Clovis is a city in New Mexico. It is the main city in Curry County. About 38,567 people lived there in 2020. Clovis is in the eastern part of New Mexico, in a flat area called the Llano Estacado.

Clovis is mostly a farming community. It is also very close to the Texas border. The city is famous for its early rock music history. It is also known for Cannon Air Force Base, a special air force base nearby.

An important discovery was made near Clovis. Ancient stone spear points from the "Clovis culture" were found in 1929. These points were named after the city. The Clovis people were some of the first Native Americans in this part of the world.

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway helped start Clovis over 100 years ago. Today, the BNSF Railway still uses Clovis as a major train hub. The Southwest Cheese Company, which makes a lot of cheddar cheese, is also here. It is one of the biggest cheese makers in North America. Clovis is the main city in its local area, which includes nearby towns like Portales.

History of Clovis

Ancient Times: The Clovis Culture

The area around Clovis was once home to the prehistoric Clovis culture. This was an important group of early Native Americans. You can visit the Blackwater Draw site near Portales to see where these discoveries were made. It is a historical and tourist site.

How Clovis Started with Trains

Clovis began in 1906. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was building tracks through the area. Engineers were told to find a flat piece of land west of Texico. This land was needed to build a town and railroad facilities.

At first, the place was called "Riley's Switch". Later, it was renamed Clovis. A popular story says that the daughter of a rail official suggested the name. She was studying about Clovis I, who was the first Christian king of the Franks.

Growing into a City

The land for Clovis was bought on October 2, 1906. The railroad started selling plots of land for homes and businesses on May 1, 1907. The settlement grew very quickly. By 1909, it officially became a city.

In 2009, Clovis celebrated its 100th birthday!

A big project started in 2023. It is called the FW1 Ute Reservoir pipeline. This project will bring clean drinking water to Clovis and other nearby towns by 2030. It will also supply water to Cannon Air Force Base.

Geography and Climate

Where is Clovis Located?

Clovis is in the southeastern part of Curry County. It is about 9 miles (14 km) west of the Texas border. The city sits at an elevation of about 4,281 feet (1,305 meters) above sea level.

Major roads like U.S. Routes 60, 70, and 84 pass through Clovis. Cannon Air Force Base is about 7 miles (11 km) west of the city center.

The city covers about 23.79 square miles (61.62 square kilometers). Most of this area is land. A small part is water from several man-made ponds in the city's parks.

Weather in Clovis

Flooding caused by a thunderstorm, downtown Clovis (1980)

The weather in Clovis is generally mild. It has low humidity and often strong winds. Summers are warm, sometimes very hot. Winters are cool, and can be very cold.

Severe thunderstorms often happen in the spring. Rainstorms are common during summer evenings. Tornadoes can also occur. Clovis is on the southern edge of an area known as Tornado Alley.

Snowfall often happens in winter, usually in January and February. This can sometimes cause small floods because the city does not have a special system to drain water. Strong winds are common because the land is flat and open. Winds often blow faster than 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). Clovis has a semi-arid climate, which means it is usually dry.

Climate data for Clovis, New Mexico
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	79 (26)	83 (28)	91 (33)	99 (37)	103 (39)	110 (43)	109 (43)	110 (43)	105 (41)	98 (37)	85 (29)	91 (33)	110 (43)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	51.1 (10.6)	56.0 (13.3)	62.8 (17.1)	72.3 (22.4)	80.8 (27.1)	89.4 (31.9)	92 (33)	90.2 (32.3)	83.7 (28.7)	73.3 (22.9)	60.7 (15.9)	52.1 (11.2)	72.0 (22.2)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	23.4 (−4.8)	26.8 (−2.9)	32.2 (0.1)	41.1 (5.1)	50.6 (10.3)	59.6 (15.3)	63.6 (17.6)	62.2 (16.8)	55.0 (12.8)	44.0 (6.7)	32.1 (0.1)	25.1 (−3.8)	43.0 (6.1)
Record low °F (°C)	−12 (−24)	−17 (−27)	−4 (−20)	12 (−11)	27 (−3)	36 (2)	50 (10)	46 (8)	31 (−1)	13 (−11)	−1 (−18)	−9 (−23)	−17 (−27)
Average precipitation inches (cm)	—	0.41 (1.0)	0.66 (1.7)	1.03 (2.6)	1.92 (4.9)	2.62 (6.7)	2.59 (6.6)	3.43 (8.7)	2.17 (5.5)	1.75 (4.4)	0.74 (1.9)	0.70 (1.8)	—
Average snowfall inches (cm)	2.5 (6.4)	2.0 (5.1)	1.5 (3.8)	0.3 (0.76)	0.1 (0.25)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.2 (0.51)	1.5 (3.8)	3.0 (7.6)	11.1 (28)
Source: The Weather Channel

People of Clovis

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	3,255	—
1920	4,904	50.7%
1930	8,027	63.7%
1940	10,065	25.4%
1950	17,318	72.1%
1960	23,713	36.9%
1970	28,495	20.2%
1980	31,194	9.5%
1990	30,954	−0.8%
2000	32,667	5.5%
2010	37,775	15.6%
2020	38,567	2.1%
2023 (est.)	37,612	−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census

Population in 2020

Clovis Racial Composition
Race	Number	Percent
White (NH)	15,669	40.6%
Black or African American (NH)	2,294	5.9%
Native American (NH)	190	0.5%
Asian (NH)	657	1.7%
Pacific Islander (NH)	27	0.1%
Some Other Race (NH)	173	0.4%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	1,405	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	18,152	47.1%
Total	38,567	100.0%

In 2020, Clovis had 38,567 people living there. There were about 15,043 households. The city had about 17,051 housing units.

