Rio Arriba County is a
countyA county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
located in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. As of 2000, the population was 41,190. Its
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
is
Tierra AmarillaTierra Amarilla is a small unincorporated town near the Carson National Forest in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the county seat of Rio Arriba County.-Geography:...
.
According to the
U.S. 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the county has a total area of 5,896
square mileThe square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
s (15,271 km²), of which, 5,858 square miles (15,171 km²) of it is land and 38 square miles (100 km²) of it (0.65%) is water. The highest point in the county is the summit of Truchas Peak at 3 993m (13,102').
The county acquired its present proportions after the creation of
San Juan CountySan Juan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is part of the Farmington, New Mexico, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 113,801. Its county seat is Aztec.-Geography:According to the U.S...
and other adjustments.
- Taos County, New Mexico
Taos County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of 2000, the population was 29,979. Its county seat is Taos.-Geography:According to the U.S...
- east
- Mora County, New Mexico
Mora County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of 2000, the population was 5,180. Its county seat is Mora.-Geography:According to the U.S...
- southeast
- Santa Fe County, New Mexico
Santa Fe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The county is also defined by the US Census Bureau as the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 129,292, making it New Mexico's third most populous county. The 2007 estimate for the...
- south
- Los Alamos County, New Mexico
Los Alamos County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. In 2000, its population was 18,343. The Class H county/municipality was administered exclusively by the U.S. federal government during the Manhattan Project, but now has equal status to New Mexico's other counties. The seat of...
- south
- Sandoval County, New Mexico
Sandoval County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The population was estimated at 113,772, a 25.6% increase from the population of 89,908 recorded at the 2000 census. The county seat is Bernalillo. It is part of the Albuquerque, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical...
- south
- San Juan County, New Mexico
San Juan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is part of the Farmington, New Mexico, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 113,801. Its county seat is Aztec.-Geography:According to the U.S...
- west
- Archuleta County, Colorado
Archuleta County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the county population was 12,386 in 2006, a 25.14% increase since U.S. Census 2000...
- north
- Conejos County, Colorado
Conejos County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 8,400 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is the unincorporated town of Conejos.- History :...
- north
- Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers and is administered by the United States Forest Service...
(part)
- Santa Fe National Forest
The Santa Fe National Forest is a protected national forest in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States. It was established in 1915 and covers 1,567,181 acres . Elevations range from 5,300 feet to 13,103 feet at the summit of Truchas Peak, located within the Pecos Wilderness...
(part)
- Valles Caldera National Preserve (part)
The county was one of nine originally created for the Territory of New Mexico in 1852.
Rio Arriba County is a
countyA county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
located in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. As of 2000, the population was 41,190. Its
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
is
Tierra AmarillaTierra Amarilla is a small unincorporated town near the Carson National Forest in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the county seat of Rio Arriba County.-Geography:...
.
Geography
According to the
U.S. 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the county has a total area of 5,896
square mileThe square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
s (15,271 km²), of which, 5,858 square miles (15,171 km²) of it is land and 38 square miles (100 km²) of it (0.65%) is water. The highest point in the county is the summit of Truchas Peak at 3 993m (13,102').
The county acquired its present proportions after the creation of
San Juan CountySan Juan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is part of the Farmington, New Mexico, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 113,801. Its county seat is Aztec.-Geography:According to the U.S...
and other adjustments.
Adjacent counties
- Taos County, New Mexico
Taos County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of 2000, the population was 29,979. Its county seat is Taos.-Geography:According to the U.S...
- east
- Mora County, New Mexico
Mora County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of 2000, the population was 5,180. Its county seat is Mora.-Geography:According to the U.S...
- southeast
- Santa Fe County, New Mexico
Santa Fe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The county is also defined by the US Census Bureau as the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 129,292, making it New Mexico's third most populous county. The 2007 estimate for the...
- south
- Los Alamos County, New Mexico
Los Alamos County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. In 2000, its population was 18,343. The Class H county/municipality was administered exclusively by the U.S. federal government during the Manhattan Project, but now has equal status to New Mexico's other counties. The seat of...
- south
- Sandoval County, New Mexico
Sandoval County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The population was estimated at 113,772, a 25.6% increase from the population of 89,908 recorded at the 2000 census. The county seat is Bernalillo. It is part of the Albuquerque, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical...
- south
- San Juan County, New Mexico
San Juan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is part of the Farmington, New Mexico, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 113,801. Its county seat is Aztec.-Geography:According to the U.S...
- west
- Archuleta County, Colorado
Archuleta County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the county population was 12,386 in 2006, a 25.14% increase since U.S. Census 2000...
- north
- Conejos County, Colorado
Conejos County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 8,400 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is the unincorporated town of Conejos.- History :...
- north
National protected areaProtected areas are locations which receive protection because of their environmental value, or environmental plus cultural values. Examples include parks, nature reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries...
s
- Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers and is administered by the United States Forest Service...
