Antelope Wells, New Mexico facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Antelope Wells, New Mexico
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 Antelope Wells, New Mexico
Location in New Mexico
Antelope Wells, New Mexico
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| U.S. state | New Mexico |
| County | Hidalgo |
| Elevation | 4,666 ft (1,422 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 2 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain Standard Time (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (Mountain Daylight Time (MDT)) |
| Area code(s) | 575 |
| GNIS feature ID | 898517 |
Antelope Wells is a very small place in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States. It's not a city or town, but an unincorporated community. This tiny spot is right on the border between Mexico and the United States. It sits across from a small Mexican settlement called El Berrendo in Chihuahua.
Antelope Wells is known for being the smallest and least-used border crossing along the entire U.S.-Mexico border.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name "Antelope Wells" might make you think of antelopes and water wells. But today, you won't find any pronghorn (which are like antelopes) or water wells there.
Long ago, there might have been a small pond that attracted pronghorns. The name actually comes from an old ranch about 2.5 miles (4 km) north of where the community is now. The only people who live in Antelope Wells are employees of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They work at the border crossing.
Where is Antelope Wells?
Antelope Wells is the southernmost place in New Mexico. It's located in a part of the state often called the "Bootheel" because of its shape.
This border crossing is very quiet. It's only for cars and people, not for big trucks carrying goods. The crossing is open every day from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
A Brief History
The border crossing at Antelope Wells was first set up by Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. People have been working there to check travelers since 1928.
In 1981, only two people lived in Antelope Wells. They lived in trailers behind the customs station. On average, only about three people crossed the border there each day. By 2005, the community had just four buildings: the border station, two houses, and a trailer. Even with so few people, it's an important crossing. It's the only one between Douglas, Arizona, and Columbus, New Mexico. It also offers the most direct way to get from the U.S. to the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in Mexico.
Fun Things to Do Nearby
Antelope Wells is located on New Mexico State Road 81. This road connects it to Interstate 10 and New Mexico State Road 9.
This area is also important for outdoor adventures! Antelope Wells used to be the official start of the 3,100-mile (5,000 km) long Continental Divide Trail. This trail goes all the way up to Canada. While the start of that trail moved in the 1990s, Antelope Wells is still the beginning of the 2,745-mile (4,418 km) long Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. This route is a huge challenge for mountain bikers!
Weather in Antelope Wells
Antelope Wells has a cold semi-arid climate. This means it's generally dry, but not a true desert. It can get quite hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 109°F (43°C) on June 27, 1994. The coldest was -6°F (-21°C) on February 3, 2011.
| Climate data for Antelope Wells, New Mexico (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1990–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) |
83 (28) |
86 (30) |
96 (36) |
102 (39) |
109 (43) |
107 (42) |
104 (40) |
101 (38) |
96 (36) |
90 (32) |
78 (26) |
109 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 72.8 (22.7) |
76.6 (24.8) |
82.9 (28.3) |
88.6 (31.4) |
95.6 (35.3) |
102.6 (39.2) |
101.8 (38.8) |
97.8 (36.6) |
95.4 (35.2) |
90.6 (32.6) |
81.9 (27.7) |
73.9 (23.3) |
104.0 (40.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 58.3 (14.6) |
63.4 (17.4) |
69.8 (21.0) |
76.6 (24.8) |
85.1 (29.5) |
93.1 (33.9) |
91.1 (32.8) |
88.8 (31.6) |
85.5 (29.7) |
78.3 (25.7) |
67.3 (19.6) |
58.2 (14.6) |
76.3 (24.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 42.5 (5.8) |
46.6 (8.1) |
52.3 (11.3) |
58.8 (14.9) |
67.3 (19.6) |
76.7 (24.8) |
78.1 (25.6) |
75.6 (24.2) |
70.8 (21.6) |
61.2 (16.2) |
50.5 (10.3) |
42.3 (5.7) |
60.2 (15.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 26.6 (−3.0) |
29.8 (−1.2) |
34.8 (1.6) |
41.0 (5.0) |
49.6 (9.8) |
60.3 (15.7) |
65.1 (18.4) |
62.4 (16.9) |
56.0 (13.3) |
44.2 (6.8) |
33.7 (0.9) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
44.2 (6.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 13.8 (−10.1) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
21.6 (−5.8) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
37.9 (3.3) |
47.9 (8.8) |
58.5 (14.7) |
55.4 (13.0) |
45.9 (7.7) |
30.0 (−1.1) |
19.2 (−7.1) |
14.6 (−9.7) |
10.0 (−12.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 4 (−16) |
−6 (−21) |
3 (−16) |
21 (−6) |
29 (−2) |
30 (−1) |
47 (8) |
47 (8) |
36 (2) |
17 (−8) |
7 (−14) |
7 (−14) |
−6 (−21) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.85 (22) |
0.43 (11) |
0.37 (9.4) |
0.15 (3.8) |
0.24 (6.1) |
0.71 (18) |
3.14 (80) |
2.29 (58) |
1.65 (42) |
0.73 (19) |
0.81 (21) |
1.06 (27) |
12.43 (317.3) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.3 (0.76) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.8 (2.0) |
1.2 (3.01) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 6.9 | 4.9 | 3.2 | 5.0 | 58.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Antelope Wells para niños
