Cibola County, New Mexico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cibola County
U.S. county
Cibola County Courthouse in Grants
Location within the U.S. state of New Mexico
New Mexico's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
Founded	June 19, 1981
Named for	Mythical Seven Cities of Cibola
Seat	Grants
Largest city	Grants
Area
• Total	4,542 sq mi (11,760 km2)
• Land	4,539 sq mi (11,760 km2)
• Water	2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  0.05%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,172
• Density	6.0/sq mi (2.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Cibola County is a place in New Mexico, a state in the United States. In 2020, about 27,172 people lived there. Its main town, or county seat, is Grants.

Cibola County is New Mexico's newest county. It was created on June 19, 1981. It was formed from a large part of what used to be Valencia County. Cibola County is known for mining, especially for uranium.

Exploring Cibola County's Geography

Ventana Arch in El Malpais National Monument

Cibola County covers a large area. It has about 4,542 square miles (11,764 square kilometers) of land and water. Most of this is land, with only a tiny bit being water.

Neighboring Counties

Cibola County shares its borders with several other counties:

• McKinley County to the north
• Sandoval County to the northeast
• Bernalillo County to the east
• Valencia County to the east
• Socorro County to the southeast
• Catron County to the south
• Apache County, Arizona to the west

Special Protected Areas

Cibola County is home to some amazing natural and historical places. These areas are protected to keep them safe and beautiful:

• Cibola National Forest (a part of it)
• El Malpais National Conservation Area
• El Malpais National Monument
• El Morro National Monument

Population and People

In 2010, about 27,213 people lived in Cibola County. The population density was about 6 people per square mile. Many different groups of people live here. About 41.8% of the people were white, and 41.0% were American Indian. About 36.5% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino background.

Many households in the county had children under 18 living with them. The average age of people living in Cibola County was about 36.6 years old.

Schools in Cibola County

The Mining Museum in Grants

Several school districts serve different parts of Cibola County:

• Grants-Cibola County Schools
• Quemado Independent Schools
• Zuni Public Schools

Most public schools in the county are run by Grants/Cibola County Schools. However, some schools, like those in Quemado and Zuni, are actually located in other counties.

Because of an agreement, students from the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation in Cibola County go to schools in Ramah. Ramah is in McKinley County. This happens because the Ramah schools are closer to the reservation than the schools in Cibola County.

Correctional Facilities

Cibola County is home to a few correctional facilities. These are places where people who have committed crimes are held.

• The Cibola County Correctional Center holds federal inmates.
• The New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility is for women.
• Western New Mexico Correctional Facility holds male inmates.

Towns and Communities

Acoma Pueblo, also known as "Sky City", in 2008

South side of Inscription Rock at El Morro National Monument. Photo by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, 1873.

Cities

• Grants (This is the county seat)

Villages

• Milan

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities or villages. There are many of them in Cibola County:

Unincorporated Communities

These are small communities that are not officially part of a city or village:

Ghost Town

• Anaconda

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Cíbola para niños