Santa Rosa is the county seat of Guadalupe County, New Mexico. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,744. It is a small town between Albuquerque and Tucamcari , situated on the Pecos River at the intersection of I-40 and Route 54 . The town is in the llano estacado or "staked plains" of northern New Mexico.

The first European settlement in the area was Aqua Negra Chiquita, "Little Black Water" in Spanish, in 1865. The name was changed in 1890 to Santa Rosa, Spanish for "Holy Rose", referring to a chapel that Don Celso Baca , the founder of the town, built and named after either his mother Rosa or Saint Rose of Lima. The "Rosa" may also refer to the roses in the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and is indicative of the Catholicism of the Spanish colonizers who settled in the area.

Santa Rosa was connected by railroad to Chicago, El Paso and the world at large in the early 1900's.

Geography

Santa Rosa has many natural lakes, an anomaly in the dry Sonoran Desert climate surrounding it. These are sinkholes that form in the limestone bedrock of the area and fill with water, and thus the lakes are connected by a network of underground, water-filled tunnels. The most famous of these is Blue Hole, a popular spot for diving, where frigid 64° F (18° C) water forms a lake over 81 ft (25 m) deep.

Santa Rosa is located at 34°56'32" North, 104°41'2" West (34.942166, -104.683981).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.1 km² (4.3 mi²). 11.0 km² (4.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.70% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 2,744 people, 898 households, and 616 families residing in the city. The population density is 249.3/km² (645.7/mi²). There are 1,024 housing units at an average density of 93.0/km² (241.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 57.47% White, 2.19% African American, 1.75% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 33.13% from other races, and 4.56% from two or more races. 81.16% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 898 households out of which 35.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% are married couples living together, 18.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% are non-families. 28.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.50 and the average family size is 3.03.

In the city the population is spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 135.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 145.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $25,085, and the median income for a family is $28,782. Males have a median income of $20,161 versus $16,417 for females. The per capita income for the city is $11,168. 23.2% of the population and 18.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 27.5% of those under the age of 18 and 23.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

References

• A Santa Rosa Story, by Olive Smith Wiley, 1973

External links

• http://www.srnm.org/
• http://www.rootsweb.com/~nmguadal/Santaros.htm