San Jon () is a village in

Quay County, New Mexico Quay County () is a county in the state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 8,746. Its county seat is Tucumcari. The county was named for Pennsylvania senator Matthew Quay, who supported statehood for New Mexico. Its ...

, United States. The population was 195 at the 2020 census.

History

The village was founded in 1902 and grew after the arrival of the railroad in 1904. It was once an important local commercial center and stop on

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

and home to numerous tourist-oriented businesses, such as gasoline service stations, cafes and motels. However, when

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 ...

bypassed the village in 1981, the local economy went into a decline, leading most of those businesses to shut down. Today, only one motel is still in operation and all of the gas stations and dining establishments are centered around the I-40 interchange on the north side of town. Former establishments include The Old Route 66 Truck and Auto Parts garage, Smith's Café, and the Circle M Motel.

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 village has a total area of , all land. The village is located on I-40 at New Mexico State Highway 469 and is east of

Tucumcari Tucumcari (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,278 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay Cou ...

. File:Llano Escarpment.jpg, Northern escarpment of the

Llano Estacado The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the North A ...

, located 14 km south of San Jon,

Eastern New Mexico Eastern New Mexico is a physiographic subregion within the U.S. state of New Mexico. The region is sometimes called the " High Plains", or "Eastern Plains (of New Mexico)", and was historically referred to as part of the "Great American Desert". T ...

File:Llano Estacado San Jon Hill Roadcut 2003.jpg, Road cut south of San Jon on New Mexico State Highway 469 as it crosses the caprock escarpment at the northern edge of the

. File:San Jon New Mexico 2003.JPG, View of San Jon, looking north from the caprock escarpment of the

File:San Jon Motel In the Morning.jpg, The lone motel of San Jon, established in 1946.

Climate

According to the

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 ...

system, San Jon has a

cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in San Jon was on July 11, 2020, and July 13, 2020, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 1, 1919.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 306 people, 118 households, and 82 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 133 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 87.91%

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 ...

, 1.63% Native American, 6.54% from other races, and 3.92% 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 32.03% of the population. There were 118 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.24. In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 74.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $22,917, and the median income for a family was $27,000. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $16,607 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 $11,592. About 14.3% of families and 16.8% 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 26.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 13.6% of those 65 or over.

References

External links

Old San Jon
{{authority control Villages in Quay County, New Mexico Villages in New Mexico Populated places established in 1902 1902 establishments in New Mexico Territory