Tucumcari, New Mexico
Encyclopedia : T : TU : TUC : Tucumcari, New Mexico
(This article is about the city. Tucumcari is also the name of a song sung by Jimmie Rodgers, and a 1960s hydrofoil by Boeing.)
Tucumcari is a city in Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,989 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Quay County[Geographic references#6GR6].
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.6 km² (7.6 mi²). 19.5 km² (7.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.13% is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 5,989 people, 2,489 households, and 1,607 families residing in the city. The population density was 306.7/km² (793.8/mi²). There were 3,065 housing units at an average density of 156.9/km² (406.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.87% White, 1.29% African American, 1.39% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 17.10% from other races, and 2.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 51.41% of the population.There were 2,489 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,560, and the median income for a family was $27,468. Males had a median income of $25,342 versus $18,568 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,786. About 19.1% of families and 24.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.
Legend Surrounding The Area
Legend has it that Apache Chief, Wautonomah was nearing the end of his time on earth and was troubled by the question of who would succeed him as ruler of the tribe. In a classic portrait of love and competition, his two finest braves, Tonopah and Tocom, were not only rivals and sworn enemies of one another, but were both vying for the hand of Kari, Chief Wantonomah's daughter. Kari knew her heart belonged to Tocom. Chief Wautonomah beckened Tonopah and Tocom to his side and announced, "Soon I must die and one of you must succeed me as chief. Tonight you must take your long knives and meet in combat to settle the matter between you. He who survives shall be the Chief and have for his squaw, Kari, my daughter."As ordered, the two braves met, with knives outstretched, in mortal combat. Unknown to either brave was the fact that Kari was hiding nearby. When Tonopah's knife found the heart of Tocom, the young squaw rushed from her hiding place and used a knife to take Tonopah's life, as well as her own.
When Chief Wautonomah was shown this tragic scene, heartbreak enveloped him and he buried his daughter's knife deep into his own heart, crying out in agony, "Tocom-Kari"!
A slight variation of the Chief's dying words live on today as "Tucumcari," and the mountain which bares this name stands as a stark reminder of unfulfilled love.
Some credit this folktake to Geronimo. More sceptical and less romantic historians believe the word "Tucumcari" is a derivation from the Comanche word "tukanukaru," which means to lie in wait for something. There's historical veracity to this explanation, since the mountain was known to be a Comanche lookout many years ago.
In the movies
Tucumcari is where the main action of Sergio Leone's For a Few Dollars More, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Gian Maria Volonte, takes place.A scene in Two-Lane Blacktop, starring James Taylor, Dennis Wilson, and Warren Oates, was filmed at a gasoline service station in Tucumcari. Tucumcari Mountain is clearly visible at the beginning of this scene.
Tucumcari is mentioned in the film Rainman by the character played by Tom Cruise. However, the location in the scene is clearly not Tucumcari.
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.