Jal, New Mexico
Encyclopedia
Jal is a city in Lea County
Lea County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*75.0% White*4.1% Black*1.2% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.6% Two or more races*16.5% Other races*51.1% 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 was 1,996 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Jal is located at 32°6′44"N 103°11′35"W (32.112102, -103.192972).

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 city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12.4 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 2000, there were 1,996 people, 743 households, and 560 families residing in the city. 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 412.8 people per square mile (159.2/km²). There were 957 housing units at an average density of 197.9 per square mile (76.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.38% White, 0.60% African American, 1.35% Native American, 27.05% 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 4.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 42.03% of the population.

There were 743 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,848, and the median income for a family was $35,500. Males had a median income of $32,125 versus $21,250 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 city was $14,354. About 13.8% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Name

In the 1880s, several brothers brought a herd of cattle to Monument Draw
Monument Draw
-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas...

, six miles northeast of the present city. The cattle were branded with the initials of the previous owner (J.A.L.) and the cattle soon came to be called the JAL Cattle. The men who worked the herd just seemed right to refer to them as the Jal cowboys. In time the name became synonymous the settlement itself.
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