Las Vegas, often known simply as Vegas, is a city in and 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 ...
of
San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States.
Once two separate municipalities (one a city and the other a town), both were named Las Vegas: West Las Vegas ("Old Town") and East Las Vegas ("New Town"). They are separated by the
Gallinas River and retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. Las Vegas is home to
New Mexico Highlands University, enrolling nearly 3,000 students.
The population was 13,166 at the
2020 census.
Las Vegas is located south of
Raton, east of
Santa Fe, northeast of
Albuquerque, south of
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...
, and south of
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
.
History

Las Vegas was established in 1835 after a group of settlers received a land grant from the
Mexican government. (The land had previously been granted to
Luis María Cabeza de Baca, whose family later received a settlement.) The town was laid out in the traditional Spanish Colonial style, with a central plaza surrounded by buildings which could serve as fortifications in case of attack. Las Vegas soon prospered as a stop on the
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the ...
. During the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
in 1846,
Stephen W. Kearny delivered an address at the Plaza of Las Vegas claiming New Mexico for the United States. In 1847, the town was the site of the
Battle of Las Vegas, which was a part of the broader
Taos Revolt by local Hispanos and Pueblo peoples against United States occupation. In 1860, the United States Congress passed a law allowing the Cabeza de Baca heirs to choose other grants in lieu of their Las Vegas grant.
In 1877 Las Vegas College, the precursor to
Regis University
Regis University ( ) is a Private university, private List of Jesuit educational institutions, Jesuit university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1877 by the Jesuits, Society of Jesus, the university offers more than 120 degrees th ...
, was founded in Las Vegas by a group of exiled Italian Jesuits. In 1887, Las Vegas College moved to
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
whereupon the name was changed.
The
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996.
The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...
arrived at Las Vegas from the north on July 4, 1879. To maintain control of development rights, it established a station and related development one mile (1.6 km) east of the Plaza, creating a separate, rival New Town, as occurred elsewhere in the Old West. The same competing development occurred in
Albuquerque, for instance. During the railroad era Las Vegas boomed, quickly becoming one of the largest cities in the American Southwest. Turn-of-the-century Las Vegas featured all the modern amenities, including an electric street railway, the "Duncan Opera House" at the northeast corner of 6th Street and Douglas Avenue, a
Carnegie library, the
Castañeda Hotel (a major
Harvey House), and the New Mexico Normal School (now
New Mexico Highlands University). Since the decline and restructuring of the railroad industry began in the 1950s, the city's population has remained relatively constant. Although the two towns have been combined, separate school districts have been maintained (
Las Vegas City Schools and
West Las Vegas School District).
The anti-colonist organization
Las Gorras Blancas was active in the area in the 1890s.
Cowboy Reunions
Beginning in 1915, the Las Vegas Cowboys' Reunions were held annually until 1931; then in 1939, the Cowboys' Reunions were re-established. Their slogan was, "Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy!" These reunions were organized by a group of ranching families and cowboys which soon became the Las Vegas Cowboys' Reunion Association. The Reunions celebrated ranching life, which began in northern
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 ...
in the early 1800s and continues into the 21st century. The annual affair included pie eating contests, barbecues, parades, banquets, balls, and "ranch rodeos." In the early years, celebrities—cowhands as well as big-name bands, movie stars like
Tom Mix, and artists such as
Randall Davey—came to Las Vegas for this event. In later years, famous cowhands participated in the Cowboys' Reunion Rodeos. The Cowboys' Reunions reflected the occupations of the area and attracted huge crowds for their four days of events. In 1952, the Cowboys' Reunion Association invited the Rough Riders Association to join them at the annual rodeo.
Outlaws
The arrival of the railroad in 1879 brought with it businesses, development and new residents, both respectable and dubious. Murderers, robbers, thieves, gamblers, gunmen, swindlers,
vagrants, and
tramp
A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round.
Etymology
Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English '' ...
s poured in, transforming the eastern side of the settlement into a virtually lawless brawl. Among the notorious characters were such legends of the Old West as: dentist
Doc Holliday and his girlfriend
Big Nose Kate,
Dave Rudabaugh,
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...
,
Billy the Kid,
Wyatt Earp,
Mysterious Dave Mather,
Hoodoo Brown, and Handsome Harry the Dancehall Rustler.
Historian
Ralph Emerson Twitchell once claimed regarding the Old West, "Without exception there was no town which harbored a more disreputable gang of desperadoes and outlaws than did Las Vegas."
