Placitas is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Sandoval County,

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. As of the 2010 census, its population was 4,977. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

In 1767, 21 families received a land grant from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. They founded the village of San Jose de las Huertas near present-day Placitas. Around the year 1768, nomadic Native Americans raided the village. In the 1830s, Placitas, which at the time was known as Las Placitas, was settled. On February 24, 1894, Las Placitas Presbyterian Church was founded. During the 1960s and 1970s, there were many hippie settlements near Placitas. These settlements include Sun Farm, Lower Farm, Little Farm, Dome Valley, and Tawapa. The only one of these settlements that still exists today is Sun Farm.

Geography

Placitas is located at (35.317444, -106.452065). 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 CDP has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 3,452 people, 1,485 households, and 1,101 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,606 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.52% White, 0.70% African American, 1.30% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 10.46% from other races, and 3.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.22%. Of the 1,485 households 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 20.1% of households were one person and 4.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.66. The age distribution was 18.8% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 42.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% 65 or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. The median household income was $60,597 and the median family income was $71,696. Males had a median income of $46,667 versus $41,914 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $36,243. About 2.6% of families and 7.0% 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 12.7% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Placitas is in the Bernalillo Public Schools district, which operates Placitas Elementary School, Bernalillo Middle School (the zoned middle school of this community), and Bernalillo High School.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Sandoval County, New Mexico Census-designated places in New Mexico Albuquerque metropolitan area