Piñon, New Mexico

Piñon[1] is an unincorporated ranching community in Otero County in southern New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. The town is in the pinon-juniper shrublands habitat with an altitude of 6,060 feet. It is located at the intersection of NM Route 24 and NM Route 506.[2] The postoffice in Piñon opened in 1907. In 2014, Piñon was ranked as the most politically conservative town in New Mexico.[3]

Piñon
Unincorporated community & Census-designated places
Piñon
Location within the state of New Mexico
Piñon
Piñon (the United States)
Coordinates: 32°37′05″N 105°23′40″W
CountryUnited States
StateNew Mexico
CountyOtero
Elevation6,060 ft (1,850 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total71
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes
88344
Area code(s)575
GNIS feature ID909714

The area is arid and subject to forest fires. In June 2011, the lightning-caused Gage Fire burned 1385 acres[4] just to the west of town.[5]

History

The area was originally settled by the agricultural and hunter gatherer Jornada Mogollon people, circa 200 CE, whose suzerainty ended with the influx of the Apache and other plains raiders in approximately 1450.[6] The town was named in 1907 by the local school teacher John W. Nations after the piñon pine trees in the area.[7]

Notes
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Piñon, New Mexico
  2. Burdett, William H. (1998) The Roads of New Mexico Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, Texas, page 107, ISBN 0-940672-52-9
  3. Walker, Hunter; Kiersz, Andy (18 June 2014). "Here Are The Most Liberal And Most Conservative Towns In Each State". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  4. Gage Fire 1385 acres (Map). New Mexico Fire Information (NMFireInfo). 5 June 2011. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  5. Myslivy, Jennifer (5 June 2011). "Gage Fire Update June 5". New Mexico Fire Information (NMFireInfo). Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  6. Whalen, Michael E. (1994) Turquoise Ridge and late prehistoric residential mobility in the desert Mogollon region (Anthropological papers (Salt Lake City, Utah), no. 118) University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, Utah, page 26, ISBN 0-87480-436-1
  7. Julyan, Robert (1998) "Piñon" The Place Names of New Mexico (revised edition) University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico, page 268, ISBN 0-8263-1689-1
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