Ruidoso, New Mexico facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruidoso, New Mexico
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Downtown Ruidoso (2006)
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Location of Ruidoso, New Mexico
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Lincoln |
| Area | |
| • Total | 16.15 sq mi (41.83 km2) |
| • Land | 16.13 sq mi (41.78 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,739 ft (2,054 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 7,679 |
| • Density | 476.01/sq mi (183.78/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (Mountain) |
| ZIP codes |
88345, 88355
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| Area code(s) | 575 |
| FIPS code | 35-65210 |
| GNIS ID | 2413585 |
Ruidoso (which means "noisy" in Spanish) is a village in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States. It is right next to the Lincoln National Forest. In 2020, about 7,679 people lived there.
Ruidoso is a popular mountain resort town. It sits in the Sierra Blanca mountain range in south-central New Mexico. This area connects with the Sacramento Mountains to the south.
The village is a resort community because it's close to Ski Apache. This is a ski resort owned by the Mescalero Apache Tribe. It's located on Sierra Blanca, a mountain that is almost 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) high. The tribe also runs the Inn of the Mountain Gods resort nearby. This resort has a casino, a hotel, an arcade room, and a golf course. Ruidoso is the biggest community in Lincoln County and is an important center for the local economy.
The village got its name from the Rio Ruidoso. This small stream flows through the city, and its name means "Noisy River" in Spanish.
Contents
History
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Along the eastern side of White Mountain, a retired army Captain named Paul Dowlin built Dowlin’s Mill. This was where the Carrizo Creek and Rio Ruidoso rivers meet. Captain Dowlin had served at a nearby place called Fort Stanton. His mill was also a general store, a dance hall, and a place to get homemade alcohol.
The town of San Patricio, New Mexico, was first known as Ruidoso. In 1875, its name was changed to honor a Catholic saint. Early Spanish speakers used the name "Ruidoso" to describe a noisy creek. Today's Ruidoso grew up around Dowlin’s Mill. Captain Paul Dowlin was shot and killed by an employee, and his brother, Will Dowlin, took over.
By 1885, Ruidoso, New Mexico, was officially established. It had a general store, a blacksmith, a post office, and cabins along the Rio Ruidoso. It was also close to the famous Chisholm Trail.
The Wingfield family ran a dairy and an early post office. By 1914, people started building cabins in Upper Canyon. In 1935, a ski area opened on a sloped field at Cedar Creek.
On July 16, 1945, people in the area felt a huge explosion. This was the Trinity (test), the first test of an atomic bomb.
By 1947, a race track opened at Hollywood Park. Visitors also played golf in the Gateway area. Later, in 1963, the Mescalero Apaches bought the ski area, which is now known as Ski Apache.
21st Century
In December 2006, voters approved a plan to spend $12.6 million to make the local wastewater treatment plant bigger and more modern. This plant was built in 1982. By 2011, a new $36 million wastewater treatment plant was finished. This modern facility uses special technology to clean water very well. It was built to handle more water as the village grows. It can clean about 1.6 million gallons of water each day, and can handle up to 2.7 million gallons per day.
Late at night on July 26 and into July 27, 2008, the town and river experienced very bad flash flooding. This happened because the remains of Hurricane Dolly passed over the area, bringing as much as 9 inches (23 cm) of rain. Hundreds of visitors, campers, and residents had to leave their homes. The storm also damaged the Ruidoso Downs Race Track. One person died in the flooding, and about 900 people needed to be rescued. Around 500 buildings were damaged, and the first estimates for damage in Ruidoso were about $15–20 million.
In March 2016, the village of Ruidoso became a Sister City with Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico. This means they formed a special friendship and partnership.
In April 2022, a large fire called the McBride Fire threatened many parts of Ruidoso. Over 200 buildings were destroyed, and two people died. The fire grew quickly because of very dry conditions and strong winds.
