Ruidoso (Spanish for "noisy") is a village in
Lincoln 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, adjacent to the
Lincoln National Forest. The population was 7,679 at the
2020 census.
The city of
Ruidoso Downs and the unincorporated area of
Alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...
are suburbs of Ruidoso, and contribute to the Ruidoso
Micropolitan Statistical Area's population of 21,223.
A mountain
resort town
A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...
, Ruidoso lies in the
Sierra Blanca mountain range of south-central New Mexico, where it merges with the
Sacramento Mountains to the south. Ruidoso is a resort community close to the slopes of
Ski Apache, the
Mescalero Apache Tribe-owned ski resort on Sierra Blanca, an almost mountain.
The tribe also operates the Inn of the Mountain Gods resort in the area, which includes a
casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
,
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
,
arcade room and
golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
.
Ruidoso is the largest community in Lincoln County, and serves as the regional economic hub.
In recent years the village is contending with serious questions about the adequacy of the local water supply
and
zoning
In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...
enforcement. As in many small communities that have been recently "discovered", there is an ongoing debate about how best to plan for additional growth.
The village received its name from the
Rio Ruidoso (
Spanish for "Noisy River"), a small stream that weaves through the city.
History
Along the eastern foothills of White Mountain, retired army Captain Paul Dowlin built Dowlin’s Mill where the Carrizo Creek and Rio Ruidoso merge. He had served at nearby
Fort Stanton. The Mill was also a general store, dance hall, and moonshine supply.
San Patricio, NM (in the Hondo Valley) was originally known as Ruidoso. In 1875, its name was changed in honor of a Catholic priest’s patron saint. Early Hispanos used the term “Ruidoso” to describe a noisy creek. Today’s Ruidoso grew up around Dowlin’s Mill. Will Dowlin survived his brother, after an employee shot Captain Paul dead.
By 1885, with a general store, blacksmith, post office, cabins along the Rio Ruidoso, and proximity to the
Chisholm Trail Ruidoso, NM was born.
The Wingfield family operated a dairy and early post office. By 1914, cabins were being built in Upper Canyon. At Cedar Creek in 1935, a ski area opened on a sloping meadow.
On July 16, 1945, the
Trinity (test) could be felt by local people like an explosion.
By 1947, a race track was opened at Hollywood Park. Visitors played golf in the Gateway area. Finally, in 1963 the Mescalero Apaches purchased the ski area now known as
Ski Apache.
21st century

In December 2006, seven percent of eligible voters approved a $12.6 million bond issue to finance the expansion and modernization of the local wastewater treatment plant which was built in 1982. In 2011, construction was completed on a $36 million wastewater treatment plant. This state-of-the-art facility utilizes membrane technology to achieve discharge standards within regulatory guidelines. The plant was designed to accommodate future growth. The average daily volume is 1.6 million gallons. The plant can currently process up to 2.7 million gallons per day.
Late at night on July 26, 2008, through July 27, 2008, the town and the river were hit by devastating
flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...
ing. The remnant circulation of
Hurricane Dolly passed over the area and brought as much as of rainfall. Hundreds of tourists, campers and residents were evacuated
and the storm caused damage at the
Ruidoso Downs Race Track.
One person was killed in the flooding,
approximately 900 persons required rescue, approximately 500 structures were damaged, and initial damage estimates for Ruidoso were in the range of $15– 20 million.
In March 2016, the village of Ruidoso entered into a
Sister City
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inte ...
relationship with
Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico.
In April 2022, large parts of Ruidoso were threatened by the
McBride Fire; over 200 structures were destroyed and 2 people were killed by the blaze, fueled by intense dryness and strong winds.
''The Christmas Classic'' (2023), with
Malin Akerman and
Ryan Hansen, was filmed at ''Ski Apache'', Alto, and Rio Ruidoso.
In June 2024, following the rapid spread of the
South Fork Fire and
Salt Fire, all 7,000 residents were ordered by officials to evacuate the village. Two people have been confirmed dead. As of July 3, 2024, the fires are at 87% and 84% containment respectively. Following the fires,
flood
A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
s led to further evacuations, but members of the village have begun to return in order to rebuild the community.
Geography
Ruidoso is in southern Lincoln County, with elevations ranging from at the village's southeast corner in the valley of the
Rio Ruidoso up to over at the village's northern end near
Alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...
. Ruidoso's southern border and westernmost border follow the
Otero County line. The village is bordered to the east by the city of
Ruidoso Downs.
U.S. Route 70 passes through the southeast part of the village, following the valley of Carrizo Creek upstream from the Rio Ruidoso. The highway leads east down the valley of the Rio Ruidoso and
Rio Hondo to
Roswell and southwest over Apache Summit to
Tularosa.
New Mexico State Road 48 passes through the center of Ruidoso on Sudderth Drive, the village's main street, and leads north to
Capitan.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which , or 0.12%, are water.
Climate
According to the
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, Ruidoso has a
Subtropical highland climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...
''(Cwb)'' due to its moderate temperature ranges and precipitation throughout the year. Bi-modal precipitation falls as rain during summer monsoon and as winter snow. Snowfall varies highly by the year.
