Cibola County, New Mexico#Micropolitan Statistical Area
{{Short description|County in New Mexico, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
| county = Cibola County
| state = New Mexico
| seal =
| founded year = 1981
| founded date = June 19
| seat wl = Grants
| largest city wl = Grants
| area_total_sq_mi = 4542
| area_land_sq_mi = 4539
| area_water_sq_mi = 2.3
| area percentage = 0.05%
| census yr = 2020
| pop = 27172
| density_sq_mi = 6.0
| web = https://www.cibolacountynm.com/
| ex image = Cibola County New Mexico Court House.jpg
| ex image cap = Cibola County Courthouse in Grants
| district = 2nd
| time zone = Mountain
| named for = Mythical Seven Cities of Cibola
}}
Cibola County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,172.{{cite web|title=Cibola County, New Mexico|url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Cibola_County,_New_Mexico?g=050XX00US35006|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 1, 2023}} Its county seat is Grants.{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }} It is New Mexico's youngest county, and the third youngest county in the United States, created on June 19, 1981, from the westernmost four-fifths of the formerly much larger Valencia County.
Cibola County comprises the Grants, New Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county is a rich mining area with numerous Uranium mines.
Geography
File:Malpais Natural Arch.jpg]]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of {{convert|4542|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|4539|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|2.3|sqmi}} (0.05%) is water.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_35.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101195546/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_35.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 1, 2015 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 1, 2015 |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files }}
=Adjacent counties=
- McKinley County - north
- Sandoval County - northeast
- Bernalillo County - east
- Valencia County - east
- Socorro County - southeast
- Catron County - south
- Apache County, Arizona - west
=National protected areas=
Demographics
{{US Census population
|1990= 23794
|2000= 25595
|2010= 27213
|2020= 27172
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 1, 2015}}
1790-1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=January 1, 2015|archive-date=August 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|url-status=dead}} 1900-1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/nm190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 1, 2015}}
1990-2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 1, 2015}} 2010{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/35/35006.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606225841/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/35/35006.html|archive-date=June 6, 2011|url-status=dead}}
}}
=2000 census=
As of the 2000 census,{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }} there were 25,595 people, 8,327 households, and 6,278 families living in the county. The population density was {{convert|6|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people|}}. There were 10,328 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units }}. The racial makeup of the county was 39.61% White, 0.96% Black or African American, 40.32% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 15.44% from other races, and 3.24% from two or more races. 33.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,327 households, out of which 38.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.60% were married couples living together, 18.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.41.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.70% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,774, and the median income for a family was $30,714. Males had a median income of $27,652 versus $20,078 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,731. About 21.50% of families and 24.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.00% of those under age 18 and 17.70% of those age 65 or over.
=2010 census=
As of the 2010 census, there were 27,213 people, 8,860 households, and 6,274 families living in the county.{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US35006
|title=DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data
|access-date=January 24, 2016
|publisher=United States Census Bureau
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213031606/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US35006
|archive-date=February 13, 2020
|url-status=dead
}} The population density was {{convert|6.0|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|inhabitants |inhabitants|}}. There were 11,101 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2.4|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}.{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US35006
|access-date=January 24, 2016
|title=Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County
|publisher=United States Census Bureau
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213184231/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US35006
|archive-date=February 13, 2020
|url-status=dead
}} The racial makeup of the county was 41.8% white, 41.0% American Indian, 1.0% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 12.4% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 36.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 5.4% were Irish, and 1.5% were American.{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US35006
|title=DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
|access-date=January 24, 2016
|publisher=United States Census Bureau
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213025025/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US35006
|archive-date=February 13, 2020
|url-status=dead
}}
Of the 8,860 households, 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 20.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.2% were non-families, and 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.30. The median age was 36.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,361 and the median income for a family was $41,187. Males had a median income of $36,027 versus $25,318 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,712. About 20.1% of families and 24.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.7% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US35006
|title=DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
|access-date=January 24, 2016
|publisher=United States Census Bureau
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213023032/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US35006
|archive-date=February 13, 2020
|url-status=dead
}}
Education
School districts serving portions of the county include:{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st35_nm/schooldistrict_maps/c35006_cibola/DC20SD_C35006.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721010830/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st35_nm/schooldistrict_maps/c35006_cibola/DC20SD_C35006.pdf |archive-date=July 21, 2021 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Cibola County, NM|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=July 12, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st35_nm/schooldistrict_maps/c35006_cibola/DC20SD_C35006_SD2MS.txt Text list]
All public schools in the county are operated by Grants/Cibola County Schools; the Quemado and Zuni facilities are in other counties.
