Lake Arthur is a town in

Chaves County Chaves County is a county in New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,157. Its county seat is Roswell. Chaves County was named for Colonel Jose Francisco Chaves, a military leader there during the Civil War and ...

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 ...

, United States. The population was 378 at the 2020 census.

Geography

Lake Arthur is located near the southern border of Chaves County about west of the

Pecos River The Pecos River ( ; ) originates in north-central New Mexico and flows into Texas, emptying into the Rio Grande. Its headwaters are on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County north of Pecos, New Mexico, at an elev ...

New Mexico State Road 2 New Mexico State Road 2 (NM 2) is a state highway in the state of New Mexico. It travels southeast from U.S. Route 285 (US 285), outside of Roswell, New Mexico, passing through Midway, New Mexico, Midway. While in Dexter, New Mexico, Dext ...

passes through the town, leading north to Hagerman and south to Artesia. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 432 people, 134 households, and 107 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 149 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 62.96%

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 ...

, 0.46% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 34.49% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races.

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 ...

or Latino of any race were 70.14% of the population. There were 134 households, out of which 47.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.22 and the average family size was 3.62. In the town, the population was spread out, with 38.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 14.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $22,386, and the median income for a family was $22,679. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $15,179 for females. 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 town was $8,497. About 24.7% of families and 24.6% 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 ...

, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Badge-factory

Since the enactment of the

Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) is a Law of the United States, United States federal law, enacted in 2004, that allows two classes of persons—the "qualified Police officer, law enforcement officer" and the "qualified retired or ...

in 2004, "qualified

law enforcement officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or police officer or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector or private-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws, protecting life & property, keeping the peace, ...

" and “qualified retired or separated law enforcement officer" have been given permission to carry a concealed firearm in any jurisdiction in the United States, regardless of state or local laws, with certain exceptions. In 2018, it was revealed that billionaire

Robert Mercer Robert Leroy Mercer (born July 11, 1946) is an American hedge fund manager, computer scientist, and political donor. Mercer was an early artificial intelligence researcher and developer and is the former co-CEO of the hedge fund company Renaissa ...

(owner of

Breitbart News ''Breitbart News Network'' (; known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an Radical right (United States), American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * syndicated news, opinion, and commentar ...

Cambridge Analytica Cambridge Analytica Ltd. (CA), previously known as SCL USA, was a British political consulting firm that came to prominence through the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal. It was started in 2013, as a subsidiary of the private intell ...

, and others) was a volunteer policeman with Lake Arthur Police Department from 2011. This enrollment permitted him to carry a concealed weapon in all 50 states. Mercer also obtained police badges (old-fashioned stars) for bodyguards working for the

Koch brothers The Koch family ( ) is an American family engaged in business, best known for their political activities in the Koch network and their control of Koch Inc, the 2nd largest privately owned company in the United States (with 2019 revenues of $ ...

and Breitbart news. The police department was shut down in April 2018 after these "badges-for-cash" were reported in the media.

References

{{authority control Towns in New Mexico Towns in Chaves County, New Mexico