy, New York, to a modest family and moved to an Indiana farm at age 14. He soon became independent, working on several farms, a sawmill, and at an iron forge. In 1845 he founded a small, independent iron...
, one of The Big Four of the railroad industry. The Silver Spike was driven here in 1881 to commemorate the meeting of the
Southern PacificThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
with the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa FeThe Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
railroads. This was the second
transcontinental railroadA transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
to be completed in the United States.
There are numerous ancient
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
sites around Deming. The Mimbres and
Casas GrandesCasas Grandes is the contemporary name given to a pre-Columbian archaeological zone and its central site, located in northwestern Mexico in the modern-day Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is one of the largest and most complex sites in the region...
cultures made
potteryPottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
of remarkable quality, and the Deming area is (or was) rich in native pottery artifacts...as well as beads, stone implements, stone carvings, graves, etc.
Geography
Deming is centered at 32°15′40"N 107°45′21"W (32.261137, −107.755857), in the
Basin and RangeThe Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region defined by a unique topographic expression. Basin and Range topography is characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid valleys or basins...
Province.
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24.2 km²). The city is surrounded by land that appears flat, with wide rubble aprons around the nearby mountains and imperceptible grades in various directions.
The
Mimbres RiverThe Mimbres River is a river in southwestern New Mexico. It forms from snow pack and runoff on the south-western slopes of the Black Range and flows into a small endorheic basin east of Deming, New Mexico. The uplands watershed are administered by the US Forest Service, while the land in the...
floods the Deming area once a decade or so, in periods of unusually heavy rainfall in the
Cooke's RangeThe Cookes Range is a small 17-mi long, mountain range in the north of Luna County, New Mexico. The north of the range extends slightly north into southeast Grant County...
and
Black RangeThe Black Range is an igneous mountain range running north-south in Sierra and Grant counties in west-central New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. Its central ridge forms the western and eastern borders, respectively, of the two counties through much of their contact...
to the north.
Deming and its surrounding area is underlain by an
aquiferAn aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
of good-quality water. The aquifer is slowly recharged primarily by water from the mountains to the north. The water usually has a high
sulfurSulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
content.
In the late 1960s, Select Western Lands Inc. ran full-page ads for land in Deming in
The Saturday Evening PostThe Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
. The ads proclaimed "Your Own Ranchette Only $299, Only $5 a Month", for a half-acre. Up to 2 acre (0.809372 ha) were offered, those for "$1196. Only $15 a month."
Climate
Deming is located within the Upper
Chihuahuan DesertThe Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
climate zone. The climate is dry, hot, and breezy. Winters are mild, with occasional snow that usually melts within a day or two. Summer temperatures often exceed 100 °F (37.8 °C), but the altitude (4000 ft / 1219 m) and dry air make summer days more comfortable than one would expect given the high temperature.
Most precipitation occurs as
thunderstormA thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s and showers during the July–September
monsoonMonsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
period. Minor flooding sometimes occurs over large areas of flat ground. There are periods lasting from 5 to 20 years of relatively wet or dry years. Springtime is often windy, and during dry years dust storms can be severe—sometimes lasting for days. Snow is likely to fall in winter, but usually melts in a day or two. Temperatures in winter are sometimes below freezing at night, but winter days are generally mild and sunny.
Flora and fauna
The Chihuahuan Desert is very diverse in both plants and animals. There are numerous species of
wildflowerA wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s that grow naturally depending on rainfall, but the
natural landscapeA natural landscape is a landscape that is unaffected by human activity. A natural landscape is intact when all living and nonliving elements are free to move and change. The nonliving elements distinguish a natural landscape from a wilderness. A wilderness includes areas within which natural...
is dominated by
creosote bushLarrea tridentata is known as Creosote bush as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and as "gobernadora" in Mexico, Spanish for "governess," due to its ability for inhibiting the growth of nearby plants to have more water. In Sonora, it is more commonly called "hediondilla." It is a flowering...