Due to an agreement between Cibola County and McKinley County, residents of the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation are bussed to schools in Ramah in McKinley County (including Ramah Middle/High School) even though they are physically in Cibola County, due to the long distance to the nearest Cibola County schools from the reservation.{{cite news|last=Linthicum|first=Leslie|title=Navajos Say County Is Stealing Students|newspaper=Albuquerque Journal|place=Albuquerque, New Mexico|date=March 6, 1995|pages=A1, A3}} - [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81861504/for-ramah-navajo-res/ Clipping of first] and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81862422/for-ramah-navajo-res/ of second page] at Newspapers.com. Page 2 text details: [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105588905/ A], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105588956/ B], and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105588997/ C]
Corrections
Cibola County is home to three prisons:
- the Cibola County Correctional Center, operated by Corrections Corporation of America, housing 1129 federal inmates under a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the United States Marshal Service{{Cite web|url=http://cca.com/facilities/cibola-county-correctional-center|title=CoreCivic: Better the Public Good|last=CoreCivic|website=cca.com|language=en|access-date=April 1, 2018}}{{cite web|title=Cibola County Correctional Center|url=http://cca.com/facilities/cibola-county-correctional-center|website=Corrections Corporation of America|access-date=August 26, 2016}}
- the New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility, run by CCA for the state of New Mexico, and
- Western New Mexico Correctional Facility, owned and operated by the state, with about 440 male inmates{{cite web|title=Western New Mexico Correctional Facility|url=http://cd.nm.gov/apd/wnmcf.html|website=New Mexico Corrections Department|access-date=August 26, 2016}}
In November 2018, following a private autopsy, a unit of the Cibola County Correctional Center (CCCC) was named in the abuse and wrongful death on May 25, 2018, of Roxsana Hernández Rodríguez. Rodríguez was a 33-year-old transgender woman who immigrated from Honduras. The CCCC is operated under contract by CoreCivic.{{cite web |last1=Bixby |first1=Scott |author2=Betsy Woodruff |title=Trans Woman Was Beaten in ICE Custody Before Death, Autopsy Finds |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/trans-woman-roxsana-hernandez-rodriguez-beaten-in-ice-custody-before-death-pathologist-finds |website=The Daily Beast |publisher=The Daily Beast Company |access-date=November 27, 2018 |date=November 26, 2018}}{{cite web |title=Justice for Roxsana: Announcing Legal Action To Hold Government Accountable for Transgender Asylum-Seeker's Death |date=November 26, 2018 |url=https://transgenderlawcenter.org/archives/14407 |publisher=Transgender Law Center |access-date=November 27, 2018}}
Politics
{{PresHead|place=Cibola County, New Mexico|whig=no|source1={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=April 1, 2018}}}}
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|4,311|4,450|216|New Mexico}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|3,975|4,745|183|New Mexico}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|3,195|3,741|1,127|New Mexico}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|2,998|4,961|284|New Mexico}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|3,131|5,827|139|New Mexico}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|3,477|3,913|97|New Mexico}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|2,752|4,127|209|New Mexico}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|2,245|4,030|605|New Mexico}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|2,051|3,334|899|New Mexico}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|2,640|3,458|39|New Mexico}}
{{PresFoot|1984|Republican|3,578|3,140|22|New Mexico}}
Cibola County tends to support the Democratic Party. In the 1984 presidential election, a majority voted for the Republican presidential nominee, otherwise since that time (except 2016 and 2024) all other presidential elections had a Democrat majority. Democratic strength lies especially in the Acoma, Laguna, and Ramah Navajo Reservations. Republican strength lies in Milan, Grants, and surrounding rural areas, as well as the southwestern portion of the county.
In the 2024 election, the county saw a strong trend toward the Republican Party. Kamala Harris was unable to gain a majority in the county, only winning through a narrow plurality of 49.57%. This was due in part to the cities of Grants and Milan, which trended more Republican than in 2020, with every precinct giving Trump the majority (unlike in 2020, when much of central Grants voted majority Democratic). With the exception of the rural areas to the northeast and the northwest of Grants, the rest of the county also saw Republican trends, including the areas with highly Native American populations. This was the closest that any Republican presidential candidate has come to flipping the county since Reagan's time.{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/elections/2024-election-map-precinct-results.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qk4.9CUE.eUcpg0mNRL9r&smid=url-share | title=An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2024 Election | work=The New York Times | date=January 15, 2025 | last1=Datar | first1=Saurabh | last2=Marcus | first2=Ilana | last3=Murray | first3=Eli | last4=Singer | first4=Ethan | last5=Lemonides | first5=Alex | last6=Zhang | first6=Christine }}
At the state level, the only time it has voted for a Republican nominee for Governor was 2014, when Susana Martinez carried all but five counties in her reelection bid.
Communities
=City=
- Grants (county seat)
=Village=
= Census-designated places =
There are 32 Census Designated Places contained within the county, largely designated in 1980.
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Acomita Lake
- Anzac Village
- Bibo
- Bluewater Village
- Broadview
- Candy Kitchen
- Cubero
- El Morro Valley
- Encinal
- Fence Lake
- Golden Acres
- Laguna
- Las Tusas
- Lobo Canyon
- McCartys Village
- Mesita
- Moquino
- Mount Taylor
- Mountain View
- North Acomita Village
- Paguate
- Paraje
- Pinehill
- San Fidel
- San Mateo
- San Rafael
- Seama
- Seboyeta
- Skyline-Ganipa
- South Acomita Village
- Stoneridge
- Timberlake (part)
{{div col end}}
= Unincorporated communities =
{{div col}}
- Alaska
- Casa Blanca
- Cebolleta
- Cebolletita
- Cubero
- El Rito
- Fence Lake
- New Laguna
{{div col end}}
= [[Ghost town|Ghost Town]] =
See also
References
;Specific
{{Reflist|30em}}
;General
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090506234535/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/ctychng.html County status and boundary changes] United States Census Bureau
Further reading
- Baldwin, J.A. and D.R. Rankin. (1995). Hydrogeology of Cibola County, New Mexico [Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4178]. Albuquerque: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
- Maxwell, C.H. (1989). Mineral resources of the Petaca Pinta wilderness study area, Cibola County, New Mexico [U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1734-H]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
External links
{{Commons category-inline|Cibola County, New Mexico}}
{{Geographic Location
|Centre = Cibola County, New Mexico
|North = McKinley County
|Northeast = Sandoval County
|East = Bernalillo County and Valencia County
|Southeast = Socorro County
|South = Catron County
|Southwest =
|West = Apache County, Arizona
|Northwest =
}}
{{Cibola County, New Mexico}}
{{New Mexico}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|34.92|-107.99|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-NM_source:UScensus1990}}