Hobbs is a city in
Lea 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. Its population was 40,508 at the
2020 census,
increasing from 34,122 in 2010.
Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico
micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Lea County.
History
Hobbs was founded in 1907 when James Isaac Hobbs (1852–1923) established a
homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
* Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept t ...
and named the settlement. In 1910, the Hobbs post office opened, with James Hobbs as the first postmaster. By 1911, there were about 25 landowners in Hobbs.
[
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The_small,_isolated_settlement_expanded_rapidly_following_the_discovery_of_oil_by_the_Midwest_Oil_Company_in_1927._A_refinery_was_built_the_following_year,_and_in_1929,_the_town_of_Hobbs_was_officially_incorporated._At_the_peak_of_this_oil_boom,_over_12,000_people_lived_in_Hobbs._When_the_Great_Depression_in_the_United_States.html" "title="refinery.html" ;"title="/ref>
The small, isolated settlement expanded rapidly following the discovery of oil by the Midwest Oil Company in 1927. A refinery">/ref>
The small, isolated settlement expanded rapidly following the discovery of oil by the Midwest Oil Company in 1927. A refinery was built the following year, and in 1929, the town of Hobbs was officially incorporated. At the peak of this oil boom, over 12,000 people lived in Hobbs. When the Great Depression in the United States">Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...]
hit, oil prices dropped and the population fell to only about 3,000 in 1931. However, a few years later, activity picked up in the oilfields and the population climbed to about 14,000 in 1940.