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Socorro, New Mexico

14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1906 and the latest in 1979. It stands in the Socorro census division. It lies in ZIP code area 87801. It lies in Socorro Canyon. The Survey maps it on the Socorro quadrangle. 8,707 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 4,603 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Socorro within Socorro County

On record in Socorro

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 19 shown

Every listing in Socorro County

Surveyed buildings and structures 4 records

Population over time

2 figures

Socorro fell from 9,051 to 8,707 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20109,051
20208,707-344 (-4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 14 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Photographs

8 of 20 photographs shown, 1940 to 2021

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Snowstorm over the mountains in Socorro County, New Mexico. Snow in the mountains is an important source of water for the ranchers in this section
Snowstorm over the mountains in Socorro County, New Mexico. Snow in the mountains is an important source of water for the ranchers in this section
Lee, Russell, 1940. Library of Congress
A sunset over the plains outside Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
A sunset over the plains outside Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
Highsmith, Carol M, 2021. Library of Congress
Stock waterhole and windmill, Socorro County, New Mexico
Stock waterhole and windmill, Socorro County, New Mexico
Lee, Russell, 1940. Library of Congress
Desert wash with snow covered mountains in the background. Socorro County, New Mexico
Desert wash with snow covered mountains in the background. Socorro County, New Mexico
Lee, Russell, 1940. Library of Congress
The New Loma Stadium Cinema, opened in 1959 in a turn-of-the-century store that became a movie theater turned event space in Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
The New Loma Stadium Cinema, opened in 1959 in a turn-of-the-century store that became a movie theater turned event space in Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
Highsmith, Carol M, 2021. Library of Congress
Unusual mural in Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
Unusual mural in Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
Highsmith, Carol M, 2021. Library of Congress
The corner, and a weathered sign, of the 1919 Val Verde Hotel and Steakhouse in Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
The corner, and a weathered sign, of the 1919 Val Verde Hotel and Steakhouse in Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
Highsmith, Carol M, 2021. Library of Congress
Claudia DeMonte and Ed McGowin's 1998 bronze and stone sculpture, "First Contact," in Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
Claudia DeMonte and Ed McGowin's 1998 bronze and stone sculpture, "First Contact," in Socorro, a small city in central New Mexico
Highsmith, Carol M, 2021. Library of Congress

Every photograph of Socorro County

Fires near this place

89 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 89 fires within 5 miles of Socorro between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,018 acres in total. 8 started naturally. 6 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined44
Debris and open burning12
Natural8
Equipment and vehicle use8
Arson/incendiarism6
Smoking4
Recreation and ceremony3
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Fireworks1
Other causes1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2003Natural1.0 acresSocorro Field OfficeESCONDIDO
9 September 2003Naturalunder an acreNew Mexico State Forestry Divisionnot named
8 September 2000Smokingunder an acreNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionMM143-I25
21 September 2013Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreSocorro Field OfficePOWER LINE 2
12 September 2000Arson/incendiarism2.0 acresNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionCONFLUENCE
3 August 2011Naturalunder an acreNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionRHODES
24 August 2001Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionRUSSIAN
24 August 1999Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNew Mexico State Forestry DivisionMONSOON

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Socorro County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 26 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 26 workings within 5 miles of Socorro: 9 past producers, 8 prospects, 4 producers, 4 unknowns. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Silver, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Perlite, Fluorine-Fluorite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Blue Canyon WellGeothermalUnknown
Merritt Mine Prior To 1870Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Barium-Barite, Manganese, Fluorine-Fluorite, Vanadium, Molybdenum, ArsenicPast Producer1880, 1923
Socorro MountainKaolinPast ProducerResidual
Socorro Peak DistrictSilver, Barium-Barite, ManganesePast Producer1867
State of New Mexico Lease M-20347 To Bureau of ReclamationStone, Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
TorranceBarium-BariteProspect
Torrence Mine 1880Gold, Silver, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Arsenic, Molybdenum, Vanadium, Manganese, Fluorine-Fluorite, Barium-BaritePast Producer1880, 1923
Martinez ProspectFluorine-FluoritePast ProducerFluorite
Martinez ProspectFluorine-FluoriteOccurrence
Great Lakes Carbon Corp. Socorro DepositPerliteProducer