Geography
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 city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Las Vegas has a
cold semi-arid climate (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
: BSk).
Natural disasters
In April 2022, Las Vegas and surrounding areas of San Miguel and Mora counties experienced the
Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire. The
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
burned , making it the largest wildfire in New Mexico's recorded history.
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 14,565 people, 5,588 households, and 3,559 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,366 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 54.21%
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 ...
, 0.99%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.96%
Native American, 0.61%
Asian, 0.10%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 37.19% from
other races, and 4.95% 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 ...
people of any race were 82.94% of the population.
As noted in the chart to the right, the population of Las Vegas peaked at 14,753 in 1990. By 2019, the estimated population had decreased 12.43% to 12,919.
There were 5,588 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% 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, 21.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income in 2019 for a household in the city was $26,561 as compared to the New Mexico median income of $49,754 and the national median of $62,843. The median income for a family in Las Vegas was $29,797. Males had a median income of $26,319 versus $21,731 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 city was $20.080 as compared to $34,103 nationally as noted in the 2019 Census estimate. In the past, 24.3% of families and 27.8% 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 35.7% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over. The most recent figures (2019) as provided by the U. S. Census Bureau estimate the total number of persons (all ages) at or below the poverty line has increased to 35.6%. This is significantly higher than the national average of 10.5% and the State average of 18.2%.
Libraries and museums
New Mexico Highlands University, founded 1893, is home to the Thomas C. Donnelly Library. It supports the teaching, research and community activities of New Mexico Highlands University. It acquires, organizes, preserves and provides access to pertinent information and scholarly materials for curricular needs, intellectual pursuits and personal enrichment of its clientele. It promotes programs and services that emphasize the diversity of the university's multicultural community and heritage. An addition increased the square footage from 23,700 to 53,500 and now holds a book collection of almost 200,000 volumes.
Las Vegas' Carnegie Library, established in 1904, is the only surviving Carnegie Library in New Mexico. Built from a $10,000 donation from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, its Neo-Classical Revival architecture resembles Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. The library sits in the middle of a park that occupies an entire city block, bordered by Victorian-style homes and buildings.
The City of Las Vegas Museum & Rough Rider Memorial on Grand Avenue, dedicated in 1940, was first established by the decision of Theodore Roosevelt's
Rough Riders regiment (the first Volunteer Cavalry Regiment of the Spanish–American War), who named Las Vegas its official reunion home. Their first reunion was held in Las Vegas, June 1899.
The museum, free and open to the public, houses a memorial collection of artifacts, archives and photographs from the Rough Riders and mementos in relation to the 1898 Cuban Campaign of the Spanish–American War, with information on over 200 members of the original regiment, RRR Association documents, etc. The museum illuminates the history of Las Vegas, its connection to the Rough Riders, the Santa Fe Trail and the development of New Mexico. It features collections of local Native American pottery, household items, costumes, ranching and farming equipment, agricultural and mercantile operations, and home life.
Housed in a 1940
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
-funded building, the museum is built of stone, with Pueblo Revival nuances.
Architecture
Las Vegas has numerous historic structures (mostly railroad-era houses and commercial buildings), with over 900 listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Although many buildings are in varying states of deterioration, others have been restored or are awaiting restoration. Some of the city's notable buildings include:
* Dr. H.J. Mueller House, now a Bed and Breakfast called Crow's Nest Bed and Breakfast. An 1881 example of Victorian eclecticism with unusual octagonal tower
*
Plaza Hotel, 1881, site of the first reunion of
Teddy Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York politics, including serving as ...
's
Rough Riders in 1899
* Old City Hall, New Mexico's first municipal building, completed in 1892
* Louis Fort House,
Queen Anne house on Carnegie Park, built in 1895
* Masonic Temple,
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...
building erected in 1895
*
Castañeda Hotel, mission-style Harvey House built in 1898
* Carnegie Library, built in 1903 at the center of Carnegie Park and modeled after
Monticello
Education
Public schools
The City of Las Vegas is served by two public school districts.
*
Las Vegas City Schools serves the east side of Las Vegas.
*
West Las Vegas School District serves the west side of Las Vegas.
