Lea County, New Mexico

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 32°48′N 103°25′W / 32.80°N 103.42°W / 32.80; -103.42

Lea County, New Mexico
Lea County Courthouse in Lovington, New Mexico
Map of New Mexico highlighting Lea County
Location in the state of New Mexico
Map of the United States highlighting New Mexico
New Mexico's location in the U.S.
Founded March 17, 1917
Seat Lovington
Largest city Hobbs
Area
 • Total 4,394 sq mi (11,380 km2)
 • Land 4,391 sq mi (11,373 km2)
 • Water 3 sq mi (8 km2), 0.08%
Population
 • (2010) 64,727
 • Density 15/sq mi (5.68/km²)
Website www.leacounty.net

Lea County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,727.[1] Its county seat is Lovington.[2] It is both west and north of the Texas state line.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,394 square miles (11,380 km2), of which 4,391 square miles (11,373 km2) is land and 3 square miles (8 km2) (0.08%) is water.[3]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
19203,545
—
19306,14473.3%
194021,154244.3%
195030,71745.2%
196053,42973.9%
197049,554−7.3%
198055,99313.0%
199055,765−0.4%
200055,511−0.5%
201064,72716.6%
Est. 201266,3382.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]
2012 Estimate[1]

2010

Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:

2000

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 55,511 people, 19,699 households, and 14,715 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 23,405 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 67.13% White, 4.37% Black or African American, 0.99% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 23.81% from other races, and 3.27% from two or more races. 39.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 19,699 households out of which 39.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the county the population was spread out with 30.10% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 20.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,799, and the median income for a family was $34,665. Males had a median income of $32,005 versus $20,922 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,184. About 17.30% of families and 21.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.00% of those under age 18 and 14.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Town

Other localities

Transportation

Airports

The following public-use airports are located in the county:[6]

Presidential voting

In the 2004 Presidential election, Lea County was the top New Mexico county, as far as percentage, for Republican George W. Bush. He beat John Kerry 79%-20%. In 2008, the Republican candidate John McCain beat Democratic candidate Barack Obama by a wide but slightly smaller margin, 72% to 27%.[7]

Notable people

Lea County had produced several National Rodeo Champions, perhaps starting with Jake McClure starting back in 1930. Later, Troy Fort. More recent Champions are from the Cooper family, Jimmie and Roy. This family is from Monument, southwest of Hobbs. All of these men have been National Champions.[8]

Several golfers have made it to the PGA and most famous is Kathy Whitworth, an LPGA Hall of Famer. The men Golfers include Ronnie Black, Sean Murphy and Chris Blocker. Ronnie and Sean were from Lovington, Chris from Hobbs and Kathy from Jal.

Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears football linebacker (2000-2012), represented Lea County in the National Football League.

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Lea County, New Mexico

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 29, 2013. 
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  3. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  4. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved September 29, 2013. 
  5. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  6. ↑ Public and Private Airports, Lea County, New Mexico
  7. ↑ CNN: election results for New Mexico counties
  8. ↑ "National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved 2013-08-31. 
 Roosevelt County Cochran County, Texas
Chaves County and Eddy County Andrews County, Texas; Gaines County, Texas; and Yoakum County, Texas
   Lea County, New Mexico  
Loving County, Texas Winkler County, Texas
Municipalities and communities of Lea County, New Mexico, United States
Cities
Town
CDPs
  • Monument
  • Nadine
  • North Hobbs
Other
unincorporated
communities
Santa Fe (capital)
Topics
Society
Regions
Cities
Counties
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.