Carlsbad, New Mexico

Carlsbad is the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 27,463. Carlsbad is the center of the designated micropolitan area of Carlsbad-Artesia, which has a total population of 51,658.

Carlsbad is located in the Chihuahuan Desert and the Pecos River Valley at an elevation of 3,295 feet. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located eighteen miles southwest of the city, with Guadalupe Mountains National Park lying forty miles further southwest across the Texas border. There are also three man-made lakes within fifty miles of the city, including Lake Carlsbad.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Economy
5 Education, Research, Development, and Technology Facilities
6 Transportation
7 Airport
8 Trivia
9 Points of Interest
10 External links

[edit] Geography

Carlsbad is located at 32°24′43″N, 104°14′11″W (32.411893, -104.236277)^GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 73.6 km² (28.4 mi²). 73.5 km² (28.4 mi²) of the city is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) (0.18%) is water.

[edit] History

Located along the banks of the Pecos River, Carlsbad was originally christened the town of Eddy on September 15, 1888 and organized as a municipal corporation in 1893. With the commercial development of local mineral springs for medicinal qualities, the town changed its name to Carlsbad, after the famous European spa Carlsbad, Bohemia (now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic). On March 25, 1918, the New Mexican governor proclaimed Carlsbad a city.

The re-discovery of Carlsbad Caverns (then known as "Bat Cave") by local cowboys in 1901 and the subsequent establishment of Carlsbad Caverns National Park on May 14, 1930 gained the town of Carlsbad substantial recognition.

In 1925 potash was discovered near Carlsbad and for many years Carlsbad dominated the American potash market. Following the decline of the potash market in the 1960s, the residents and leaders of Carlsbad lobbied for the establishment of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Congress authorized the WIPP project in 1979 and construction began in 1980. The DOE Carlsbad Area Office opened in 1993 and the first waste shipment arrived in 1999.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 25,625 people, 9,957 households, and 6,949 families residing in the city. The population density is 348.7/km² (903.3/mi²). There are 11,421 housing units at an average density of 155.4/km² (402.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 77.40% White, 2.20% African American, 1.25% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 15.84% from other races, and 2.52% from two or more races. 36.75% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 9,957 households out of which 32.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% are married couples living together, 13.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% are non-families. 26.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.51 and the average family size is 3.03.

In the city the population is spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,658, and the median income for a family is $35,640. Males have a median income of $31,214 versus $19,228 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,496. 16.5% of the population and 13.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.4% of those under the age of 18 and 11.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

[edit] Economy

The economy of the Carlsbad area is based primarily on the mineral extraction sector; the city overlies the rich oil and gas producing formations of the Permian Basin and produces more potash than any other location in the United States. Carlsbad is home to the DOE's Carlsbad Field Office which operates the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to safely store the transuranic nuclear wastes from the nation's defense sites. The services sector is the newest growth industry in Carlsbad with several call centers and a large medical transcription center. Tourism is a major factor with two national parks, Lincoln National Forest, the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park and the annual Christmas on the Pecos Light Show all located within fifty miles of the city.

[edit] Education, Research, Development, and Technology Facilities

Education in Carlsbad consists of the Carlsbad Municipal School District, New Mexico State University-Carlsbad, a branch of the College of the Southwest, and Northwood University. Carlsbad has several research facilities, such as the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center operated by NMSU, the National Cave and Karst Research Center operated by New Mexico Tech, and units of the National Park Service and the city of Carlsbad. The US Department of Energy's Sandia National Labs and Los Alamos National Laboratory each have branch operations in Carlsbad. The Carlsbad Department of Development and the city operate the Aero-Tech Industrial Technology park including the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Training Center.

[edit] Transportation

Carlsbad is crossed by two major highways US 62/180 & US 285.

[edit] Airport

Cavern City Air Terminal
IATA: CNM - ICAO: KCNM
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		City of Carlsbad
Serves		Carlsbad, New Mexico
Elevation AMSL		3,295 ft (1,004.3 m)
Coordinates		32° 20' 14.9" N 104° 15' 47.8" W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
3/21	7,854	2,394	Asphalt
14R/32L	5,839	1,780	Asphalt
8/26	5,333	1,625	Asphalt
14L/32R	4,615	1,407	Asphalt

Cavern City Air Terminal (IATA: CNM, ICAO: KCNM) is a public airport located just south of Carlsbad. Mesa Airlines is the only airline serving Carlsbad, currently offering non-stop service to Albuquerque, Hobbs, and Roswell, New Mexico.

[edit] Trivia

The internationally acclaimed artist Roderick Mead spent the last thirty years of his life in Carlsbad
On "Disconnect", an episode of the television series Prison Break, Agent Alexander Mahone goes to a Carlsbad, New Mexico hospital to interrogate a smuggler to learn the location of Michael Scofield.

[edit] Points of Interest

Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park
National Cave and Karst Research Center
The Cascades of Carlsbad
Lincoln National Forest
Project GNOME

[edit] External links

National Park Service - Carlsbad Caverns
City of Carlsbad
Carlsbad Dept Of Development
Carlsbad Chamber Of Commerce
Eddy County Government Page
Carlsbad History
Christmas on the Pecos
The Rant! Community News and Discussion Forum
Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 32.411893° -104.236277°
- 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

	State of New Mexico Santa Fe (capital)
Regions	Central New Mexico \| Colorado Plateau \| Eastern New Mexico \| Llano Estacado \| Northern New Mexico \| Sangre de Cristo Mountains \| Southwestern New Mexico
Major cities	Albuquerque \| Las Cruces \| Rio Rancho \| Roswell \| Santa Fe
Smaller cities	Alamogordo \| Artesia \| Carlsbad \| Clovis \| Corrales \| Deming \| Española \| Farmington \| Gallup \| Grants \| Hobbs \| Las Vegas \| Los Alamos \| Los Lunas \| Lovington \| Portales \| Ruidoso \| Silver City \| Socorro \| Sunland Park
Counties	Bernalillo \| Catron \| Chaves \| Cibola \| Colfax \| Curry \| De Baca \| Doña Ana \| Eddy \| Grant \| Guadalupe \| Harding \| Hidalgo \| Lea \| Lincoln \| Los Alamos \| Luna \| McKinley \| Mora \| Otero \| Quay \| Rio Arriba \| Roosevelt \| San Juan \| San Miguel \| Sandoval \| Santa Fe \| Sierra \| Socorro \| Taos \| Torrance \| Union \| Valencia