Luna County, New Mexico
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Luna County (Spanish: ) is a
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 ...
located in the U.S. state of
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 25,427. Its
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 ...
is Deming. This county abuts the Mexican border. Luna County comprises the Deming, NM Micropolitan Statistical Area.


History

Luna County was formed from parts of Grant County and Doña Ana County by the New Mexico Legislature on March 16, 1901. It was named for Solomon Luna, a politician who advocated for independence of the county, following a strong rivalry between the cities of Deming and Silver City, both of which were at the time in Grant County. Before dawn on March 16, 1916, Mexican revolutionary
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...
led several hundred of his rebel soldiers across the Mexican border into the village of Columbus in the southern part of the county. The invaders raided and burned much of the town, causing many residents to flee to the desert. Although the raid took the town by surprise, it also awakened 350
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
soldiers stationed at Camp Furlong at the edge of town. These soldiers defended Columbus with two machine guns. The fighting continued until dawn, when Villa fled back across the Mexican border, five hours after the initial invasion and approximately ninety minutes after attacking the town. Despite the U.S. Army's subsequent " Mexican Expedition" into Mexico, Villa was never captured. The United States' involvement in World War I soon diverted attention away from the pursuit of Villa. He was assassinated seven years later. The raid resulted in the deaths of eighteen Columbus residents and U.S. soldiers, while approximately seventy-five of Villa's soldiers were killed. In 1917 striking copper miners from Bisbee, Arizona were forcibly deported to this county. Construction of an improved barrier on the border with Mexico was expedited in 2019 with waivers of environmental and other laws. The waivers are for 27 laws including protection of
endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
, archaeological sites, and historic places. Today, Pancho Villa State Park is located in the village of Columbus. It features cacti and the ruins of "the U.S. Army's first greaserack".


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , virtually all of which is land. The bulk of the county is flat lowland, either grassland or desert scrub, but it also contains three mountain ranges: Cooke's Range in the north, the Florida Mountains on the southeastern side of Deming near the center of the county, and the Tres Hermanas Mountains in the southern part of the county near Columbus.


Adjacent counties and municipality

* Sierra County – northeast * Doña Ana County – east * Grant County – west * Hidalgo County – west * Ascensión, Chihuahua, Mexico – south


Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Demographics


2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 25,016 people, 9,397 households, and 6,596 families living in the county. 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 11,291 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74.30%
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 ...
, 0.94%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
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 ...
, 1.11% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 20.23% from other races, and 3.08% from two or more races. 57.70% of the population were
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. There were 9,397 households, out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.60% 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, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.20. In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.00% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 22.70% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $20,784, and the median income for a family was $24,252. Males had a median income of $25,008 versus $16,883 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 county was $11,218. About 27.20% of families and 32.90% 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 46.80% of those under age 18 and 15.80% of those age 65 or over.


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 25,095 people, 9,593 households, and 6,484 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 10,999 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 77.7% white, 1.3% American Indian, 1.1% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 16.6% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 61.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 9.7% were German, 7.4% were English, 7.3% were Irish, and 2.4% were American. Of the 9,593 households, 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.4% were non-families, and 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age was 39.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $27,997 and the median income for a family was $33,312. Males had a median income of $31,905 versus $19,865 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,687. About 26.2% of families and 32.8% 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 50.2% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Residents in all parts of the county are zoned to Deming Public Schools.
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Communities


City

* Deming (county seat)


Village

* Columbus


Census-designated places

* City of the Sun * Keeler Farm * La Hacienda * Mountain View *
Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
* Pecan Park * Pulpotio Bareas * Sunshine * Ventura


Ghost towns

* Gage * Mimbres * Mowry City * Myndus *
Nutt Nutt is an English language, English surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfred Nutt (1856–1910), British publisher * Alfred Young Nutt (1847–1924), English architect and artist * Commodore Nutt (1844–1881), American dwarf who ...
* Ojo de Vaca Station


Politics

Luna County is a Republican-leaning county in presidential elections. However, it has voted for Democrats 3 times since 1964.


See also

* Luna, New Mexico, a community in Catron County * National Register of Historic Places listings in Luna County, New Mexico


References


External links


Luna County website


{{Coord, 32.18, -107.75, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NM_source:UScensus1990 1901 establishments in New Mexico Territory Populated places established in 1901