Pie Town, New Mexico

Pie Town is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located along U.S. Highway 60 in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 186.[1] Pie Town's name comes from an early bakery that specialized in dried-apple pies; it was established by Clyde Norman in the early 1920s. Pie Town has been noted for its colorful place name.[2] Pie Town is the location of a "Pie Festival" on the second Saturday of each September.[3] Pie Town is located immediately north of the Gila National Forest and not very far west of the Plains of San Agustin, the location of the Very Large Array radio telescope, which is also located along U.S. 60. In addition, one of the ten large radio antennas that form the Very Long Baseline Array of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory can be seen from U.S. 60, just east of Pie Town.

Pie Town, New Mexico
unincorporated community
Homesteader with dugout house in Pie Town, 1940 photograph by Russell Lee.
Motto(s): 
America's Friendliest Little Town
Pie Town
Location within New Mexico
Pie Town
Pie Town (the United States)
Coordinates: 34.298333°N 108.134722°W / 34.298333; -108.134722
CountryUnited States
StateNew Mexico
CountyCatron County
Area
 • Total57.3 sq mi (148.4 km2)
 • Land57.3 sq mi (148.3 km2)
 • Water0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation
7,778 ft (2,371 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total186
 • Density3/sq mi (1.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
87827
Area code(s)575 Exchange: 772

Depictions in media

Pie Town and its people were photographed in 1940 by Russell Lee, a photographer for the Farm Security Administration of the U.S. government, during the Great Depression. Pie Town, Lee's photos, and the local restaurant the Daily Pie Cafe were the subject of an article in Smithsonian magazine in February 2005.[4] In 2014, a feature-length documentary, Pie Lady of Pie Town, was produced.[5] CBS News Sunday Morning aired a story about the town in 2015.

Tourism

Pie Town is located along U.S. 60, 83 miles (134 km) west of Socorro and approximately 290 miles (470 km) east of Phoenix, Arizona.[6][7] Albuquerque is 136 miles (219 km) to the northeast by other highways.

The center of Pie Town is 2 miles (3 km) west of where US 60 crosses the Continental Divide, and some visitors arrive by way of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) that provides a respite between Silver City and Grants, New Mexico. For cyclists, equestrians, motorcyclists, and hikers, Pie Town provides a number of services, including lodging, supplies, and unique flavors of pie on request. In June 2007, three residents of Pie Town, Nita Larronde, Don Kearney, and Kathy Knapp, were awarded the Curry Trail Angel Award by the Adventure Cycling Association in recognition for their kindness and generosity.[8]

The area of Pie Town is rich in relics of the Native Americans. Many Anasazi and Acoma pottery shards have been found in the area, along with grinding slicks, an ancient axe head, and petrified wood. Some fossilized bones have been found on the ground. The ruins of Native American communities, which consist of one to a few dozen structures, are found here.

The Pie Town Annual Pie Festival includes a pie-baking contest, games and races, music, food, and arts and crafts.[9]

  • Serving food in Pie Town, 1940
  • Daily Pie Cafe, May 2009
  • School children singing, 1940
  • Saying grace before the barbeque dinner in Pie Town, 1940
  • Pie Cafe in Pie Town (2006)
  • Pie-O-Neer Cafe in Pie Town 2007

See also

References
  1. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Pie Town CDP, New Mexico". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  2. Symons, Mitchell (8 November 2012). The Bumper Book For The Loo: Facts and figures, stats and stories – an unputdownable treat of trivia. Transworld. p. 270. ISBN 978-1-4481-5271-1.
  3. "Pie Town, New Mexico, Pie Festival USA". Pie Town Festival USA. Pie Town Festival USA. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  4. Hendrickson, Paul (February 2005). "Savoring Pie Town". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  5. Rosemont, Jane (2014-06-03), Pie Lady of Pie Town, retrieved 2016-08-26
  6. "pietown.com". Archived from the original on 2009-02-08. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  7. "A bit about the Pie-o-neer Cafe". Pie-O-Neer Pies. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  8. "Past Bicycle Travel Award Winners - Awards". 11 September 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  9. "Pie Town New Mexico". Pie Town. Archived from the original on 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-06-19.

Pie Town, New Mexico at New Mexico Tourism Department

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