, honey
mesquiteMesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
, and
soaptree yuccaThe Soaptree yucca is a perennial plant in the genus Yucca. It is native to southwestern North America, in the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert in the United States , and northern Mexico .This plant grows from 1.2-4.5 m tall, with a sparsely branched trunk...
. Numerous species of
cactusA cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
are common on and around the many small mountain ranges nearby.
Jack rabbits and
cottontail rabbitThe cottontail rabbits are among the 16 lagomorph species in the genus Sylvilagus, found in the Americas.In appearance, most cottontail rabbits closely resemble the wild European Rabbit...
s are common, as are
kangaroo ratKangaroo rats, genus Dipodomys, are small rodents native to North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form: as they hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, although they are not related...
s and other small rodents. With such abundant, easy-to-spot small animal prey,
hawkThe term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s and
buzzardA buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
s are often flying overhead.
CoyoteThe coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s can often be heard at night.
PorcupinePorcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
s and
skunkSkunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
s are common.
SongbirdA songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
s,
sparrowThe sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s,
jayThe jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex...
s,
crowCrows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s, and
roadrunnerThe roadrunners are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, native to North and Central America...
s are abundant.
RattlesnakeRattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
s,
bullsnakeThe bullsnake ' is a large non-venomous colubrid snake, widespread in the central part of the United States, northern Mexico, and southwestern Saskatchewan and Alberta Canada. It is currently considered a subspecies of the gopher snake '...
s, and several other snake species are to be found.
DeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
,
bearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, sheep, and even
parrotsThe Thick-billed Parrot, Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha is an endangered, medium-sized, up to 38 cm long, bright green parrot with a large black bill and a red forecrown, shoulder and thighs...
can be found in some of the nearby mountains.
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 14,116 people, 5,267 households, and 3,628 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,512.0 people per square mile (583.5/km²). There were 6,192 housing units at an average density of 663.2 per square mile (256.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.66% White, 1.37% Native American, 1.23% African American, 0.48% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 24.19% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.07% from two or more races. 64.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 5,267 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was: 30.9% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.
The
medianIn probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
income for a household in the city was $20,081, and the median income for a family was $23,030. Males had a median income of $25,379 versus $16,462 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $10,943. About 28.5% of families and 32.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.4% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Deming's
economyAn economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
is based on transportation, real estate, agriculture, energy, retirement, tourism, and the
United States Department of Homeland SecurityThe United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
.
Deming is the only major stop on
Interstate 10Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
between
Lordsburg-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,379 people, 1,220 households, and 854 families residing in the city. The population density was 403.1 people per square mile . There were 1,414 housing units at an average density of 168.7 per square mile...
, 60 miles (96.6 km) west, and
Las CrucesLas Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
, 60 miles (96.6 km) east. Deming is also the closest major town to
Silver CitySilver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 10,545. It is the county seat of Grant County. The city is the home of Western New Mexico University.-History:...
, 50 miles (80.5 km) north, and it provides access to Chihuahua,
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, via the village of
Columbus, New MexicoColumbus is a village in Luna County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,765 at the 2000 census. The town is named after 15th century explorer Christopher Columbus.-History:...
, 25 miles (40.2 km) to the south. Deming also sits astride one of the major railroad lines linking the East Coast with the West Coast. (via the Southern Route)
In 2006, this city's role in the American homeland security expanded. Deming's
industrial parkAn industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
became the home of a Border Patrol training center, a 10 acres (4 ha)
forward operating baseA forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, or other facilities. The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported...
named Border Wolf that supports
Operation Jump StartOperation Jump Start was a plan to aid U.S. Customs and Border Patrol , announced by President George W. Bush in May 2006. It included the deployment of United States National Guard troops along the Mexico–United States border. The mission entailed enforcement of border security and construction...
.
