San Miguel County, New Mexico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Miguel County
U.S. county
San Miguel County Courthouse in Las Vegas
Location within the U.S. state of New Mexico
New Mexico's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
Founded	January 9, 1852
Named for	San Miguel del Vado
Seat	Las Vegas
Largest city	Las Vegas
Area
• Total	4,736 sq mi (12,270 km2)
• Land	4,716 sq mi (12,210 km2)
• Water	20 sq mi (50 km2)  0.4%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,201
• Density	5.7435/sq mi (2.21756/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd

San Miguel County is a county located in the state of New Mexico in the United States. It was created on January 9, 1852.

The county is named after San Miguel del Vado, an old Spanish settlement. As of the 2020 census, about 27,201 people live here. The main town and county seat is Las Vegas. This area is also part of a larger statistical region that includes Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Geography of San Miguel County

San Miguel County is quite large. It covers a total area of about 4,736 square miles. Most of this area, about 4,716 square miles, is land. The remaining 20 square miles, or 0.4%, is water.

Neighboring Counties

San Miguel County shares its borders with several other counties.

• Mora County is to the north.
• Harding County is to the east.
• Quay County is to the southeast.
• Guadalupe County is to the south.
• Torrance County is to the southwest.
• Santa Fe County is to the west.

Protected Natural Areas

The county is home to parts of several important protected areas. These places help protect nature and history.

• Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge
• Pecos National Historical Park (part of it is in the county)
• Santa Fe National Forest (part of it is in the county)

Population Changes Over Time

The number of people living in San Miguel County has changed a lot over the years.

In 2010, there were 29,393 people living in the county. The population density was about 6.2 people per square mile. Most of the people identified as white (66.6%). A large portion, 76.8%, were of Hispanic or Latino background.

Towns and Villages

San Miguel County has one main city and many smaller communities.

City

• Las Vegas (This is the county seat, where the main government offices are.)

Villages

• Mosquero (part of this village is in the county)
• Pecos

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated.

Other Communities

These are smaller places that are not officially cities or villages.

Ghost Town

• Las Ruedas (This is a town that is no longer inhabited.)

Education in San Miguel County

San Miguel County has several schools and colleges.

Montezuma Castle is on the campus of the United World College of the American West

Public Schools

The public school districts serving the county include:

• Las Vegas City Public Schools
• Pecos Independent Schools
• Santa Rosa Consolidated Schools
• West Las Vegas Public Schools

Colleges and Universities

For higher education, students can attend:

• Armand Hammer United World College of the American West
• Luna Community College
• New Mexico Highlands University

There was also a private school called Native American Preparatory School, which operated until 2002.

Notable People from San Miguel County

Some interesting people have come from San Miguel County:

• Antonia Apodaca (1923–2020) was born in Rociada. She was a folk musician and composer.
• Margaret Larkin (1899–1967) was born in Las Vegas. She was a writer and musician.
• María Dolores Gonzáles (1917–1975) was a leader in bilingual education in New Mexico.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de San Miguel (Nuevo México) para niños