Alamogordo, New Mexico

Alamogordo, New Mexico
City
Downtown Alamogordo, looking West on 10th Street; Jim Griggs Sports Complex; Shops on New York Ave; Water Tower looking East Tenth Street; Kids' Kingdom Park; View of Alamogordo from Thunder Rd.
Location in New Mexico
Alamogordo, New Mexico Location in the United States
Coordinates: 32°54′01.48″N 105°57′37.72″W / 32.9004111°N 105.9604778°W / 32.9004111; -105.9604778Coordinates: 32°54′01.48″N 105°57′37.72″W / 32.9004111°N 105.9604778°W / 32.9004111; -105.9604778
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Otero
Founded	1898
Incorporated	1912
Named for	álamo gordo, Spanish for "fat cottonwood"
Government
• Type	Commission/Manager
• Mayor	Susie Galea
• Mayor Pro Tem	Al Hernandez
• City Manager	Jim Stahle
Area
• Total	19.3 sq mi (50.1 km2)
• Land	19.3 sq mi (50.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	4,336 ft (1,322 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	30,403
Time zone	Mountain Standard Time Zone (UTC-7)
• Summer (DST)	Mountain Daylight Time (UTC-6)
ZIP codes	88310, 88311 (PO Box)
Area code(s)	575
FIPS code	35-01780
GNIS feature ID	0903054
Website	ci.alamogordo.nm.us

Alamogordo /ˌæləməˈɡɔːrdoʊ/ is the county seat and economic center of Otero County in south-central New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by White Sands National Monument. It is the city nearest to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 30,403 as of the 2010 census. Alamogordo is known for its connection with the Trinity test, the first explosion of an atomic bomb, and also for the Atari video game burial of 1983.

Humans have lived in the Alamogordo area for at least 11,000 years. The present settlement, established in 1898 to support the construction of the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, is an early example of a planned community. The city was incorporated in 1912. Tourism became an important economic factor with the creation of White Sands National Monument in 1934. During the 1950-60s, Alamogordo was an unofficial center for research on pilot safety and the developing United States' space program.