The movie The Christmas Classic (2023), starring Malin Akerman and Ryan Hansen, was filmed at Ski Apache, Alto, and Rio Ruidoso.
In June 2024, officials ordered all 7,000 residents to leave the village. This was because the South Fork Fire and Salt Fire spread very fast. Two people were confirmed to have died. As of July 3, 2024, the fires were mostly under control. After the fires, floods caused more evacuations. However, people from the village have started to return to rebuild their community.
Geography
Ruidoso is in the southern part of Lincoln County. The land here ranges from about 6,400 feet (1,951 meters) high in the Rio Ruidoso valley to over 7,700 feet (2,347 meters) at the northern end near Alto. Ruidoso's southern and western edges are along the border of Otero County. To the east, the village borders the city of Ruidoso Downs.
U.S. Route 70 goes through the southeastern part of the village. It follows the valley of Carrizo Creek, which flows into the Rio Ruidoso. This highway goes east for 70 miles (113 km) to Roswell. It also goes southwest over Apache Summit for 33 miles (53 km) to Tularosa. New Mexico State Road 48 goes through the center of Ruidoso on Sudderth Drive, which is the village's main street. It leads north for 18 miles (29 km) to Capitan.
The village has a total area of about 16.1 square miles (41.7 square kilometers). Only a very small part, about 0.02 square miles (0.05 square kilometers), is water.
Climate
Ruidoso has a climate called a Subtropical highland climate (Cwb). This means it has moderate temperatures and rain or snow throughout the year. It gets rain during the summer monsoon season and snow in the winter. The amount of snow can be very different from year to year.
| Climate data for RUIDOSO, NM (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1941-) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
74 (23) |
78 (26) |
85 (29) |
92 (33) |
98 (37) |
95 (35) |
92 (33) |
91 (33) |
84 (29) |
77 (25) |
73 (23) |
98 (37) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 48.8 (9.3) |
51.0 (10.6) |
57.5 (14.2) |
64.9 (18.3) |
72.8 (22.7) |
81.6 (27.6) |
81.2 (27.3) |
78.5 (25.8) |
74.8 (23.8) |
66.7 (19.3) |
55.7 (13.2) |
48.4 (9.1) |
65.2 (18.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.6 (−6.3) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
27.0 (−2.8) |
32.7 (0.4) |
40.3 (4.6) |
47.3 (8.5) |
51.2 (10.7) |
50.3 (10.2) |
44.3 (6.8) |
35.3 (1.8) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
21.5 (−5.8) |
35.0 (1.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−27 (−33) |
−8 (−22) |
2 (−17) |
11 (−12) |
22 (−6) |
31 (−1) |
31 (−1) |
21 (−6) |
5 (−15) |
−19 (−28) |
−24 (−31) |
−27 (−33) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.11 (28) |
1.03 (26) |
0.88 (22) |
0.67 (17) |
1.16 (29) |
2.05 (52) |
4.31 (109) |
4.23 (107) |
2.49 (63) |
1.69 (43) |
0.84 (21) |
1.54 (39) |
22.00 (559) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.9 (20) |
5.5 (14) |
2.2 (5.6) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.0 (2.5) |
1.8 (4.6) |
7.2 (18) |
26.2 (67) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 8.7 | 15.0 | 15.3 | 8.8 | 6.7 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 85.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.2 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 11.5 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1950 | 806 | — | |
| 1960 | 1,557 | 93.2% | |
| 1970 | 2,216 | 42.3% | |
| 1980 | 4,260 | 92.2% | |
| 1990 | 4,600 | 8.0% | |
| 2000 | 7,698 | 67.3% | |
| 2010 | 8,029 | 4.3% | |
| 2020 | 7,679 | −4.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 7,868 people living in Ruidoso. There were 3,434 households, and 2,232 families. The village had about 539 people per square mile (208 people per square kilometer). There were 7,584 homes, with about 531 homes per square mile (205 homes per square kilometer).
