Taos County, New Mexico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Taos County
U.S. county
Taos Mountain from El Prado
Seal
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
Seat	Taos
Largest town	Taos
Area
• Total	2,204 sq mi (5,710 km2)
• Land	2,203 sq mi (5,710 km2)
• Water	1.3 sq mi (3 km2)  0.06%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	34,489
• Density	15.648/sq mi (6.0419/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Taos County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,489. Its county seat is Taos. The county was formed in 1852 as one of the original nine counties in New Mexico Territory.

Taos County comprises the Taos, New Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,204 square miles (5,710 km²), of which 2,203 square miles (5,710 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) (0.06%) is water.

The county's highest point is the summit of Wheeler Peak at 13,161 feet (4,011 m). This is also the highest natural point in New Mexico. The county has the highest mean elevation of any U.S. county outside of Colorado at 8,510 feet (2,590 m), even though it ranks only 22nd overall. Taos County contains 17 of New Mexico's highest 25 peaks.

Adjacent counties

• Rio Arriba County - west
• Mora County - southeast
• Colfax County - east
• Costilla County, Colorado - north
• Conejos County, Colorado - northwest

National protected area

• Carson National Forest (part)
• Rio Grande del Norte National Monument

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 32,937 people, 14,806 households, and 8,437 families living in the county. The population density was 15.0 inhabitants per square mile (5.8/km²). There were 20,265 housing units at an average density of 9.2 per square mile (3.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.7% white, 6.2% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 19.1% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 55.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 10.8% were English, 10.3% were German, 9.0% were Irish, and 1.2% were American.

Of the 14,806 households, 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 43.0% were non-families, and 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 45.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,441 and the median income for a family was $43,236. Males had a median income of $34,245 versus $28,325 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,145. About 14.5% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

• Red River
• Taos (county seat)

Villages

• Questa
• Taos Ski Valley

Census-designated places

Other communities

Education

School districts for the county include:

• Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools
• Peñasco Independent Schools
• Questa Independent Schools
• Taos Municipal Schools

In popular culture

Earthship home under construction, 2011

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is featured in the 1994 crime-drama film Natural Born Killers, in the 2007 comedy Wild Hogs, and in the 2009 film Terminator: Salvation.

The 2007 film Garbage Warrior documents architect Mike Reynolds who builds Earthships in and around Taos County.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Taos para niños