Gallup, New Mexico

The City of Gallup
—  City  —
Gallup, New Mexico
Location of Gallup in New Mexico
Coordinates:
Country United States
State New Mexico
County McKinley
Founded 1881
Government
 • Mayor Jackie McKinney
Area
 • City 13.4 sq mi (34.6 km2)
 • Land 13.4 sq mi (34.6 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 6,468 ft (1,971 m)
Population (2010)
 • City 21,678
 • Density 1,513.7/sq mi (584.5/km2)
 • Metro 71,492
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP codes 87301-87305
Area code(s) 505
FIPS code 35-28460
GNIS feature ID 0902825
Website www.ci.gallup.nm.us

Gallup (Navajo: Naʼnízhoozhí) is a city in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 21,678 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of McKinley County.[1]

Gallup was founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. The city was named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. It is the most populous city between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona.

Gallup is sometimes called the "Indian Capital of the World", for its location in the heart of Native American lands, and the presence of Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and other tribes. One-third of the city's population has Native American roots. Gallup's nickname references the huge impact of the Native American cultures found in and around Gallup. However, the city is criticized in the novel Ceremony, authored by the Native American writer Leslie Marmon Silko, for the city's slums.

Route 66 runs through Gallup, and the town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, "Route 66". In 2003, the U.S. and New Mexico Departments of Transportation renumbered US Highway 666, the city's other major highway, as Route 491, since the number "666" is associated with Satan and Devil worship, and thus it was considered offensive to some people. Some local Navajo felt that the renumbering would prevent the route from being "cursed."

It has close proximity to Native American reservations, and historic lack of economic development in addition to many mine closures in the last century. As a result of these mine closures, Gallup has a large socioeconomic poor population.

The historic El Rancho Hotel & Motel has hosted a numerous array of movie stars including John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, Gregory Peck and Burt Lancaster. The rugged terrain surrounding Gallup was popular with Hollywood filmmakers during the 1940s and 1950s for the on-location shooting of Westerns. Actors and film crews would stay at the hotel during filming. Films made in Gallup included Billy the Kid (1930), Pursued (1947), The Sea of Grass (1947), Four Faces West (1948), Only the Valiant (1951), Ace in the Hole (1951), Escape from Fort Bravo (1953), A Distant Trumpet (1964) and The Hallelujah Trail (1965).

Gallup was the setting as the center of activity in a 2006 Sci Fi Channel mini-series The Lost Room, starring Peter Krause. Akon filmed a music video in Gallup in 2005. In 1994, parts of the movie Natural Born Killers were filmed in the city.

The city has long opposed racial discrimination against its African-American residents, the majority of whom lived on the city's West side in the 1940s before the US Civil rights movement took place. During World War II, the city fought successfully to prevent 800 Japanese American residents from being placed in wartime internment.[2] A Palestinian community of about 600 persons can be found; they first arrived from Palestine in the 1970s, and are found in the Southwestern arts and jewelry industries.

Contents

Geography

Gallup is located at (35.523750, -108.734088).[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.4 square miles (35 km2), all land.

Climate

Gallup experiences four seasons with large daily temperature ranges. Winter mornings can be very cold, with temperatures in the 0s to low 10s F. However, by mid-afternoon, it is not uncommon for the temperature to be close to 45 F. Summer afternoons have temperatures near 90 F, and can fall into the 40s and 50s by dawn.

Climate data for Gallup, New Mexico
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 67
(19)
73
(23)
81
(27)
84
(29)
95
(35)
98
(37)
100
(38)
98
(37)
93
(34)
87
(31)
78
(26)
66
(19)
100
(38)
Average high °F (°C) 45
(7)
50
(10)
57
(14)
65
(18)
75
(24)
86
(30)
89
(32)
86
(30)
80
(27)
69
(21)
55
(13)
46
(8)
67
(19)
Average low °F (°C) 11
(−12)
16
(−9)
20
(−7)
24
(−4)
33
(1)
42
(6)
51
(11)
50
(10)
42
(6)
29
(−2)
18
(−8)
11
(−12)
31
(−1)
Record low °F (°C) −20
(−29)
−19
(−28)
−10
(−23)
6
(−14)
12
(−11)
25
(−4)
31
(−1)
35
(2)
20
(−7)
5
(−15)
−26
(−32)
−34
(−37)
−34
(−37)
Rainfall inches (mm) 0.81
(20.6)
0.65
(16.5)
0.89
(22.6)
0.51
(13)
0.62
(15.7)
0.45
(11.4)
1.56
(39.6)
1.99
(50.5)
1.12
(28.4)
1.19
(30.2)
0.95
(24.1)
0.71
(18)
11.45
(290.8)
Snowfall inches (cm) 6.5
(16.5)
6.0
(15.2)
3.8
(9.7)
2.3
(5.8)
0.5
(1.3)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.7
(1.8)
4.1
(10.4)
6.5
(16.5)
30.4
(77.2)
Source: http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USNM0121

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?nm3422

Demographics

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 20,209 people, 6,810 households, and 4,869 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,513.7 people per square mile (584.5/km²). There were 7,349 housing units at an average density of 550.5 per square mile (212.5/km²).

There were 6,810 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,868, and the median income for a family was $39,197. Males had a median income of $33,380 versus $24,441 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,789. About 16.6% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Airports

Major highways

Train

Sports

Gallup welcomed professional basketball to the city in 2004 when the Gallup Talons of the American Basketball Association (ABA) began playing home games in the Gallup Convention Arena. The team was renamed the Gallup Outlaws for the 2005-2006 season. As of February 12, 2008, the ABA had yet to play a game in Gallup for the 2007-08 season. It was rumored that they may join the National Basketball Development League or NBDL whose closest opponent is the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.

Notable residents

Notable events

See also

References

External links