Most people in the village were White (80.57%). A smaller number were Native American (2.38%) or from other races. About 18.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
In the households, 23.6% had children under 18. About 53.2% were married couples living together. The average household had 2.22 people, and the average family had 2.72 people.
The population was spread out by age. About 20.5% were under 18, and 21.6% were 65 or older. The average age was 46 years old.
The average income for a household in the village was $37,107. For families, the average income was $44,846. About 2.5% of families and 4.9% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 24.5% of those under 18 and 5.8% of those 65 or older.
Education
Schools for Kids (K-12)
The Ruidoso Municipal School District covers most of the village. Some small parts are covered by Capitan Municipal Schools.
Here are the public schools in the Ruidoso school district:
- Sierra Vista Primary School: For Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade.
- White Mountain Elementary School: For 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade.
- Ruidoso Middle School: For 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade.
- Ruidoso High School: For 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Grade.
Colleges
- ENMU-Ruidoso Branch Community College. This is a two-year college, also known as a community college. It is one of 18 branches of ENMU in New Mexico and became an official branch in July 2005.
Public Library
| Ruidoso Public Library | |
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| Country | United States |
| Location | 107 Kansas City Road, Ruidoso, NM 88345-6922 |
| Coordinates | 33°21′01″N 105°39′40″W / 33.350224°N 105.661197°W |
| Other information | |
| Staff | 6 |
| Phone number | (575) 258-3704 |
The Ruidoso Public Library serves Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, Alto, and the larger Lincoln County area.
The library started in 1954 with a small collection of books from the Woman's Club and Beta Sigma Phi. In 1960, the Library Advisory Board was created. The library then moved into a building that used to be a school and the Old City Hall. It was just two rooms. In 1966, the library moved again to an old airport terminal and started getting money from local and state governments. The first building built specifically for the library was in 1975 at 501 Sudderth Drive. It stayed there for about twenty years.
In 1997, the current library building was designed and built. It is a two-story building with large windows and is 14,600 square feet (1,356 square meters). The library has a garden, a book shop run by "Friends of the Library," an outdoor reading area, and window seats. It also has an archive room, a meeting room, and special sections for children and teens. There are two self-checkout machines and 29 computers for public use. The library's collection includes books, CDs, DVDs, and an online section with e-books, audiobooks, and magazines.
The Ruidoso Public Library offers many programs, such as activities for children, adult game nights, teen events, a writing group, and a support group. The library also offers the New Mexico FamilyPass, which gives free entry to fifteen museums and historical sites across the state. The library is open Monday through Saturday.
News and Media
The Ruidoso Free Press is a newspaper for Lincoln County. It is sent directly to 7,100 homes.
The Ruidoso News is part of the USA TODAY network.
In October 2021, the Lincoln County News closed after its publisher, Jose Peter Aguilar, passed away. This was a weekly newspaper.
Sports
The Ruidoso Osos was a professional baseball team that played in the Pecos League in 2011. The team took a break in 2012 because not many people came to their games. Their home field did not have lights, so games had to be played in the afternoon. Also, alcohol could not be sold at White Mountain Park because it was owned by the Ruidoso Municipal Schools. In 2013, the team moved to Raton and changed its name to the Raton Osos.
Transportation
Airports
- Sierra Blanca Regional Airport: This airport is about 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Ruidoso.
Main Roads
- U.S. Route 70
- NM 48
Famous People from Ruidoso
- Mary Ann Almager: A world champion boxer.
- Neil Patrick Harris: A famous actor who grew up in Ruidoso.
- Yvette Herrell: A congresswoman and former member of the New Mexico House of Representatives.
- Mike Runnels: He was the lieutenant governor of New Mexico from 1983 to 1987 and lived in Ruidoso.
- Bram van der Stok: Also known as Dr. Bram "Bob" Vanderstok, he was a World War II flying ace and a hero of "The Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III.
Images for kids
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Ruidoso Public Library
See also
In Spanish: Ruidoso (Nuevo México) para niños
