Clayton, New Mexico

Clayton, New Mexico
Town

Main Street (2008)

Location of Clayton within Union County and New Mexico
Coordinates: 36°26′59″N 103°10′51″W / 36.44972°N 103.18083°W / 36.44972; -103.18083Coordinates: 36°26′59″N 103°10′51″W / 36.44972°N 103.18083°W / 36.44972; -103.18083
Country United States
State New Mexico
County Union
Area
 • Total 4.7 sq mi (12.2 km2)
 • Land 4.7 sq mi (12.2 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 5,056 ft (1,541 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 2,980
 • Density 630/sq mi (240/km2)
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code 88415
Area code(s) 575
FIPS code 35-15720
GNIS feature ID 0905193
Website claytonnm.org

Clayton is a town and county seat of Union County, New Mexico, United States.[2] As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,980.[1] Clayton is a crossroads for tourists heading from Texas to Colorado, and Kansas / Oklahoma / Texas to Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

History

Clayton, 1904
Young pronghorn near Clayton

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.[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12 km2), all land.

Climate

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

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1910970—
19202,157122.4%
19302,51816.7%
19403,18826.6%
19503,51510.3%
19603,314−5.7%
19702,931−11.6%
19802,9681.3%
19902,484−16.3%
20002,5241.6%
20102,98018.1%
Est. 20152,774[4]−6.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census[6] of 2010, there were 2,980 people, 1,025 households (only 77.8% of the population was living in households), and 623 family households 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 75.9% White (43.5% non-Hispanic white), 2.7% Native American, 2.6% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 15.6% from some other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.1% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, 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.

Community

Clayton holds a parade each Independence Day. The community also hosts two museums. 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.[7] 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 km) north of town.

See also

Rabbit Ears

References

  1. 1 2 "2010 City Population and Housing Occupancy Status". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ Historical marker in Clayton, New Mexico
  4. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. ↑ Herzstein Memorial Museum
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