Datil is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in Catron County,

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 ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 54. Located at the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and

New Mexico State Road 12 New Mexico State Road 12 (NM 12) is a primarily west–east state road in western New Mexico. The road is long and runs from U.S. Route 180 (US 180) west of Reserve to US 60 in Datil. NM 12 is located entirely within C ...

, Datil is on the edge of the

Cibola National Forest The Cibola National Forest (pronounced SEE-bo-lah) is a 1,633,783 acre (6,611.7 km2) United States National Forest in New Mexico, USA. The name Cibola is thought to be the original Zuni Indian name for their pueblos or tribal lands. The name w ...

. The

Very Large Array The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is a centimeter-wavelength radio astronomy observatory located in central New Mexico on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, ~ west of Socorro. The VLA comprises twen ...

is also nearby. Rock climbers are attracted to Datil because it holds the Enchanted Tower, a climbing hotspot.

History

Datil is named after the nearby

Datil Mountains The Datil Mountains are a small range on the northern edge of the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field, just northwest of the Plains of San Agustin in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The range lies in Socorro and Catron Counties, north of the town of ...

. The name of the mountains came in turn from the Spanish word '' dátil'', meaning “date”; the name most likely resulted from the fruit-like appearance of the seedpods of local yucca species. The town lay along the Magdalena Stock Driveway. The driveway, which had wells spaced every ten miles along its length, was used by ranchers during the late 19th to mid-20th century as they drove cattle from Springerville,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, to the railroad at Magdalena. The

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

maintains a campsite, Datil Well Campground, at the location of one of the former wells.

Geography

Datil is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and New Mexico State Road 12. To the east lie the San Agustin Plains, the

, and the village of Magdalena. To the southwest, several populated

subdivisions Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...

are accessible from State Road 12. The state highway continues past the local landmark Horse Mountain, a 9490‐foot peak, and further through the small town Apache Creek until reaching the county seat of

Reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

. U.S. 60 travels westward from Datil, passing northwest through the

and coming out the other side just outside Pie Town. Datil - 1.jpg, Buildings Datil - Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - 1.jpg, Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Demographics

Education

The school district is Quemado Schools. The district operates Datil Elementary School, a

two-room schoolhouse A two-room schoolhouse is a larger version of the one-room schoolhouse, with many of the same characteristics, providing the facility for primary and secondary education in a small community or rural area. While providing the same function as a c ...

with multi-level classes. Secondary students attend a K-12 school called Quemado Elementary and High School.

Climate

References

External links

Datil article and photo gallery Datil, New Mexico article
Census-designated places in Catron County, New Mexico Census-designated places in New Mexico {{NewMexico-geo-stub