Every working recorded in Socorro County

Storms near this place

24 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Socorro in 24 storm reports between 1996 and 2023: 13 hail, 5 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
October 2004HailSocorro$40,000,000no account filed
September 1997Heavy RainSocorro$200,000no account filed
July 1999Flash FloodSocorro$150,000Heavy rain near Socorro filled arroyos with runoff during the late evening. Several levees along Arroyo Matanza failed as additional strong runoff from the Magdalena Mountains overwhelmed a 90 degree turn in the arroyo just south of Socorro. Water flooded nearly 800 acres of farmland washing away fresh cut alfalfa hay and covering about 300 acres in heavy mud. An adjacent railroad bed was also undercut least 5 times along 2 miles of track.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindSocorro$60,000A mobile home overturned and landed on a car, and power lines were downed as a brief, but strong storm moved over Socorro.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindSocorro$20,000The metal roof of the Socorro County annex building was partially peeled off and significantly damaged.
September 2013FloodSocorro$5,000Franklin Street flooded and closed due to high water. Other streets in western Socorro also flooded out from heavy rainfall.
July 1998Flash FloodSocorro$5,000Isolated heavy rain of near 1 inch an hour produced heavy street flooding in Socorro. Several small arroyos, filled with weeds and other debris overflowed and caused damage to several homes.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindSocorro$3,000Several tree branches larger than 2 inches in diameter were broken off of trees from wind gusts estimated around 60 mph. In addition, high winds knocked the roof off of an abandoned single wide trailer, which fell onto the roof a neighboring house on Blue Canyon Dr.
May 2023HailSocorro-The county emergency manager estimated quarter size hail in Socorro.
June 2020HailSocorro-A trained spotter reported quarter size hail with a severe thunderstorm that moved through Socorro.
May 2018HailSocorro-Penny size hail and heavy rain reported on the NM Tech campus.
July 2017LightningSocorro-A 93-year old woman died from a lightning caused fire at her home of 80 years. She died from smoke inhalation.
October 2015HailSocorro-One inch accumulation of pea to nickel size hail.
July 2006Flash FloodSocorro-Heavy street flooding was reported in Socorro and Sixmile Canyon just south of town filled 8 to 10 foot deep with roaring water during heavy rain.
August 2006Flash FloodSocorro-Heavy rain of 2 to 3 inches on the west water shed area of Water Canyon caused flash flooding that moved east to Interstate 25 at Escondida. Some road and irrigation ditch repairs were wiped out by this fresh flooding.
July 1999Flash FloodSocorro-Heavy rain continued to flood roads north of Socorro with at least 2 State Police vehicles trapped on high ground between flooded arroyos.
September 2023HailSocorro-no account filed
July 2015HailSocorro-no account filed
October 2015HailSocorro-no account filed
August 2008HailSocorro-no account filed
September 2006HailSocorro-no account filed
July 2002HailSocorro-no account filed
September 2002HailSocorro-no account filed
September 1996HailSocorro-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Socorro County

Newspapers printed here

2,484 digitised pages

3 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 593 issues, 2,484 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

NewspaperPublished
The Socorro Chieftain1902 to 1959
The Chieftain1890 to 1901
The Socorro Chieftain1884 to 1890

What the paper printed

28,346 words

Front pages of the local paper, read from the Library of Congress scans: 13 issues spread across its run from 1884 to 1908, 28,346 words in total. Each is reproduced on its own page, exactly as the recogniser returned it.

These pages read less well than anything else here, and the number is worth stating: about three words in four come through cleanly, against nine in ten for the building records. An 1896 broadsheet sets eight-point type in seven columns on microfilm, which is the hardest thing in this archive to read by machine. We tested our own recognisers against the Library's and they were not better, so the Library's text is what appears, with the wholly unreadable columns removed. Read it as a guide to what the paper covered, and follow the link to the scan before quoting anything.

IssuePaper Length
1902-02-22The Socorro Chieftain3,399 words
1902-05-10The Socorro Chieftain2,071 words
1902-08-02The Socorro Chieftain1,836 words
1902-10-18The Socorro Chieftain1,547 words
1908-12-26The Socorro Chieftain3,699 words
1891-11-27The Chieftain1,864 words
1891-12-04The Chieftain2,120 words
1891-12-18The Chieftain2,539 words
1901-12-28The Chieftain1,473 words
1884-05-29The Socorro Chieftain1,854 words
1884-06-19The Socorro Chieftain1,949 words
1884-07-03The Socorro Chieftain287 words
1884-09-04The Socorro Chieftain3,708 words

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Florida2.3 miles14
Tajo (historical)2.3 miles15
Escondida3.0 miles14
Pueblito4.4 miles14
Luis Lopez4.8 miles10
Bosquecito6.0 miles10
Lemitar7.1 miles13
Laborcita7.9 miles10

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on SocorroAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q503818The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 938832. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.