Hidalgo County () is the southernmost

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,178. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city is Lordsburg. A bill creating Hidalgo from the southern part of

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

was passed on February 25, 1919, taking effect at the beginning of 1920. The county was named for the town north of

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

where the

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the cap ...

was signed, which in turn was named for

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican War ...

, the priest who is known as the "Father of Mexican Independence." The county is located on the

Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...

, and is majority-Hispanic or Latino.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. The southern part of the county, the part bounded on the east and south by

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, is known as the Bootheel.

Adjacent counties and municipios

– north * Luna County – east *

Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County ( ) is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after Cochise, a Chiricahua Apache who was a key war leader during the Apache Wars. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The count ...

– west * Greenlee County, Arizona – northwest * Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico – south * Ascensión, Chihuahua, Mexico – southeast * Janos, Chihuahua, Mexico – south

National protected areas

Coronado National Forest The Coronado National Forest is a United States National Forest that includes an area of about 1.78 million acres (7,200 km2) spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It is located in parts of ...

(part) * Gila National Forest (part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 5,932 people in the county, organized into 2,152 households, and 1,542 families. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 2,848 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 42%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and about 55% of the population was

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

. Size of family households: 592 2-persons, 341 3-persons, 316 4-persons, 165 5-persons, 83 6-persons, 48 7-or-more-persons. The average household size was 2.7 and the average family size was 3.29. In non-family households, there were 684 with 314 male householders (286 living alone), 293 female householders (262 living alone), and 77 non-relatives. In group quarters, there were 85 (all institutionalized). In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.70% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,286. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $12,431. 27.8% of the population was 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 38.90% of those under the age of 18 and 17.00% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Unemployment rate in April 2010 was 7.6%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,894 people, 1,936 households, and 1,286 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 2,393 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 85.3% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.6% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 11.0% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 56.6% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were: * 50.3% Mexican * 15.2% German * 10.0% English * 6.0% Irish * 4.4% Dutch * 3.6% American * 2.1% Scottish * 2.0% Italian * 1.7% Swedish * 1.4% Norwegian * 1.0% Polish Of the 1,936 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.6% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 40.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $36,733 and the median income for a family was $41,594. Males had a median income of $43,531 versus $23,482 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,451. About 20.6% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the

, including 32.3% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* Lordsburg (county seat)

Village

* Virden

Census-designated places

* Animas * Cotton City * Glen Acres * Playas *

Rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

Windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

Unincorporated communities

* Antelope Wells * Garcia * Mouser Place * Road Forks *

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

Ghost towns

* Bramlett * Cloverdale * Gary * Road Fork *

Steins Steins may refer to: People * Kārlis Šteins, Latvian astronomer * Walter Steins, Dutch Jesuit priest Astronomy * 2867 Šteins, a small main-belt asteroid Video games * ''Steins;???'' See also * Stein (disambiguation) * Stynes, surn ...

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

* Valedon

Politics

Hidalgo has historically been a swing county, going for the winner every time since 1928, except for 1968 and 2020, where it went for

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...

and

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

respectively. In 2024, Trump broke 60% of the county's vote, the first time that a Republican presidential candidate had done this since

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

's 1972 landslide. While the city of Lordsburg tends to lean Democratic, the rest of the county, especially the southern half, is heavily Republican.

References

External links

Geology of Lordsburg Quadrangle, Hidalgo County

Hidalgo county, New Mexico

{{Coord, 31.92, -108.71, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NM_source:UScensus1990 1920 establishments in New Mexico Populated places established in 1920