Red River, New Mexico
Encyclopedia
Red River is a resort
town
in Taos County
, New Mexico
, United States
located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
. The population was 484 at the 2000 census.
strikes in the area and trappers sought game. It was named after the perennial stream
, Red River
, that flowed through the town, coming from the northern slopes of Wheeler Peak
. By 1895, Red River was a booming mining
camp, with gold, silver
, copper
, and molybdenum
in some abundance, and a population estimated at three thousand. The mines shut down a few years later. The population waned, but the town survived. By the 1930s, the remaining residents turned to tourism
as their principal economic livelihood.
, part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
and is completely surrounded by the Carson National Forest
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 484 people, 234 households, and 138 families residing in the town. The population density
was 474.9 inhabitants per square mile (183.2/km²). There were 880 housing units at an average density of 863.5 per square mile (333.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.56% White, 1.03% Native American, 3.72% from other races
, and 2.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.30% of the population.
There were 234 households out of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples
living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.60.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 35.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,667, and the median income for a family was $39,792. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $19,750 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,883. About 5.4% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
. Red River is located at the base of the Red River Ski Area, located 2 667m (8 750 feet) above sea level
in the southern Rocky Mountains
. Winter activities include skiing
, snowboarding
and snowmobiling
. In summertime, visitors can hike
, bike
, fish
, golf
and ride horseback in the mountain
s. The town is serviced by a trolley and bus system which proves access into the upper valley.
Moreno Valley Cowboy Evening, operated by Henry and Sue Lewis, is held on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings during summers at the top of nearby Bobcat Pass, four miles southeast of Red River. In addition to a steak meal, visitors hear western music, usually from local artists. The company offers guided pack trips, horseback riding, and, during season, elk hunting and snowmobiling
. It also hosts company retreats and family reunions. compa
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Taos County
Taos County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*68.7% White*0.4% Black*6.2% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.9% Two or more races*20.1% Other races*55.8% 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...
located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
Sangre de Cristo Mountains
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States...
. The population was 484 at the 2000 census.
History
The town of Red River began in earnest in the 1870s, when miners were drawn in by goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
strikes in the area and trappers sought game. It was named after the perennial stream
Perennial stream
A perennial stream or perennial river is a stream or river that has continuous flow in parts of its bed all year round during years of normal rainfall. "Perennial" streams are contrasted with "intermittent" streams which normally cease flowing for weeks or months each year, and with "ephemeral"...
, Red River
Red River (New Mexico)
The Red River of New Mexico, USA, is a short, perennial river that flows down the north slope of Mount Wheeler in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, flows west past the towns of Red River and Questa and then south into the Rio Grande just south of the La Junta Campground.The Red River is noted for its...
, that flowed through the town, coming from the northern slopes of Wheeler Peak
Wheeler Peak (New Mexico)
Wheeler Peak is, at 13,161 ft, the highest peak in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is located northeast of Taos in the northern part of the state, and just 2 miles southeast of the ski slopes of Taos Ski Valley...
. By 1895, Red River was a booming mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
camp, with gold, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, 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...
, and molybdenum
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
in some abundance, and a population estimated at three thousand. The mines shut down a few years later. The population waned, but the town survived. By the 1930s, the remaining residents turned to tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
as their principal economic livelihood.
Geography
Red River is located at 36°42′23"N 105°24′19"W (36.706311, -105.405271). Red River is located in the southern Rocky MountainsRocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
Sangre de Cristo Mountains
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States...
and is completely surrounded by the Carson National Forest
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...
.
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 town has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
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 484 people, 234 households, and 138 families residing in the town. 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 474.9 inhabitants per square mile (183.2/km²). There were 880 housing units at an average density of 863.5 per square mile (333.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.56% White, 1.03% Native American, 3.72% 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 2.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.30% of the population.
There were 234 households out of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% 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, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.60.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 35.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,667, and the median income for a family was $39,792. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $19,750 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 town was $17,883. About 5.4% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The main industry in Red River is tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. Red River is located at the base of the Red River Ski Area, located 2 667m (8 750 feet) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
in the southern Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. Winter activities include skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
and snowmobiling
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
. In summertime, visitors can hike
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, bike
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
, fish
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and ride horseback in the mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s. The town is serviced by a trolley and bus system which proves access into the upper valley.
Moreno Valley Cowboy Evening, operated by Henry and Sue Lewis, is held on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings during summers at the top of nearby Bobcat Pass, four miles southeast of Red River. In addition to a steak meal, visitors hear western music, usually from local artists. The company offers guided pack trips, horseback riding, and, during season, elk hunting and snowmobiling
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
. It also hosts company retreats and family reunions. compa