Clovis, New Mexico | ||
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City | ||
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Motto: "A City On The Move - Come Grow With Us!" | ||
Location of Clovis, New Mexico |
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Location in the United States | ||
Coordinates: 34°24′45″N 103°12′17″W / 34.41250°N 103.20472°WCoordinates: 34°24′45″N 103°12′17″W / 34.41250°N 103.20472°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | New Mexico | |
County | Curry | |
Incorporated | 1909 | |
Government | ||
• City Manager | Joe Thomas | |
Area | ||
• Total | 22.9 sq mi (59.3 km2) | |
• Land | 22.7 sq mi (58.8 km2) | |
• Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) | |
Elevation | 4,268 ft (1,301 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• Total | 37,775 | |
• Estimate (2016) | 39,373 | |
• Density | 1,600/sq mi (640/km2) | |
Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) | |
• Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) | |
ZIP code | 88101 88102 | |
Area code(s) | 505, 575 | |
FIPS code | 35-16420 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0915815 | |
Website | www |
Clovis is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States, with a population of 37,775 as of the 2010 census, and a 2014 estimated population of 39,860. Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado, in the eastern part of the state.
A largely agricultural community, closely bordering Texas, it is noted for its role in early rock music history and for nearby Cannon Air Force Base. After the discovery of several "Clovis culture" sites in eastern North America in the 1930s, the Clovis people came to be regarded as the first human inhabitants who created a widespread culture in the New World. Clovis people are considered to be the ancestors of most of the indigenous cultures of the Americas. The Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railway system helped to establish Clovis over a hundred years ago, and for that railroad and its successor BNSF Railway continues to be a major hub of operations. Also notable is the Southwest Cheese Company, the largest cheddar cheese producer in North America.
It is the principal city of the Clovis Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Clovis-Portales CSA.
The eastern New Mexico region was home to the prehistoric Clovis culture, an anthropologically significant group of early Native Americans. Several remains have been found at the Blackwater Draw site (south of Clovis, near Portales), which remains a historical and tourist site.
Clovis began in 1906, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was being constructed through the area and railway engineers were ordered to choose a town site. At first known as "Riley's Switch", it was renamed Clovis by the station master's daughter, who was studying about Clovis, the first Catholic king of the Franks, at the time. The settlement built up quickly and in 1909 was incorporated.