Las Vegas, New Mexico
Encyclopedia : L : LA : LAS : Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate towns, West Las Vegas ("Old Town") and East Las Vegas ("New Town"), divided by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival, school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of San Miguel County[Geographic references#6GR6].
Las Vegas is the home of New Mexico Highlands University. It is also a venue used by the IBNA for teacher training, perhaps due to the proximity of the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West.
Las Vegas is sometimes mistaken for Las Vegas, Nevada.
History
Las Vegas was established in 1835 after a group of settlers received a land grant from the Mexican government. The town was laid out in the traditional Spanish Colonial style, with a central plaza surrounded by buildings which could serve as fortifications in case of attack. Las Vegas soon prospered as a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. During the Mexican-American War in 1846, Stephen W. Kearny delivered an address at the Plaza of Las Vegas claiming New Mexico for the United States.When the railroad arrived in 1880 it set up shop one mile east of the Plaza, creating a separate, rival New Town (as in Albuquerque). During the railroad era Las Vegas boomed, quickly becoming one of the largest cities in the American southwest. Turn-of-the-century Las Vegas featured all the modern amenities, including an electric street railway, a Carnegie library, a major Harvey House hotel, and the New Mexico Normal School (now NMHU). Since the decline of the railroad began in the 1950s the city's population has remained relatively constant.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.5 km² (7.5 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 14,565 people, 5,588 households, and 3,559 families residing in the city. The population density was 748.8/km² (1,938.2/mi²). There were 6,366 housing units at an average density of 327.3/km² (847.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.21% White, 0.99% African American, 1.96% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 37.19% from other races, and 4.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 82.94% of the population.There were 5,588 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 21.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,214, and the median income for a family was $29,797. Males had a median income of $26,319 versus $21,731 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,619. About 24.3% of families and 27.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.7% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over.
Architecture
Las Vegas is home to a very large number of historic structures (mostly railroad-era houses and commercial buildings), with over 900 listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although many buildings are in varying states of deterioration, others have been restored or are awaiting restoration. Some of the city's notable buildings include:
- Dr. H.J. Mueller House, 1881 example of Victorian eclecticism with unusual octagonal tower
- Plaza Hotel, 1881, site of the first reunion of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders in 1899
- Old City Hall, New Mexico's first municipal building, completed in 1892
- Louis Fort House, Queen Anne house on Carnegie Park, built in 1895
- Masonic Temple, Richardsonian Romanesque building erected in 1895
- La Castaneda Hotel, mission-style Harvey House built in 1898
- Carnegie Library, built in 1903 at the center of Carnegie Park and modeled after Monticello
Movies filmed in Las Vegas
Many silent Western films were made in and around Las Vegas, especially in the years 1913-1915, including a number that starred Tom Mix.
In the 1969 movie Easy Rider, Las Vegas, NM is the town where the two bikers ride behind a parade, are arrested for "parading without a permit," and meet Jack Nicholson's character in jail. The town name can be seen in the background in one scene during this part of the movie.
The town was the filming location for parts of the 1978 movie Convoy, a film about truck drivers inspired by the 1975 song of the same name.
Parts of The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1983) were filmed in and around Las Vegas.
Las Vegas was the real-world town used to represent the fictional setting of Calumet, Colorado in John Milius' 1984 film Red Dawn. As of 2005, many of the buildings and structures seen in the film remain.
Several scenes in the 1998 John Carpenter's Vampires were filmed in the plaza.
In the 2001 documentary Freedom Downtime, a cross-country road trip to Las Vegas, Nevada ends up in Las Vegas, New Mexico by mistake.
External links
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