Aztec, New Mexico facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aztec, New Mexico
Kinteel
|
|
|---|---|
|
County Seat
|
|
Aztec Public Library
|
|
Location within San Juan County and New Mexico
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | San Juan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 17.15 sq mi (44.41 km2) |
| • Land | 17.06 sq mi (44.19 km2) |
| • Water | 0.09 sq mi (0.22 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,820 ft (1,770 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 6,201 |
| • Density | 363.44/sq mi (140.32/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code |
87410
|
| Area code | 505 |
| FIPS code | 35-05780 |
| GNIS ID | 2409767 |
| Website | aztecnm.gov |
Aztec is a city in New Mexico, United States. It is the main city, or county seat, of San Juan County, New Mexico. In 2022, about 6,126 people lived there. Aztec is also home to the famous Aztec Ruins National Monument.
Contents
Geography
Aztec covers a total area of about 13.1 square miles (34 km2). Most of this area, about 13.0 square miles (34 km2), is land. Only a small part, about 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), is water.
Climate in Aztec
Aztec has a climate that is called cool semi-arid. This means it gets hot summers and cool winters. The temperature can change a lot between day and night.
Summer Weather
Summers in Aztec are usually hot in the afternoon. However, the mornings are pleasant, and the air is not very humid. On average, the temperature goes above 90 °F or 32 °C about 50 days a year. It rarely gets hotter than 100 °F or 38 °C.
Winter Weather
Mornings in Aztec can get chilly quite early in the fall. The time without frost usually lasts from May 10 to October 6. Winter afternoons are usually mild. The temperature stays below freezing only about two afternoons each year. However, it can drop to or below 0 °F or −18 °C on about two mornings each winter. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −27 °F or −33 °C in 1933. The hottest was 106 °F or 41 °C in 2021 and 2023.
Rain and Snow
Aztec does not get a lot of rain because of the mountains nearby. The driest time is usually from April to June. The wettest year was 1986, with 20.27 inches or 515 millimetres of rain. The driest year was 1917, with only 2.90 inches or 74 millimetres. Snowfall is also low, with an average of 10.9 inches or 0.28 metres per year. The most snow in one month was 26.9 inches or 68 centimetres in January 2024.
| Climate data for Aztec, New Mexico (Aztec Ruins National Monument) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1895–1902 and 1919–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) |
78 (26) |
86 (30) |
89 (32) |
98 (37) |
105 (41) |
106 (41) |
105 (41) |
101 (38) |
92 (33) |
77 (25) |
69 (21) |
106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56.3 (13.5) |
62.7 (17.1) |
73.3 (22.9) |
80.7 (27.1) |
89.2 (31.8) |
96.8 (36.0) |
99.1 (37.3) |
95.8 (35.4) |
90.7 (32.6) |
81.8 (27.7) |
68.7 (20.4) |
57.2 (14.0) |
99.5 (37.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 46.0 (7.8) |
52.5 (11.4) |
62.8 (17.1) |
70.6 (21.4) |
79.8 (26.6) |
90.3 (32.4) |
93.9 (34.4) |
91.2 (32.9) |
84.2 (29.0) |
71.7 (22.1) |
57.7 (14.3) |
46.4 (8.0) |
70.6 (21.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.6 (−0.2) |
37.0 (2.8) |
44.9 (7.2) |
51.7 (10.9) |
60.4 (15.8) |
70.0 (21.1) |
76.1 (24.5) |
74.0 (23.3) |
66.3 (19.1) |
53.7 (12.1) |
41.5 (5.3) |
32.1 (0.1) |
53.3 (11.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.1 (−8.3) |
21.5 (−5.8) |
27.0 (−2.8) |
32.7 (0.4) |
41.0 (5.0) |
49.7 (9.8) |
58.2 (14.6) |
56.9 (13.8) |
48.5 (9.2) |
35.7 (2.1) |
25.3 (−3.7) |
17.8 (−7.9) |
35.9 (2.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 2.8 (−16.2) |
8.1 (−13.3) |
14.1 (−9.9) |
19.9 (−6.7) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
38.2 (3.4) |
48.6 (9.2) |
49.5 (9.7) |
35.1 (1.7) |
21.6 (−5.8) |
11.7 (−11.3) |
3.2 (−16.0) |
−0.8 (−18.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−27 (−33) |
−3 (−19) |
2 (−17) |
12 (−11) |
24 (−4) |
39 (4) |
36 (2) |
22 (−6) |
6 (−14) |
−7 (−22) |
−24 (−31) |
−27 (−33) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.90 (23) |
0.75 (19) |
0.77 (20) |
0.69 (18) |
0.71 (18) |
0.28 (7.1) |
0.96 (24) |
1.32 (34) |
1.13 (29) |
0.94 (24) |
0.94 (24) |
0.67 (17) |
10.06 (256) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.5 (11) |
2.3 (5.8) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.9 (2.3) |
2.2 (5.6) |
10.9 (28) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch) | 5.6 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 7.0 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 56.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch) | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 7.3 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Population of Aztec
Aztec is part of the larger Farmington, New Mexico area. The city's population has changed over the years.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 509 | — | |
| 1920 | 489 | −3.9% | |
| 1930 | 740 | 51.3% | |
| 1940 | 756 | 2.2% | |
| 1950 | 885 | 17.1% | |
| 1960 | 4,137 | 367.5% | |
| 1970 | 3,354 | −18.9% | |
| 1980 | 5,512 | 64.3% | |
| 1990 | 5,479 | −0.6% | |
| 2000 | 6,378 | 16.4% | |
| 2010 | 6,763 | 6.0% | |
| 2020 | 6,201 | −8.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Arts and Culture
The famous Aztec Ruins National Monument is located right in Aztec. These ruins are part of a bigger UNESCO World Heritage Site called the Chaco Culture. They show us what life was like for ancient people in this area.
Parks and Recreation
In 2016, Aztec had 16 parks and special areas. These areas covered a total of 153.5 acres (62.1 ha). The city also had 15.6 km (9.7 mi) of walking trails for people to enjoy.
Education
The Aztec Municipal Schools system provides education for students in Aztec. It also serves the rural areas in the northeastern part of San Juan County.
City Services
Transportation
- Airport: You can find general aviation services at the Aztec Municipal Airport.
- Highways: Highway 516 and U.S. Highway 550 both pass through Aztec.
Utilities
- Water: Aztec gets its water from rivers and ditches nearby, like the Animas River. The city has its own plant to treat the water.
- Electricity: The Aztec Electric Department manages the city's electricity. They buy power from other companies and distribute it to homes and businesses.
Famous People from Aztec
- Paul Bandy, a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives.
- Larry Harlow, a former baseball player for the California Angels.
- Alex Kennedy, a stock car racing driver.
- Uma Krishnaswami, an author who writes children's books.
- T. Ryan Lane, a lawyer and member of the New Mexico House of Representatives.
- Steven Neville, a real estate expert and member of the New Mexico Senate.
- Sandra Townsend, a former member of the New Mexico House of Representatives.
See also
In Spanish: Aztec (Nuevo México) para niños
