Dulce, New Mexico facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dulce, New Mexico
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Location of Dulce, New Mexico.
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Rio Arriba |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12.97 sq mi (33.60 km2) |
| • Land | 12.83 sq mi (33.22 km2) |
| • Water | 0.15 sq mi (0.38 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,861 ft (2,091 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,788 |
| • Density | 217.37/sq mi (83.93/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
87528
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| Area code(s) | 575 |
| FIPS code | 35-21390 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2408695 |
Dulce (pronounced like dull-see or doo-see) is a small community in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. It is a special kind of place called a census-designated place (CDP). This means it's an area that looks like a town but isn't officially a city or village.
In 2020, about 2,788 people lived in Dulce. Most of these residents are Native American. Dulce is the biggest community and the main center for the Jicarilla Apache people on their Reservation.
History of Dulce
Dulce was first started by the Gomez family as a ranch. They named it "Agua Dulce," which means "sweet water" in Spanish. This name came from the natural springs in the area that provided fresh drinking water for people and animals. The Gomez family settled here in 1877.
The Jicarilla Apache reservation was created in 1887. This was when the Apache people were moved to live on this specific land. The original Gomez Ranch is still owned by the Gomez family, even though it is now surrounded by reservation land.
In 1882, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad built its San Juan Extension through Dulce. A post office opened in 1892. Later, a sawmill was built, and a special railroad for logging operated nearby until around 1930.
Geography
Dulce covers an area of about 12.9 square miles (33.6 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.
People of Dulce
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 2,788 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2000, there were 2,623 people living in Dulce. By 2010, the population had grown to 2,743 people.
Most people in Dulce are Native American. About 90% of the population identifies as Native American. There are also people of White and Hispanic backgrounds.
The average household in Dulce had about 3 to 4 people living in it.
Climate
Dulce has a type of climate called a subarctic humid continental climate. This means it has mild and short summers because it is high up in the mountains. The winters are very cold.
| Climate data for Dulce, New Mexico, 1991–2020 normals, 1906-2020 extremes: 6793ft (2071m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) |
68 (20) |
78 (26) |
83 (28) |
95 (35) |
103 (39) |
102 (39) |
99 (37) |
97 (36) |
89 (32) |
74 (23) |
66 (19) |
103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 54.6 (12.6) |
58.6 (14.8) |
68.2 (20.1) |
74.8 (23.8) |
83.9 (28.8) |
92.1 (33.4) |
94.7 (34.8) |
91.4 (33.0) |
87.0 (30.6) |
78.7 (25.9) |
67.2 (19.6) |
56.0 (13.3) |
95.2 (35.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43.6 (6.4) |
47.8 (8.8) |
56.6 (13.7) |
64.1 (17.8) |
73.6 (23.1) |
84.2 (29.0) |
88.2 (31.2) |
85.4 (29.7) |
78.9 (26.1) |
67.6 (19.8) |
54.1 (12.3) |
43.7 (6.5) |
65.7 (18.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 26.9 (−2.8) |
31.8 (−0.1) |
39.5 (4.2) |
45.8 (7.7) |
53.7 (12.1) |
62.4 (16.9) |
68.9 (20.5) |
67.3 (19.6) |
59.8 (15.4) |
48.3 (9.1) |
36.9 (2.7) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
47.4 (8.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 10.2 (−12.1) |
15.8 (−9.0) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
33.9 (1.1) |
40.7 (4.8) |
49.6 (9.8) |
49.1 (9.5) |
40.6 (4.8) |
29.0 (−1.7) |
19.7 (−6.8) |
11.9 (−11.2) |
29.2 (−1.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −10.3 (−23.5) |
−5.3 (−20.7) |
5.8 (−14.6) |
15.0 (−9.4) |
22.5 (−5.3) |
29.9 (−1.2) |
38.1 (3.4) |
39.1 (3.9) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
15.4 (−9.2) |
3.5 (−15.8) |
−9.2 (−22.9) |
−14.8 (−26.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −41 (−41) |
−48 (−44) |
−20 (−29) |
−2 (−19) |
10 (−12) |
20 (−7) |
25 (−4) |
27 (−3) |
11 (−12) |
0 (−18) |
−37 (−38) |
−47 (−44) |
−48 (−44) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.46 (37) |
1.36 (35) |
1.14 (29) |
1.16 (29) |
1.09 (28) |
0.66 (17) |
2.08 (53) |
2.41 (61) |
1.72 (44) |
1.48 (38) |
1.32 (34) |
1.49 (38) |
17.37 (443) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 13.40 (34.0) |
12.80 (32.5) |
6.30 (16.0) |
2.70 (6.9) |
0.40 (1.0) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
0.00 (0.00) |
1.00 (2.5) |
5.70 (14.5) |
13.40 (34.0) |
55.7 (141.4) |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS2 (records & monthly max/mins) | |||||||||||||
Education
Children in Dulce go to schools run by Dulce Independent Schools, also known as ISD 21. This school district has about 650 students from kindergarten all the way through high school.
The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) used to have a dormitory called Jicarilla Dormitory. This place provided housing for students in grades 1-12.
Dulce is also home to the Jicarilla Public Library.
See also
In Spanish: Dulce (Nuevo México) para niños
