Union County () is the easternmost

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 ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 4,079, making it the fourth-least populous county in New Mexico. 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 Clayton. The county was formed in 1894. Union County borders

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

to the north, and

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

to the east.

History

Union County, was created by an act of the territorial legislation in 1893 and was officially recognized on January 1, 1894, when the first slate of elected county officials received their oaths of office. The county is named “Union” because the citizens were united in their desire for the creation of a new county out of three existing New Mexico counties. Union County was subsequently “carved up” by the creation of additional counties,

Quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

in 1903 and Harding in 1920. At one time, Union County had a population of over 20,000. There were a number of bustling communities such as Amistad, Hayden, Sedan, Pasamonte, Gladstone, Mt Dora, Grenville, Des Moines, Folsom, and Dedman (now known as Capulin).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Las Animas County, Colorado (north) * Baca County, Colorado (northeast) *

Cimarron County, Oklahoma Cimarron County is the westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its county seat is Boise City, Oklahoma, Boise City. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 2,296, making it the le ...

(east/Central Time border) * Dallam County, Texas (east/Central Time border) * Hartley County, Texas (southeast/Central Time border) * Quay County (south) * Harding County (south) * Colfax County (west) Union County is one of the few counties in the U.S. to border counties from four different states. One of its neighbors is Cimarron County, Oklahoma, the only US county to border counties from five different states.

National protected areas

* Capulin Volcano National Monument * Kiowa National Grassland (part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,174 people, 1,733 households, and 1,176 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 2,225 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 80.38%

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 ...

, 0.96% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.12%

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 ...

, 16.00% from other races, and 2.20% from two or more races. 35.10% 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 1,733 households, out of which 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.70% 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, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.30% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,080, and the median income for a family was $35,313. Males had a median income of $26,364 versus $18,711 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 Union county was $14,700. About 14.20% of families and 18.10% 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 31.40% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,549 people, 1,695 households, and 1,073 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 2,305 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 81.7% white, 2.0% American Indian, 1.8% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 11.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 39.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.6% were German, 10.3% were Irish, 7.4% were English, and 7.0% were American. Of the 1,695 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.7% were non-families, and 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 40.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $39,975 and the median income for a family was $41,687. Males had a median income of $29,388 versus $23,333 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,228. About 6.9% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the

, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Town

* Clayton (county seat)

Villages

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

* Folsom * Grenville

Census-designated place

* Capulin

Other communities

* Amistad *

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

* Hayden * Mount Dora * Sedan * Seneca *

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

* Stead

Politics

Like all of Eastern New Mexico, Union County is heavily Republican. The county has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1948. Hillary Clinton in 2016 received the worst showing for a Democrat in the county's history – but this was partially due to a large migration towards third-party candidates such as New Mexico native and former governor Gary Johnson, who ran as a libertarian.

References

External links

County website
{{Coord, 36.48, -103.47, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NM_source:UScensus1990 1894 establishments in New Mexico Territory Populated places established in 1894