Chama is a village in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,022 at the 2010 census. The village is located in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

about south of the

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

border.

Geography

Chama is located at (36.894777, -106.584406), on the

Rio Chama The Rio Chama, a major tributary river of the Rio Grande, is located in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico. The river is about long altogether. From its source to El Vado Dam its length is about , from El Vado Dam to Abiquiu Dam is about ...

, south of the

border. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the village has a total area of , all of it land.

History

Chama is the western terminus of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, a steam-driven, narrow gauge

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

which carries visitors to and from

Osier, Colorado Osier is a populated place in Conejos County, Colorado, USA. It is an old railroad settlement and train stop approximately halfway along the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad where trains from both ends of the line meet and stop for lunch, making ...

, and

Antonito, Colorado Antonito is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Statutory town, Statutory Town located in Conejos County, Colorado, Conejos County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 647 at the 2020 United States Census. History Antonito began ...

, during the summer months. It is the remaining 64 mile portion of the

Denver & Rio Grande Railroad The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from De ...

's San Juan Extension built in the 1880s between

Alamosa, Colorado Alamosa is a home rule municipality and the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,806 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is the commercial center of the San Luis Valley in south-central Colora ...

, and

Durango, Colorado Durango is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 19,071 at the 2020 United States Census. Durango is the home of Fort Lewis Coll ...

. The route was abandoned in the late 1960s and the tracks from Chama westward to Durango were torn up soon afterwards. File:C&TS Chama Depot 2012-10-24.JPG, The Chama train depot File:DRGW 483 and 484 Chama June 1967xRP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg, Two

DRGW The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from De ...

locomotives waiting to be serviced at the Chama engine house, 1967. File:487 at water.jpg, Cumbres & Toltec train in downtown Chama. File:NRCSNM02046 - New Mexico (5377)(NRCS Photo Gallery).jpg, Northwest Field Team Leader Norm Vigil (red) and Soil Conservationist Jill Jensen (blue) provide grazing recommendations for a ranch that specializes in raising elk for hunting. Chama, New Mexico; 2011.

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 1,199 people, 467 households and 312 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 467.9 per square mile (180.8/km). There were 601 housing units at an average density of 234.5 per square mile (90.6/km). The racial makeup of the village was 67.56%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.58%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.67% Native American, 0.08%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 25.10% from other races, and 3.00% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 71.23% of the population. There were 467 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.13. 26.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

was $30,513, and the median family income was $31,983. Males had a median income of $27,167 compared with $20,054 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $16,670. About 11.9% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 28.6% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is within the

Chama Valley Independent Schools Chama Valley Independent School District 19 (CVISD), also known as Chama Valley Independent Schools, is a school district headquartered on the property of Escalante Middle/High School in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico. Its boundary includes Tierra Am ...

school district. Chama has a K-8 school, Chama Middle/Elementary School, while Chama's 9-12 students would by default attend the district's only high school, a part of Escalante Middle/High School.

Pop culture

Chama has been featured in numerous films, including ''

The Good Guys and the Bad Guys ''The Good Guys and the Bad Guys'' is a 1969 American comedy Western film directed by Burt Kennedy. It stars Robert Mitchum and George Kennedy. Plot Jim Flagg is the marshal in the town of Progress. He hears arch-rival Big John McKay is heade ...

'' (1969) '' The Cowboys'' (1972), '' Bite the Bullett'' (1975), ''

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez ''The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez'' is a 1982 American Western film directed by Robert M. Young and starring Edward James Olmos as Gregorio Cortez. It is based on the book ''With His Pistol in His Hand'' by Americo Paredes. In 2022, the film w ...

'' (1982), '' Butch and Sundance: The Early Days'' (1989), ''

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action film, action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jones, ''Indiana ...

'' (1989), ''Wyatt Earp'' (1994), '' Wild Wild West'' (1999), ''All the Pretty Horses'', (2000), ''Appaloosa'' (2008), ''

A Million Ways to Die in the West ''A Million Ways to Die in the West'' is a 2014 American Western dark comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The film features an ensemble cast including MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Am ...

'' (2014), ''Godless'' (2016), and ''Hostiles'' (2017). An episode of '' Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations'' was filmed around the

. A 2014 episode of the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

miniseries ''Klondike'' was also filmed around Chama.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with short, cool-to-warm summers and long, cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Chama has a

subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continental regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and the Cairngorms. Generally, ...

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Chama, New Mexico
/ref>

References

External links

Village website

Chama Valley Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Villages in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico Villages in New Mexico Railway stations in New Mexico