Playas, New Mexico
Encyclopedia
Playas was a small unincorporated town
in Hidalgo County
, the "bootheel"
of the southwestern part of the U.S. state
of New Mexico
.
It is a former company town
, named after a nearby former settlement along the Southern Pacific Railroad
. It was developed by the Phelps Dodge Corporation in the 1970s for several hundred employees of its then-new Playas Copper
Smelter, located ten miles south of the development. Over 250 rental homes, six apartment buildings, a bowling alley ("Copper Pins"), a bar (the "Feelgood Lounge"), grill, a rodeo
ring, a helicopter pad, a fitness center, a shooting range and a swimming pool were built for the community, which even has its own zip code (88009). At its peak, the town had about 1000 residents.
Declining copper prices led to the smelter's closure in 1999; all of its residents were evicted within a year, though a skeleton crew of about a dozen employees remained in the area. The smelter, about 40 miles (60 km) north of the border with Mexico
, has been nicknamed La Estrella del Norte by illegal migrants using its lights as a beacon for crossing into the country.
Four years later, New Mexico Tech
agreed to purchase the town and the surrounding 1200 acres (4.9 km²) for $5 million, using Department of Homeland Security
funds secured by Pete Domenici
. The town is now a training and research facility for the university’s first responders and counter-terrorism
programs, supported by tens of millions of dollars in federal funds. For a while, many of the vacant houses were being used by the US military forces that are assisting the US Border Patrol in the area; however, now they are being housed elsewhere.
The region, the smelter and the new facility are pivotal features in Michael McGarrity
's Kevin Kerney novel "Nothing But Trouble" (2005).
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Hidalgo County
Hidalgo County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.3% White*0.6% Black*0.8% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.8% Two or more races*11.0% Other races*56.6% Hispanic or Latino...
, the "bootheel"
New Mexico Bootheel
New Mexico's Bootheel comprises the southwestern corner of New Mexico. As part of the Gadsden Purchase it is bounded on the east by the Mexican state of Chihuahua along a line at extending south to latitude 31°20′0″N at...
of the southwestern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 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. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
.
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
, named after a nearby former settlement along the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The 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....
. It was developed by the Phelps Dodge Corporation in the 1970s for several hundred employees of its then-new Playas Copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
Smelter, located ten miles south of the development. Over 250 rental homes, six apartment buildings, a bowling alley ("Copper Pins"), a bar (the "Feelgood Lounge"), grill, a rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
ring, a helicopter pad, a fitness center, a shooting range and a swimming pool were built for the community, which even has its own zip code (88009). At its peak, the town had about 1000 residents.
Declining copper prices led to the smelter's closure in 1999; all of its residents were evicted within a year, though a skeleton crew of about a dozen employees remained in the area. The smelter, about 40 miles (60 km) north of the border with Mexico
Mexico
The 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...
, has been nicknamed La Estrella del Norte by illegal migrants using its lights as a beacon for crossing into the country.
Four years later, New Mexico Tech
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a university located in Socorro, New Mexico....
agreed to purchase the town and the surrounding 1200 acres (4.9 km²) for $5 million, using Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The 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...
funds secured by Pete Domenici
Pete Domenici
Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici is an American Republican politician, who served six terms as a United States Senator from New Mexico, from 1973 to 2009, the longest tenure in the state's history....
. The town is now a training and research facility for the university’s first responders and counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
programs, supported by tens of millions of dollars in federal funds. For a while, many of the vacant houses were being used by the US military forces that are assisting the US Border Patrol in the area; however, now they are being housed elsewhere.
The region, the smelter and the new facility are pivotal features in Michael McGarrity
Michael McGarrity
Michael McGarrity is a New Mexican author and former law enforcement officer. He has written a dozen crime-suspense novels about New Mexico...
's Kevin Kerney novel "Nothing But Trouble" (2005).
External links
- Animas, Cotton City, and Playas
- Isolated desert town is ready to become a target from the International Herald TribuneInternational Herald TribuneThe International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
- Playas Purchase Boosts Homeland Security
- New Mexico Tech Board of Regents Approves Purchase of Playas
- Photographic and site description at CLUI