Grants, New Mexico
Encyclopedia
Grants is a city in Cibola County
, New Mexico
, United States
. The population was 9,182 at the 2010 Census
. It is the county seat
of Cibola County
.
Grants began as a railroad camp in the 1880s, when three Canadian brothers were awarded a contract to build a section of the new Atlantic and Pacific Railroad through the region. The Grant brothers' camp was first called Grants Camp, then Grants Station, and finally Grants. The new city enveloped the existing colonial New Mexican settlement of Los Alamitos and grew along the tracks of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.
The town prospered as a result of railroad logging in the nearby Zuni Mountains, and served as a section point for the Atlantic and Pacific, which became part of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad empire. The Zuni Mountain Railroad short line had a roundhouse in town (near present day Exit 81 off Interstate 40) and housed workers in a small community named Breecetown. Timber from the Zuni Mountains was shipped to Albuquerque where a large sawmill converted the timber to wood products that were sold around the west.
After the decline of logging in the 1930s, Grants gained fame as the "carrot capital" of the United States. Agriculture was aided by the creation of Bluewater Reservoir, and the region's volcanic soils provided ideal conditions for farming. Grants also benefited from its location on U.S. Route 66
, which brought tourists and travelers and the businesses that catered to them.
Perhaps the most memorable boom in the town's history occurred when Paddy Martinez
, a Navajo shepherd, discovered uranium
ore near Haystack Mesa, sparking a mining boom that lasted until the 1980s (see Uranium mining in New Mexico
). The collapse of mining pulled the town into a depression, but the town has enjoyed a resurgence based on interest in tourism and the scenic beauty of the region. Recent interest in nuclear power has revived the possibility of more uranium mining in the area, and energy companies still own viable mining properties and claims in the area.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 13.7 square miles (35.5 km²), all of it land. Grants is on the north end of the large and recent (youngest flows around 3,000 years old) lava field known as "El Malpais" (the badlands), part of which is preserved as El Malpais National Monument
. To the northeast of town are the San Mateo Mountains and Mount Taylor, at 11,301 feet the highest peak in the region. West of the city is the Continental Divide
and the Zuni Mountains, an eroded anticline with 2 billion year old Precambrian granites and metamorphic rocks at its core. The region is primarily high desert country, dominated by sandstones and lava flows.
of 2000, there were 8,806 people, 3,202 households, and 2,321 families residing in the city. The population density
was 644.4 people per square mile (248.7/km²). There were 3,626 housing units at an average density of 265.3 per square mile (102.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city among Non-Hispanic groups was 56.18% White, 1.62% African American, 11.97% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 24.80% from other races
, and 4.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.36% of the population.
There were 3,202 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% 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 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,652, and the median income for a family was $33,464. Males had a median income of $31,870 versus $20,808 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,053. About 19.4% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
91% of Grants is Christian. About 75% of the town is Catholic
, 16% Protestant, about 6% is Atheistic, and 2% other.
.
Seven elementary schools, one midde school and two high schools serve Grants/Cibola County.
Los Alamitos Middle School and Grants High School
serve Grants.
St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School
is the only private accredited school in Grants and serves grades Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grades.
There is a branch of New Mexico State University
. The branch offers a two-year postsecondary program as well as advanced degrees through distance education.
Populated places in
Cibola County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*41.8% White*1.0% Black*41.0% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.1% Two or more races*12.5% Other races*36.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New 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 States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 9,182 at the 2010 Census
2010 census
The following countries conducted a census in 2010:* Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China* Russian Census * 2010 United States Census...
. It is the county seat
County seat
A 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....
of Cibola County
Cibola County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*41.8% White*1.0% Black*41.0% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.1% Two or more races*12.5% Other races*36.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
.
Grants began as a railroad camp in the 1880s, when three Canadian brothers were awarded a contract to build a section of the new Atlantic and Pacific Railroad through the region. The Grant brothers' camp was first called Grants Camp, then Grants Station, and finally Grants. The new city enveloped the existing colonial New Mexican settlement of Los Alamitos and grew along the tracks of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.
The town prospered as a result of railroad logging in the nearby Zuni Mountains, and served as a section point for the Atlantic and Pacific, which became part of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad empire. The Zuni Mountain Railroad short line had a roundhouse in town (near present day Exit 81 off Interstate 40) and housed workers in a small community named Breecetown. Timber from the Zuni Mountains was shipped to Albuquerque where a large sawmill converted the timber to wood products that were sold around the west.
After the decline of logging in the 1930s, Grants gained fame as the "carrot capital" of the United States. Agriculture was aided by the creation of Bluewater Reservoir, and the region's volcanic soils provided ideal conditions for farming. Grants also benefited from its location on U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
, which brought tourists and travelers and the businesses that catered to them.
