Clayton, New Mexico
Encyclopedia
Clayton is a town
in Union County
, New Mexico
, United States
. The population
was 2,524 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Union County
. Tourists heading from Texas
to Colorado
often pass through Clayton, which is located in the northeast corner of New Mexico.
Clayton is named for a son of U.S. Senator Stephen W. Dorsey, an Arkansas
Republican
, originally from Ohio
, who served during Reconstruction. The town was established in 1887. Trade caravans and homesteaders traveling through the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail
passed through Clayton. The town was a livestock
shipping center for herds from the Pecos River
and the Texas Panhandle
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 7 square miles (18.1 km²).
of 2010, there were 2,988 people, 1,079 households, and 691 families residing in the town. The population density
was 535.7 people per square mile (206.9/km²). There were 1,289 housing units at an average density of 273.6 per square mile (105.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 75.36% White, 1.07% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 20.44% from other races
, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46.47% of the population.
There were 1,079 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples
living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,600, and the median income for a family was $30,109. Males had a median income of $26,554 versus $17,054 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,967. About 14.2% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
each Independence Day
. The community also hosts two museum
s. The Herzstein Memorial Museum, run by the Union County Historical Society, is open without charge Tuesdays through Saturdays and by appointment. An official interpretative center of the Santa Fe Trail, the Herzstein focuses upon county and regional history
. The Works Progress Administration
Museum at Clayton High School is open by appointment only. Clayton Lake State Park
, featuring a fishing lake and an extensive trackway
of fossilized dinosaur
footprints, is located 15 miles (24.1 km) north of town.
Chief of police:Scott Julian
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Union County
Union County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*81.7% White*1.8% Black*2.0% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.3% Two or more races*11.7% Other races*39.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
was 2,524 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Union County
Union County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*81.7% White*1.8% Black*2.0% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.3% Two or more races*11.7% Other races*39.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. Tourists heading from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
often pass through Clayton, which is located in the northeast corner of New Mexico.
Clayton is named for a son of U.S. Senator Stephen W. Dorsey, an Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, originally from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, who served during Reconstruction. The town was established in 1887. Trade caravans and homesteaders traveling through the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
passed through Clayton. The town was a livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
shipping center for herds from the Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
and the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
.
Geography and climate
Clayton is located at 36°26′59"N 103°10′51"W (36.449835, -103.180756).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 7 square miles (18.1 km²).
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec High °F | 80 | 81 | 86 | 91 | 99 | 104 | 102 | 102 | 99 | 93 | 85 | 83 |
| Norm High °F | 47.4 | 51.5 | 58.2 | 66.1 | 74.2 | 83.9 | 87.4 | 85.1 | 77.9 | 68.5 | 55.7 | 48 |
| Norm Low °F | 20.3 | 23.7 | 29.2 | 37.2 | 46.7 | 55.9 | 60.2 | 59.2 | 51.5 | 40.6 | 28.7 | 21.6 |
| Rec Low °F | -21 | -17 | -11 | 9 | 23 | 37 | 45 | 45 | 26 | 12 | -10 | -14 |
| Precip (in) | 0.3 | 0.27 | 0.62 | 0.99 | 2.08 | 2.21 | 2.81 | 2.69 | 1.56 | 0.74 | 0.54 | 0.32 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-new-mexico/clayton-weather.asp | ||||||||||||
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 2,988 people, 1,079 households, and 691 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 535.7 people per square mile (206.9/km²). There were 1,289 housing units at an average density of 273.6 per square mile (105.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 75.36% White, 1.07% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 20.44% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 46.47% of the population.
There were 1,079 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,600, and the median income for a family was $30,109. Males had a median income of $26,554 versus $17,054 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $13,967. About 14.2% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
Community
Clayton holds a paradeParade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
each Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. The community also hosts two museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s. The Herzstein Memorial Museum, run by the Union County Historical Society, is open without charge Tuesdays through Saturdays and by appointment. An official interpretative center of the Santa Fe Trail, the Herzstein focuses upon county and regional history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. The Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
Museum at Clayton High School is open by appointment only. Clayton Lake State Park
Clayton Lake State Park
Clayton Lake State Park is a state park of New Mexico, USA. It is located north of Clayton, close to New Mexico's border with Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. The landscape is characterized by rolling grasslands, volcanic rocks, and sandstone bluffs, set on the western edge of the Great Plains...
, featuring a fishing lake and an extensive trackway
Trackway
A trackway is an ancient route of travel for people or animals. In biology, a trackway can be a set of impressions in the soft earth, usually a set of footprints, left by an animal. A fossil trackway is the fossilized imprint of a trackway. Trackways have been found all over the world...
of fossilized dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
footprints, is located 15 miles (24.1 km) north of town.
Government
- Mayor: Jack Chosvig
- City Council Members:
- Tony Naranjo
- Noel Allen
- Coby Beckner
- Leroy Montoya
Chief of police:Scott Julian