The population was made up of different groups. About 55.6% were White, 6.9% were African American, and 1.3% were Native American. About 1.9% were Asian. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 47.1% of the population.

About 26.5% of residents were under 18 years old. About 7.8% were under 5 years old. About 12.6% of residents were 65 years or older.

Economy and Jobs

Sign at Clovis airport

Farming and Ranching

Like many areas in eastern New Mexico and western Texas, Clovis has a lot of farming and ranching. Farmers grow crops like peanuts and cotton. Ranchers raise cattle for meat and dairy products.

Several factories process these farm products. The Southwest Cheese Company plant opened in 2005. It is between Clovis and Portales. This plant helped the local economy by creating over 200 jobs. It is one of the largest cheese plants in the world. It processes over 2.3 billion pounds of milk each year from local dairies.

Railroad and Other Industries

In 1995, the Santa Fe railroad became part of the BNSF Railway. Clovis is a major hub for BNSF. It has a large freight yard where trains are sorted. More than 100 freight trains pass through Clovis every day. The Southwestern Railroad also connects here. It ships potash from mines near Carlsbad.

Clovis is home to Cannon Air Force Base, the BNSF Railway, the Southwest Cheese Plant, and Cummins-Natural Gas Engines. Many local businesses are also important. Farming, ranching, and dairy farms are a big part of the local economy. Many high school students join FFA (Future Farmers of America) to learn about agriculture. Many jobs in Clovis depend on these industries. The cost of living in Clovis is lower than the national average.

Cannon Air Force Base

Cannon Air Force Base is a special operations base near Clovis. It has a big impact on the community. A local group called the Committee of Fifty works to keep Cannon AFB open. They helped make sure the base got its new special operations mission.

Travel and Music

Clovis Municipal Airport is used for general aviation. It also has daily flights to Denver International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

Besides farming, military, and railroads, music has been important to Clovis for a long time. The Norman Petty Studio in Clovis is famous. Many artists recorded there, including Buddy Holly.

Buildings and Landmarks

The Hotel Clovis

Many buildings in Clovis use Southwest, Spanish Mission, or Adobe styles. These styles are common in New Mexico. However, many buildings in Clovis look like those in other small towns and suburbs.

The Hotel Clovis is a local landmark. It opened on October 20, 1931. The hotel was designed by Robert Merrill. It has an Art Deco outside and a Southwestern Indian style inside. Famous musicians like Louis Armstrong and Glenn Miller played in its ballroom. The hotel closed in 1971 when passenger trains stopped coming to Clovis. The building is now being made into affordable homes.

Downtown Clovis has three old movie theaters, including the State Theater.

Education in Clovis

Public Schools

Leon Williams Stadium, home of the Clovis High School Wildcats

Clovis has several public schools that are part of the Clovis Municipal Schools system:

Elementary Schools
- Arts Academy at Bella Vista
- Barry Elem.
- Cameo Elem.
- Highland Elem.
- James Bickley Elem.
- La Casita Elem.
- Lincoln-Jackson Pre-School
- Lockwood Elem.
- Los Ninos Pre-School
- Mesa Elem.
- Parkview Elem.
- Sandia Elem.
- Zia Elem.
Middle Schools
- Gattis Middle School
- Marshall Middle School
- Yucca Middle School
Junior High School
- Clovis High School Freshman Campus
High School
- Clovis High School

Private Schools

Clovis Christian School
Eastern Plains Early/Head Start

Colleges and Universities

For higher education, Clovis has Clovis Community College (CCC). Eastern New Mexico University is the closest university. It is about 20 miles (32 km) south in Portales.

Culture and Arts

Clovis Points and Ancient History

Clovis is known for the stone-age spear points found there in 1929. These "Clovis points" are special projectile points linked to the North American Clovis culture. These ancient tools are about 13,500 years old.

Arts and Entertainment

You can find music and drama performances at Clovis Community College. Also, at Eastern New Mexico University and the Lyceum Auditorium. The Special Events Center near the county fairgrounds also hosts shows.

The Clovis Music Festival is a popular event held every April. The Clovis Civic Center hosts this and other fun events. The Special Events Center is used for rodeos, auctions, and concerts.

The Clovis-Carver Public Library is downtown. It offers many services like books, study materials, DVDs, and computers. The library also hosts free public events. These include author readings, summer reading programs, and holiday events. There is also a program that delivers books to people who cannot leave their homes.

Music History

Norman Petty Recording Studios in Clovis

The city was home to the Norman Petty Studio. Norman Petty was a musician who started the studio. Many famous artists recorded their first songs there. These artists include Waylon Jennings, Charlie "Sugartime" Phillips, Bobby Fuller, and Roy Orbison.

Clovis in Movies

The city was a main filming location for the 2016 movie Hell or High Water. Filming started in May 2015. Three places in the city were used as banks in the movie. A local restaurant, Bill's Jumbo Burger, was also used.

Notable People

Many interesting people have connections to Clovis:

Kenny Bernstein, a famous drag racer
Hank Baskett, a former NFL football player
D.J. Brigman, a PGA Tour golfer
Jack Elton Bresenham, a computer scientist
Dennis K. Chesney, an astronomer who discovered planets
Wayne Hale, a NASA engineer
Nathan Hecht, Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court
Bubba Jennings, a college basketball coach
Norman Petty, a musician and record producer
Alvy Ray Smith, a computer scientist

Images for kids

Flooding caused by a thunderstorm, downtown Clovis (1980)

Clovis, New Mexico facts for kids

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