(part)
- Santa Fe National Forest
The Santa Fe National Forest is a protected national forest in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States. It was established in 1915 and covers 1,567,181 acres . Elevations range from 5,300 feet to 13,103 feet at the summit of Truchas Peak, located within the Pecos Wilderness...
(part)
- Valles Caldera National Preserve (part)
History
The county was one of nine originally created for the Territory of New Mexico in 1852. The
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
was initially sited at San Pedro de Chamita, and shortly afterwards at Los Luceros. In 1860 the seat was moved to
Plaza del AlcaldeAlcalde is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 377 at the 2000 census. "Alcalde" literally means "Mayor" in Spanish.-Geography:Alcalde is located at ....
. Since 1880
Tierra AmarillaTierra Amarilla is a small unincorporated town near the Carson National Forest in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the county seat of Rio Arriba County.-Geography:...
has been the county seat.
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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 41,190 people, 15,044 households, and 10,816 families residing in the county. 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. It is a key term used in geography....
was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 18,016 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.62%
WhiteRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 0.35%
BlackRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 13.88%
Native AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 0.14%
AsianRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 0.11%
Pacific IslanderRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 25.62% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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 3.28% from two or more races. 72.89% of the population were
HispanicRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
or
LatinoRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
of any race.
There were 15,044 households out of which 36.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.80% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 15.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,429, and the median income for a family was $32,901. Males had a median income of $26,897 versus $22,223 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the county was $14,263. About 16.60% of families and 20.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.30% of those under age 18 and 22.90% of those age 65 or over.
Census-designated places
- Alcalde
Alcalde is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 377 at the 2000 census. "Alcalde" literally means "Mayor" in Spanish.-Geography:Alcalde is located at ....
- Chimayo
Chimayo is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba and Santa Fe Counties in the U.S. state of New Mexico; the community's name is more correctly spelled Chimayó, a name that derives from a Tewa name for a local landmark, the hill of Tsi Mayoh...
- San Juan
San Juan is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 592 at the 2000 census.-Geography:San Juan is located at , a few miles north of Espanola....
- Santa Clara Pueblo
Santa Clara Pueblo is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 980 at the 2000 census. Santa Clara Pueblo was established about 1550. The pueblo is a member of the Eight Northern Pueblos, and the people are from the Tewa ethnic group of Native...
Other localities
- Abiquiú
Abiquiú , or Ha'ashgizh in Navajo), is a small unincorporated town located in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States, about 53 miles north of Santa Fe. In the 1730s, it was the third largest settlement in the New Mexico Territory. Artist Georgia O'Keeffe lived...
- Canjilon
- Cordova
- Dixon
Dixon is an unincorporated village located in Rio Arriba County in the U.S. state of New Mexico, on NM Highway 75, just east of NM Highway 68 in the north-central part of the state, at Latitude 36.20 & Longitude -105.89. The elevation of Dixon is 6028 feet above sea level...
- El Rito
- Embudo
Embudo is an unincorporated community in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. It is on NM State Road 68. The Embudo Station is located 2.9 miles south of the intersection of NM State Road 75, where the Embudo River flows into the Rio Grande.Embudo was founded in 1881 when the Denver and...
- Hernandez
Hernandez is an unincorporated community in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. Hernandez is about 5 miles northwest of Espanola on U.S. Routes 84/285....
- Tierra Amarilla
Tierra Amarilla is a small unincorporated town near the Carson National Forest in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the county seat of Rio Arriba County.-Geography:...
- Truchas
Truchas is an unincorporated community in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. Located on the scenic High Road to Taos, it is halfway between Santa Fe in the south, and Taos to the north.Truchas has the ZIP code 87578...
Points of interest
- Puye Cliff Dwellings
The Puye Cliff Dwellings are the ruins of an abandoned pueblo, located in Santa Clara Canyon on Santa Clara Pueblo land near Santa Fe, New Mexico...
- Ghost Ranch
Ghost Ranch is a retreat and education center run by the Presbyterian Church , located close to the village of Abiquiu in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico....
- Echo amphitheatre
Echo amphitheatre is a natural amphitheatre located in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States, about 17 miles west of Abiquiú and about 4 miles up the road from Ghost Ranch....
- Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
- Monastery of Christ in the Desert
The Monastery of Christ in the Desert is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery belonging to the English Province of the Subiaco Congregation of Benedictine monasteries....
Colleges
- Northern New Mexico College
Northern New Mexico College, formerly known as Northern New Mexico Community College, is a two-year and four-year degree granting institution with campuses in Española and El Rito, New Mexico...
with campuses in EspañolaEspañola is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Española, incorporated in 1925, is situated in an area that Juan de Oñate declared a capital for Spain in 1598. Española is well known as the first Capitol...
and El Rito
External links
Further reading
- Dethier, D.P. (2004). Geologic map of the Puye quadrangle, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Santa Fe Counties, New Mexico [Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2419)]. Reston, Va.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
- Maldonado, F. (2008). Geologic map of the Abiquiu quadrangle, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico [Scientific Investigations Map 2998]. Reston, Va.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.