Mountainair

Statistics

  • Area: 1.58 square miles
  • Incorporated: 1921
  • Location: 35-miles east of Belen at the southern edge of the Manzano Mountains
  • Population, 2015: 878
Mountainair Mainstreet

About

Mountainair sits near the geographic center of New Mexico. The town, gateway to the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, is a center for tourism and the arts. The picturesque downtown has also drawn the interest of movie makers. The local economy is based on agriculture, trade and tourism.

Economy

  • Major private employers: P&M Signs, Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative, High Lonesome Wind Ranch (electricity generation).

History

Mountainair was founded in 1903 at Abo Pass, a long gentle rise between the Rio Grande and the Estancia Valley. Three men from Kansas decided that their town site should be on the Santa Fe Railway's Belen cut-off. This was a route east from Belen that would save 10-hours on the run to Chicago. When the cut-off was completed in 1906, homesteaders began to arrive and the town boomed. In 1923, folk artist Clem "Pop" Shaffer built a hotel and in 1932 added a dining room, which is itself a work of art. Once known as the "Pinto Bean Capital of the World," Mountainair had the world's largest pinto bean processing center. A drought in the 1940's ended bean farming, and ranching quickly took its place.

Demographics

Population

Mountainair Population Graph

More Information

  1. Age Education (PDF)
  2. Commuting (PDF)
  3. Employment Income (PDF)
  4. Housing (PDF)
The Historic Shaffer Hotel

Government

  • Four councilors, elected to four-year staggered terms
  • Mayor, elected every four years

Utilities

  • Electric: Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative
  • Natural Gas: Town of Mountainair
  • Sewer: Town of Mountainair
  • Solid Waste: Town of Mountainair
  • Source: Ground water
  • Telephone: CenturyLink or Plateau
  • Water: Town of Mountainair

Transportation

  • Air: Mountainair Municipal Airport (general aviation)
  • Highways: U.S. 60 and New Mexico State Road 55
  • Train, Freight: Burlington Northern and Santa Fe

Education

  • Kindergarten to 12th grade: Mountainair School District

Amenities

  • Entertainment: The Mountainair Activity Center has a 300-seat indoor concert hall, a full-service kitchen and dining room, a small chapel, bunk houses, a basketball gym, and an indoor swimming pool. Outside are a baseball diamond, basketball court, horseshoe rings and volleyball court.
  • Hiking: The Manzano Mountains lie to the west. In the Mountainair Ranger District are eight campgrounds and many trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding. Hawkwatch International uses Capilla Peak to watch hawk and eagle migrations.
  • National monument: Salinas National Monument preserves ruins of Indian pueblos and churches at three sites - Abo, Quarai, and Gran Quivira.
  • Rodeo: The Mountainair Rodeo Grounds hosts events from March to September, including a PRCA rodeo in June.
  • State parks: Manzano State Park, 13-miles northwest of Mountainair, offers trout fishing and camping. One of the oldest apple orchards in the United States overlooks Manzano Lake. ("Manzano" means "apple" in Spanish.)