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 2010, there were 7,868 people, 3,434 households, and 2,232 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 7,584 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 80.57 percent
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 ...
, 0.29 percent
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 ...
, 2.38 percent
Native American, 0.31 percent
Asian, 0.03 percent
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 ...
, 7.44 percent from
other races, and 2.05 percent 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 18.21 percent of the population.
There were 3,434 households, out of which 23.6 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2 percent 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, 8.8 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0 percent were non-families. 29.8 percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 20.5 percent under the age of 18, 5.8 percent from 18 to 24, 21.9 percent from 25 to 44, 30.1 percent from 45 to 64, and 21.6 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $37,107, and the median income for a family was $44,846. Males had a median income of $30,452 versus $21,974 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 village was $22,721. About 2.5 percent of families and 4.9 percent 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 24.5 percent of those under age 18 and 5.8 percent of those age 65 or over.
Education
K-12 education
Ruidoso Municipal School District covers the majority of the municipality. Small pieces extend into
Capitan Municipal Schools.
Public schools of the Ruidoso school district:
* Sierra Vista Primary School: Pre K, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade
* White Mountain Elementary School: 3rd-5th Grade
* Ruidoso Middle School: 6th-8th Grade
*
Ruidoso High School: 9th-12th Grade
Colleges
*
ENMU-Ruidoso Branch Community College. The ENMU Ruidoso Campus is a two-year college, or community college, (one of 18 New Mexico branches) and an official Branch of ENMU (this status was granted in July 2005).
Public library
Ruidoso Public Library is the library serving Ruidoso,
Ruidoso Downs,
Alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...
, and greater
Lincoln County.
Starting in 1954, the library developed from the
Woman's Club, Beta Sigma Phi with only a small collection of books. In 1960 the Library Advisory Board was created, and Jane Parks served as the first President of the Advisory Board. Shortly after, the library was moved into a building that was once a school and Old City Hall. The library was only two rooms which the librarian Pat Ward oversaw its maintenance. In 1966, under the director Ruth McGuire Spiegel the library was moved to an old airport terminal and now had the bonus of local and state funding. The first library building was built in 1975 at 501 Sudderth Dr. and the library remained in this location for around twenty years.
In 1997 the current library was designed and built by ASA Architectures, the two-story building with vaulted windows is 14,600 square feet. The library has a garden, the Friends’ Book Shoppe, an outdoor reading patio and available window seats. In addition, the library also includes an archive room, conference room, children’s, and teen's library, two self-checkout machines and twenty-nine computers for public use. The collection consists of books, CDs, DVDs, and an e-branch with access to e-books, audio books and magazines. Some of the programs offered at the Ruidoso Public Library are children’s section, adult game night, teen scene, Ruidoso writers publishing group and a bereavement support group. Also, the library offers the New Mexico FamilyPass which provides free admission to fifteen museums and historical sites across the state. The library is open Monday-Saturday.
Newspapers
''Ruidoso Free Press'' is a Lincoln County newspaper, delivered by direct mail to 7100 addresses.
''
Ruidoso News'' is in the ''
USA TODAY
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' network.
In Oct 2021, ''Lincoln County News'' shut, with the death of publisher Jose Peter Aguilar, closing the weekly newspaper.
Sports
The Ruidoso Osos were an independent professional baseball team in the Pecos League during the 2011 season. The team was on hiatus for the 2012 season because of low attendance. There were no lights on the team's home field, meaning games were played at 4:30 p.m. Additionally, alcohol could not be sold at White Mountain Park because it was owned by Ruidoso Municipal Schools. In the 2013 season, the team moved to
Raton and were renamed the
Raton Osos.
Transportation
Airports
*
Sierra Blanca Regional Airport, located approximately northeast of Ruidoso.
Major highways
*
U.S. Route 70
*
NM 48
Notable people
*
Mary Ann Almager, world champion boxer
*
Neil Patrick Harris, actor; grew up in Ruidoso
*
Yvette Herrell, congresswoman and former member of the
New Mexico House of Representatives
*
Mike Runnels, lieutenant governor of New Mexico from 1983 to 1987; lived in Ruidoso
*
Bram van der Stok
Abraham Lamertus "Bram" van der Stok, (13 October 1915 – 8 February 1993), also known as Bob van der Stok, was a World War II fighter pilot and flying ace, and is the most decorated aviator in Dutch history.
In March 1944, he broke out of Sta ...
, aka Dr. Bram "Bob" Vanderstok, WWII flying ace and hero of "The Great Escape" from
Stalag Luft III
See also
*
Noisy Water Winery
*
Ruidoso River Museum
*
Carrizozo
References
External links
*
Ruidoso Valley Chamber of CommerceRuidoso Tourism OfficeThings to do in Ruidoso
{{Authority control
Villages in Lincoln County, New Mexico
Villages in New Mexico
Micropolitan areas of New Mexico
Year of establishment missing
Public libraries in New Mexico
Library buildings completed in 1974
Library buildings completed in 1998