Portales, New Mexico

Infobox Settlement
official_name = The City of Portales
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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image_caption = Roosevelt County Court House in Portales


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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Portales, New Mexico


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New Mexico
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Roosevelt
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 17.7
area_land_km2 = 17.7
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 6.9
area_land_sq_mi = 6.9
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 11131
population_density_km2 = 627.4
population_density_sq_mi = 1624.9

timezone = Mountain (MST)
utc_offset = -7
timezone_DST = MDT
utc_offset_DST = -6
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 1221
elevation_ft = 4006
latd = 34 |latm = 10 |lats = 56 |latNS = N
longd = 103 |longm = 20 |longs = 19 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 88123, 88130
area_code = 575
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 35-59260
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0893416
website =
footnotes =

Portales is a city in and the county seat of Roosevelt CountyGR|6, New Mexico, United States. The population was 11,131 at the 2000 census. It is located near the larger city of Clovis as well as Cannon Air Force Base, a major contributor to the economy of the region.

Eastern New Mexico University opened in Portales in 1934 and has grown to become the third largest university in the state. Peanuts and sweet potatoes were formerly the largest crops in the area. Although Portales is one of the largest producers of Valencia peanuts in the United States, it is now better known for its dairy industry.

It is the principal city of the Portales Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Clovis-Portales Combined Statistical Area.

City

The city's downtown area is centered around a traditional town square, descending from Spanish urban design. The center of the town square includes the 1930s WPA-style Roosevelt County Courthouse, including original architectural details from the era. The Courthouse Square is ringed with active retail shops. The Yam Theater, a historic theater located in the Downtown area, is currently under renovation. Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU), forms a sizable district with its campus and surrounding residential stock catering to students. Portales has 39 religious institutions and is home to 38 civic organizations.

Geography

Portales is located at coor dms|34|10|56|N|103|20|19|W|city (34.182184, -103.338737)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.8 square miles (17.7 km²), all of it land.

History

The settlement was founded in the late 1800s and the city was formally established in 1909. Its first mayor was Washington Ellsworth Lindsey, later a state Governor of New Mexico.

Living

According to a study conducted by Bizjournals.com, of 577 micropolitan areas, Portales ranked 15th in the nation and ninth in the western United States in overall quality of life. [ [http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/pages/20.html America's Dreamtowns: Regional leaders in small-town quality of life rankings] ] The goal of the study was to identify America’s most attractive micropolitan areas and points were given to small, well-rounded communities where the economy is strong, traffic is light, the cost of living is moderate, adults are well-educated, and access to big-city attractions is reasonably close.

The study identified 12 categories including population growth, per capita income, small business growth, professional jobs, commuting, cost of living, and advanced degrees. Cities were given points for positive results and negative scores if they were below the national averages. These scores were then totaled to determine its overall rank on the list of micropolitan areas.

Portales, the smallest city in the top 25, received a quality of life score of 8.96, the 15th highest score in the nation. According Scott Thomas, the author of the study, the income per capita, short commuting times, low taxes, and substantial percentage of adults with a graduate degree contributed to the ranking. Los Alamos was the only other New Mexico city to be recognized in the top 20.

Archaeology

The Blackwater Draw Archaeological Site near (Portales, New Mexico) is one of the best known and most significant sites in North American archaeology. Early investigations at Blackwater Draw recovered evidence of a human occupation in association with Late Pleistocene fauna, including Columbian mammoth, camel, horse, bison, sabertooth cat and dire wolf.

Since its discovery, the Blackwater Locality No. 1 Site has been a focal point for scientific investigations by academic institutions and organizations from across the country. The Carnegie Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Academy of Natural Sciences, National Science Foundation, United States National Museum, National Geographic Society, and more than a dozen major universities either have funded or participated in research at Blackwater Draw.

Additionally, due to the site's long-term potential for additional research and to public interest, the site was incorporated into the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and has more recently been declared a National Historic Landmark.

Economy

The economy of Portales and surrounding communities is strongly supported by Eastern New Mexico University, value-added food processing, a growing military presence, and agriculture (including cattle ranching and dairy farming, peanuts, and grain). In recent years, the economy of Portales has grown significantly along with the price and volume of agricultural commodities being produced in the region.

Sunland Inc. in Portales is the largest U.S. exporter of certified organic peanut products and a major U.S. processor and distributor of sweet Valencia peanuts. DairiConcepts of New Zealand processes local milk into milk solids for domestic and export use, including a growing stock of certified organic milk solids. Spanish energy corporation Abengoa Energy operates an ethanol plant in Portales, and Southwest Canning operates a canning and bottling plant.

The Portales economy is also connected to Cannon Air Force Base located approximately 12 miles to the north. The base operates a leased military housing area in Portales with 150 single family dwellings. Major Portales retailers include Super Wal-Mart, True Value hardware, small privately-owned boutique shops and services in the downtown area, IGA grocers, several furniture stores, Allsups convenience stores, and a number of discount retailers and auto dealers.

In 2002, the US Census recorded wholesale trade of $53,713,000 and retail trade of $147,174,000 in Roosevelt County. In 2006, data from econometrics firm EMSI predicted that by 2015, Roosevelt County would experience over 50% employment growth in several key economic sectors, including professional and business services, education and health services, and manufacturing. The same report predicted over 100% growth in leisure and hospitality services in the Portales area by 2015. In 2007, Buxton Incorporated conducted a retail location analysis for Portales and found the retail market potential to be over $180 million, nearly $40 million higher than existing retail trade.

Unemployment in Roosevelt County in 2007 averaged 3%, and in 2007 the cost of living in Portales was approximately 80% of the US average, based primarily on the historically low but rising cost of housing in the area.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 11,131 people, 4,188 households, and 2,659 families residing in the city. By 2007, the number of people counted in Portales, including those within the city limits and in the nearby surroundings had grown to nearly 17,000 people(University of New Mexico BBER). Eastern New Mexico University totaled 4,180 students in 2007.

The population density of Portales in 2000 was 1,624.9 people per square mile (627.4/km²). There were 4,862 housing units at an average density of 709.7/sq mi (274.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.80% White, 2.28% African American, 1.12% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 23.39% from other races, and 3.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.13% of the population.

There were 4,188 households in Portales in 2000,out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was fairly young with 26.3% under the age of 18, 20.1% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,658 in 2000 and the median income for a family was $30,462. Males had a median income of $27,080 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,935 in 2000. About 18.8% of families and 24.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.5% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over. By 2007, per capita income had risen significantly, while the poverty rate had dropped. The creative class quotient for Portales was 21% in 2007.

Notable natives and residents

*Michael Blake, Author of "Dances with Wolves", attended college at Eastern New Mexico University
*John Burroughs, Democratic governor of New Mexico, 1959-1960
*Ronny Cox, Actor; starred in the film "Deliverance" and on the CBS series "Apple's Way"
*Ed Foreman, Represented two states in the United States House of Representatives: Texas and New Mexico; motivational speaker and philanthropist, Republican
*Danny Leary, Comedian and actor
*Cody Ross, Major League Baseball outfielder for the Florida Marlins
*Christopher Stasheff, Fantasy author
*Ned Sublette, Singer and Cuban scholar
*Addie Peed Swearingen, Philanthropist
*Jack Williamson, Science fiction author

References

External links

* [http://www.portalesnm.org/ City of Portales - Official Site]
* [http://www.enmu.edu/academics/excellence/museums/blackwater-draw/site/ Eastern New Mexico University-Blackwater Draw Archaelogical Site]
* [http://www.PortalesNM.org PortalesNM.org]