Silver City, New Mexico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Silver City, New Mexico | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | New Mexico | ||
| County | Grant | ||
| Founded | 1878 | ||
| Mayor | James R. Marshall | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 26.3 km² (10.1 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 26.3 km² (10.1 sq mi) | ||
| - Water | 0.0 km² (0.0 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 1797 m (5895 ft) | ||
| Population | |||
| - City (2000) | 10,545 | ||
| - Density | 401.5/km² (1040.1/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) | ||
| Website: http://www.townofsilvercity.org/ | |||
Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 10,545. It is the county seat of Grant CountyGR6. The city marked the end of "the race" in the 2001 movie Rat Race, though scenes depicting the town were actually filmed in Ely, Nevada. The city is also the home of Western New Mexico University.
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[edit] History
The site of Silver City was originally known as San Vicente de la Ciénega (the Marsh of St. Vincent), and prior to Anglo settlement, the valley served as an Apache campsite. With the arrival of a wave of American prospectors in the 1860s, however, the face of the valley would soon change.
Silver City was founded in the summer of 1870, shortly after the discovery of silver ore deposits by Captain John M. Bullard at Chloride Flats, located on the hill just west of the farm of Captain Bullard and his brother James. Following the silver strike, Captain Bullard laid out the streets of the new Silver City on the former farm, and a bustling tent city quickly sprang to life. Although the trajectory of Silver City's development was to be different from the hundreds of other mining boom towns established during the same period, Captain Bullard himself never lived to see even the beginnings of permanence, as he was killed in a confrontation with Apache raiders less than a year later, on February 23, 1871. Mrs. Lettie B. Morrill, in a talk given to the Daughters of the American Revolution chapter in Silver City on September 19, 1908, stated, "John Bullard was placed in the first grave dug in Silver City, having been killed while punishing the Indians for an attack upon the new town; the brothers were Prospectors about the country for many years. The last one left for the old home about 1885 saying, ‘It is only a matter of time until the Indians get me if I stay here.’"
It was also known as the starting point for many treasure hunting expedition, including The Lost Adams Diggings. Old mines, camps and shacks dot the hills, and it is rich in Old West History.
[edit] Geography
Silver City is located at (32.777943, -108.274273)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.3 km² (10.1 mi²), all land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 10,545 people, 4,227 households, and 2,730 families residing in the town. The population density was 401.5/km² (1,040.1/mi²). There were 4,757 housing units at an average density of 181.1/km² (469.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.72% White, 0.86% African American, 1.14% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 22.42% from other races, and 3.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.43% of the population.
There were 4,227 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,881, and the median income for a family was $31,374. Males had a median income of $28,476 versus $18,434 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,813. About 17.7% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.2% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Transportation
Airports
- Grant County Airport, located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Silver City.
Major highways
[edit] Notable inhabitants
- The composer James Tenney (1934-2006) was born in Silver City.
- Norman Packard, physicist<ref name="p">Bass, Thomas A., The Predictors, 1999, Henry Holt Publishing, p. 54</ref>
- Doyne Famer, physicist<ref name="p"/>
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
- Town of Silver City official website
- Silver City & Grant County Chamber of Commerce
- Silver City on New Mexico Dept. of Tourism website
- Retire in Silver City, New Mexico
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
