Tucumcari, New Mexico
| Tucumcari, New Mexico | ||
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| City | ||
Quay County Courthouse in 2008
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 Location of Tucumcari in New Mexico |
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 Tucumcari, New Mexico
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| Coordinates: 35°10′10″N 103°43′32″W / 35.16944°N 103.72556°WCoordinates: 35°10′10″N 103°43′32″W / 35.16944°N 103.72556°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | New Mexico | |
| County | Quay | |
| Founded | 1901 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Ruth Ann Litchfield | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 7.6 sq mi (19.6 km2) | |
| • Land | 7.5 sq mi (19.5 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) | |
| Elevation | 4,091 ft (1,247 m) | |
| Population (2000) | ||
| • Total | 5,989 | |
| • Density | 793.8/sq mi (306.5/km2) | |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) | |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) | |
| ZIP code | 88401 | |
| Area code(s) | 575 | |
| FIPS code | 35-79910 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0915909 | |
| Website | City Website | |
Tucumcari is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,363 at the 2010 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was founded.
In 1901, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad built a construction camp in the western portion of modern-day Quay County. Originally called Ragtown, the camp became known as Six Shooter Siding, due to numerous gunfights. Its first formal name, Douglas, was used only for a short time. After it grew into a permanent settlement, it was renamed Tucumcari in 1908. The name was taken from Tucumcari Mountain, which is situated near the community. Where the mountain got its name is uncertain. It may have come from the Comanche word tʉkamʉkarʉ, which means 'ambush'. A 1777 burial record mentions a Comanche woman and her child captured in a battle at Cuchuncari, which is believed to be an early version of the name Tucumcari.
In December 1951, a water storage tank collapsed in the city. Four were killed and numerous buildings were destroyed.
Tucumcari is located at 35°10′10″N 103°43′32″W / 35.16944°N 103.72556°W (35.169453, −103.725488). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.6 sq mi (19.6 km2), of which, 7.5 sq mi (19.5 km2) of it is land and 0.13% is water.
Tucumcari has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) characterized by cool winters and hot summers. Rainfall is relatively low except during the summer months, when thunderstorms associated with the North American monsoon can bring locally heavy downpours. Snowfall is generally light, with a mean of 19.4 inches or 0.49 metres and a median of 9.7 inches or 0.25 metres. Due to the frequency of low humidity, wide daily temperature ranges are normal.
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