Perhaps the most memorable boom in the town's history occurred when Paddy Martinez
Paddy Martinez
Patricio "Paddy" Martinez , American prospector and shepherd, discovered uranium at Haystack Mountain, near Grants, New Mexico in 1950. This was the first discovery in the Grants Uranium District, and led to a uranium boom that lasted almost 30 years.Martinez's discovery, on Santa Fe Railroad land,...
, a Navajo shepherd, discovered uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
ore near Haystack Mesa, sparking a mining boom that lasted until the 1980s (see Uranium mining in New Mexico
Uranium mining in New Mexico
Uranium mining in New Mexico, a state of the United States, was a significant industry from the early 1950s until the early 1980s. Although New Mexico has the second largest identified uranium ore reserves of any state in the US , no uranium ore has been mined in New Mexico since 1998.-White...
). The collapse of mining pulled the town into a depression, but the town has enjoyed a resurgence based on interest in tourism and the scenic beauty of the region. Recent interest in nuclear power has revived the possibility of more uranium mining in the area, and energy companies still own viable mining properties and claims in the area.
Geography
Grants is located at 35°9′19"N 107°50′32"W (35.155269, -107.842099).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The 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 13.7 square miles (35.5 km²), all of it land. Grants is on the north end of the large and recent (youngest flows around 3,000 years old) lava field known as "El Malpais" (the badlands), part of which is preserved as El Malpais National Monument
El Malpais National Monument
El Malpais National Monument is a National Monument located in western New Mexico, in the Southwestern United States. The name El Malpais is from the Spanish term Malpaís, meaning badlands, due to the extremely barren and dramatic volcanic field that covers much of the park's area.-Geography:The El...
. To the northeast of town are the San Mateo Mountains and Mount Taylor, at 11,301 feet the highest peak in the region. West of the city is the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
and the Zuni Mountains, an eroded anticline with 2 billion year old Precambrian granites and metamorphic rocks at its core. The region is primarily high desert country, dominated by sandstones and lava flows.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A 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 8,806 people, 3,202 households, and 2,321 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 644.4 people per square mile (248.7/km²). There were 3,626 housing units at an average density of 265.3 per square mile (102.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city among Non-Hispanic groups was 56.18% White, 1.62% African American, 11.97% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 24.80% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race 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 4.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.36% of the population.
There were 3,202 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage 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, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% 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 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,652, and the median income for a family was $33,464. Males had a median income of $31,870 versus $20,808 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per 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 $14,053. About 19.4% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
91% of Grants is Christian. About 75% of the town is Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, 16% Protestant, about 6% is Atheistic, and 2% other.
Education
All public schools in the county are operated by Grants/Cibola County SchoolsGrants/Cibola County Schools
Grants/Cibola County Schools is a school district based in Grants, New Mexico, United States.GCCS serves all of Cibola County, New Mexico, including the city of Grants.-Primary schools:*Bluewater Elementary School*Cubero Elementary School...
.
Seven elementary schools, one midde school and two high schools serve Grants/Cibola County.
Los Alamitos Middle School and Grants High School
Grants High School
Grants High School is a high school in Grants, New Mexico, United States. It was founded in 1920 and is the only high school in Grants with over 900 students. Grants HS is a part of the Grants-Cibola County School District and also it serves the local communities of Acoma, Bluewater, Laguna,...
serve Grants.
St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School
St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School
St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School in Grants, New Mexico, is a Roman Catholic Private School in Grants, NM, giving education to grades pre-kindergarten to 8th grade. It is the only accredited private school in Cibola County.-History:...
is the only private accredited school in Grants and serves grades Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grades.
There is a branch of New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
. The branch offers a two-year postsecondary program as well as advanced degrees through distance education.
Grants in popular culture
- Author Robison WellsRobison WellsRobison Wells is an American novelist. He currently lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife and three children. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his novels are directed to the LDS fiction market...
has stated that, in his novel On Second Thought, the town of Alamitos is based on Grants, NM, which is the historical name before it was renamed after the mining camp. Wells lived in Grants during the late 1990s. - Scenes from the movie 21 Grams starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts were also filmed in Grants.
- In the Louis L'AmourLouis L'AmourLouis Dearborn L'Amour was an American author. His books consisted primarily of Western fiction novels , however he also wrote historical fiction , science fiction , nonfiction , as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into movies...
book Flint, Los Alamitos (Grants) and the nearby El Malpais provided some of the settings for the main character in the book.
External links
Populated places in