Movies and television
Since 1953, several motion pictures have been filmed in Deming, most notable being one of the
Indiana JonesColonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
Movies, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", and "
Gas Food LodgingGas Food Lodging is a 1992 movie directed by Allison Anders about a waitress trying to find romance while raising two daughters in a trailer-park. It stars Brooke Adams, Ione Skye, and Fairuza Balk. The film was adapted from the novel Don't Look and It Won't Hurt by Richard Peck...
".
Deming's Railroad Depot was featured in The History Channel's series, "Mega Movers", where the historical site was lifted from its previous location on the railroad and moved.
Transportation
Airports
- Deming Municipal Airport
Deming Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Deming, a city in Luna County, New Mexico, United States.-Facilities and aircraft:...
, formerly Deming Army Air FieldDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in New Mexico for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
, is now private and charter.
- El Paso International Airport
El Paso International Airport is a public airport located four miles northeast of the central business district of the City of El Paso, in El Paso County, Texas, USA....
, nearest public airport with scheduled passenger flights, 108 miles (174 km) east of Deming.
Major highways
Train
- Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Sunset LimitedThe Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental...
and Texas EagleThe Texas Eagle is a 1306-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the central and western United States. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California, 2728 miles total, three days a week...
routes stop at Deming Train StationThe Deming, New Mexico is located at 400 East Railroad Avenue in Deming, New Mexico. It was built in 1881, and lies between a Union Pacific and BNSF Railway right-of-way...
.
Attractions
The Deming Luna Mimbres museum, housed in the historic Deming Armory (1916) and Customs House , features a world class collection of
MimbresMimbres may refer to:* Mimbres culture , a subdivision of Mogollon culture* Mimbres pottery, a particular style of pottery decoration from the Mimbres culture* Mimbres Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area in southwestern New Mexico...
Indian painted pottery, historic period-furnished rooms in the Seaman Fields House, an
antique autoIn the United States, an antique car is generally defined as a car over 45 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. The antique car era includes the veteran...
collection, a restored
Harvey HouseHarvey House may refer to:*One of many hotels of the Fred Harvey Company in the U.S. west, which include :*La Posada Hotel and Gardens, in Winslow, Arizona, a contributing property in NRHP-listed La Posada Historic District, in Navajo County...
restaurant, a doll collection, as well as a geological section and many more displays.
Nearby are City of Rocks State Park, with interesting volcanic rock formations, and
Rockhound State ParkRockhound State Park is a state park of New Mexico, USA, located southeast of Deming. It is named for the abundance of minerals in the area, and visitors can search for quartz crystals, geodes, jasper, perlite, and many other minerals...
, offering mineral & rock collecting opportunities.
The Great American Duck Race is held every year on the 3rd weekend of August. It features wet and dry duck race tracks, hot air balloon show, a Tournament of Ducks Parade, with a carnival and a variety of vendors setting up their wares in the Courthouse Square and surrounding property.
Notable residents
- Deming is the birthplace of the songwriter Nacio Herb Brown
Nacio Herb Brown was an American writer of popular songs, movie scores, and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s.-Biography:...
, the musician/author/photographer/designer Craig Anthony PerkinsCraig Anthony Perkins is a musician, composer, record label owner and producer, photographer, filmmaker, author and designer from Los Angeles who is most known for his designer toy figure the Broken Heart Robot and his music project jido-genshi.Perkins is an autodidact who is self taught in music,...
, and the actor/musician Robert Vega.
- Among Deming's current residents is the musician and songwriter Max Crook
Maxfield Doyle Crook is an American musician, a pioneer of electronic music in pop. He probably remains best known as the featured soloist on Del Shannon's 1961 hit "Runaway", which he co-wrote and on which he played his own invention, the Musitron...
, who co-wrote Del ShannonDel Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...
's hit song "Runaway"Runaway" was a number-one Billboard Hot 100 song made famous by Del Shannon in 1961. It was written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, and became a major international hit...
".
- Hillary Floren, Miss New Mexico 1992 and anchor of KVIA's "Good Morning El Paso" on abc called Deming home from 1980 to 1992. She still frequents Deming, visiting friends and family.
External links