The City of Las Vegas has two major high schools:
*
Robertson High School
*
West Las Vegas High School
Colleges
Las Vegas is the home of
New Mexico Highlands University, an important university in New Mexico especially for teacher training. Highlands has long had an excellent science, drama, art, and foreign language faculty. The art department was nationally renowned in the 1950s to 1970s and beyond. The university sponsors intercollegiate athletics and is a member of NCAA II and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Also nearby, north of Las Vegas, is
Luna Community College. The
United World College in nearby
Montezuma, New Mexico is a two-year international high school and one of the venues used by the
International Baccalaureate Program for teacher training in the United States.
Transportation
Railway
*
Las Vegas Amtrak Station is a stop on the ''
Southwest Chief
The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a Amtrak Long Distance, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and American Southwest ...
'' route.
Airport
*
Las Vegas Municipal Airport serves single engine planes, small commercial jets, and helicopters.
Major highways
*
Interstate 25
Interstate 25 (I-25), also known as the Pan-American Freeway, is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 st ...
*
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...
(55 miles to the south via
U.S. Route 84)
Bus service
* The city of Las Vegas operates Meadow City Express, a
demand-responsive transport system.
*
NMDOT Park and Ride operates intercity bus service from Las Vegas to
Santa Fe.
Films and television
Movies and television shows filmed in and around Las Vegas include:
* The 2003 film ''
Blind Horizon''
* Most of the 2007
Coen brothers' ''
No Country for Old Men
''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2007 American neo-Western crime thriller film written, directed, produced and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin ...
'' was filmed here.
* The 2012
A&E TV series ''
Longmire'' starring
Robert Taylor and
Katee Sackhoff and set in
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
was filmed in Las Vegas.
* The TV series ''
House of Cards'' filmed in Las Vegas in November 2014 for two weeks. The footage was used in the third-season finale.
* The 1984 movie ''
Red Dawn''.
* The 2022 and 2024
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
TV Series ''
Outer Range''.
Media
Las Vegas has a semi-weekly newspaper, the ''
Las Vegas Optic''. It is published on Wednesday and Friday.
The Fort Union
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater/theatre or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, c ...
is located on 7th Street in Las Vegas.
Mayors of Las Vegas
Notable people
*
Antonia Apodaca (1923–2020), musician
*
Paula Angel (1842–1861), murderer, only woman to be executed in post-colonial New Mexico
*
Jesusita Aragón (1908–2005), midwife
*
S. Omar Barker (1894–1985), oft-recited cowboy poet; born in a log cabin in New Mexico, where he lived his entire life as a rancher, legislator, WW1 veteran, teacher and writer
*
Margaret Herrera Chávez (1912–1992), painter
*
Ann Nolan Clark (1896–1995), teacher in public schools and reservations, writer of children's multicultural books
*
Teresa Leger Fernandez (born 1959), attorney, member of the
U.S. House of Representatives (current)
*
Wally Funk (born 1939), aviator, astronaut, and Goodwill Ambassador
*
Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert (1894–1991), educator, nutritionist, activist, writer, inventor of the u-shaped fried taco shell
*
Pelham D. Glassford (1883–1959), U.S. Army brigadier general
*
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...
(1967–2005), professional wrestler for
WWE, wrestled for New Mexico Highlands University
*
Edgar Lee Hewett (1865–1946), archaeologist and anthropologist, founder of the
Museum of New Mexico and first president of the New Mexico Normal School (now New Mexico Highlands University)
*
Mari-Luci Jaramillo (1928–2019), educator and
U.S. Ambassador to Honduras under
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
*
Andrieus A. Jones (1862–1927), school principal and attorney, mayor of Las Vegas (1893–1894),
United States Senator
The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress.
Party affiliation
Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
(1917–1927)
*
Yetta Kohn (1843–1917), an early settler and businesswoman of Las Vegas, who became a successful New Mexican cattle rancher
*
Margaret Larkin (1899–1967), writer and musician; born in Las Vegas
*
Ray Leger (1925–2009), educator and member of the
New Mexico Senate
*
Pola Lopez (born 1954), artist
*
George J. Maloof Sr. (1923–1980), heir and businessman; born in Las Vegas
*
Frank Olmstead (1923–2004), mayor of Las Vegas and 18th
Auditor of New Mexico
*
Jacob S. Raisin (1878–1946), rabbi
*
Patrick Swayze (1952–2009), actor, dancer and singer-songwriter; owned a ranch on the
Gallinas River near Las Vegas
References
External links
City websiteChamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
Cities in New Mexico
Cities in San Miguel County, New Mexico
Santa Fe Trail
County seats in New Mexico
Populated places established in 1835
1835 establishments in Mexico