Gallup, New Mexico
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2012) |
| The City of Gallup | |
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| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: 35°31′25″N 108°44′3″W / 35.52361°N 108.73417°WCoordinates: 35°31′25″N 108°44′3″W / 35.52361°N 108.73417°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | McKinley |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jackie McKinney |
| Area | |
| • City | 13.4 sq mi (34.6 km2) |
| • Land | 13.4 sq mi (34.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,468 ft (1,971 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 21,678 |
| • Density | 1,513.7/sq mi (584.5/km2) |
| • Metro | 71,492 |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP codes | 87301-87305 |
| Area code(s) | 505 |
| FIPS code | 35-28460 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0902825 |
| Website | www.GallupNM.gov |
Gallup (Navajo: Naʼnízhoozhí) is a city in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 21,678 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of McKinley County[1] and the most populous city between Flagstaff, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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History [edit]
Gallup was founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. The city was named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. During World War II, the city fought successfully to prevent 800 Japanese American residents from being placed in wartime internment. Gallup is known as the "Heart of Indian Country" because it is in the middle of many Native American reservations and home to many tribes.[2]
Culture [edit]
Route 66 runs through Gallup, and the town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, "Route 66". In 2003, the U.S. and New Mexico Departments of Transportation renumbered US Highway 666, the city's other major highway, as Route 491, since the number "666" is associated with Satan and Devil worship, and thus it was considered offensive to some people.
The historic El Rancho Hotel & Motel has hosted a numerous array of movie stars including John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, Gregory Peck and Burt Lancaster. The rugged terrain surrounding Gallup was popular with Hollywood filmmakers during the 1940s and 1950s for the on-location shooting of Westerns. Actors and film crews would stay at the hotel during filming. Films made in Gallup included Billy the Kid (1930), Pursued (1947), The Sea of Grass (1947), Four Faces West (1948), Only the Valiant (1951), Ace in the Hole (1951), Escape from Fort Bravo (1953), A Distant Trumpet (1964) and The Hallelujah Trail (1965).
Gallup is sometimes called the "Indian Capital of the World", for its location in the heart of Native American lands, and the presence of Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and other tribes. One-third of the city's population has Native American roots. Gallup's nickname references the huge impact of the Native American cultures found in and around Gallup. However, the city is criticized in the novel Ceremony, authored by the Native American writer Leslie Marmon Silko, for the city's slums.
Gallup was the setting as the center of activity in a 2006 Sci Fi Channel mini-series The Lost Room, starring Peter Krause. Akon filmed a music video in Gallup in 2005. In 1994, parts of the movie Natural Born Killers were filmed in the city.
Geography [edit]
Gallup is located at 35°31′25″N 108°44′3″W / 35.52361°N 108.73417°W (35.523750, -108.734088).[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.4 square miles (35 km2), all land.
Demographics [edit]
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 20,209 people, 6,810 households, and 4,869 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,513.7 people per square mile (584.5/km²). There were 7,349 housing units at an average density of 550.5 per square mile (212.5/km²).
There were 6,810 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population was spread out with 32.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
It has close proximity to Native American reservations, and historic lack of economic development in addition to many mine closures in the last century. As a result of these mine closures, Gallup has a large socioeconomic poor population. The median income for a household in the city was $34,868, and the median income for a family was $39,197. Males had a median income of $33,380 versus $24,441 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,789. About 16.6% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation [edit]
Airports
- Gallup Municipal Airport, public airport with primarily private and charter flights. Aviation Identifier is GUP.
- Albuquerque International Sunport, nearest public airport with scheduled passenger flights, 135 miles (217 km) east of Gallup.
Major highways
Train
- Amtrak's Southwest Chief provides service at the Gallup train station.
Climate [edit]
Gallup, like most of the interior Mountain West, has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The summers are hot during the day, but the high altitude and low humidity means that nights remain distinctly cool: as late as July 2 of 1997 the temperature fell to 31 °F (−1 °C). Despite the large diurnal temperature range, most rain falls in the summer from afternoon thunderstorms. Despite the dry atmosphere, hot sun and an average of only 7.4 days with maxima below 32 °F (0 °C), winter nights are so cold snow is common and sometimes heavy: the maximum in a month is 29.10 inches (0.74 m) in December 1992 and the most in a year 65.10 inches (1.65 m) between July 1990 and June 1991. Actual snow cover, with the hot sun at Gallup’s altitude, however, has never exceeded 13.1 inches (0.33 m), and for no day averages over 3.5 inches (0.089 m).
| Climate data for Gallup, New Mexico | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) |
73 (23) |
81 (27) |
84 (29) |
95 (35) |
98 (37) |
100 (38) |
98 (37) |
93 (34) |
87 (31) |
78 (26) |
66 (19) |
100 (38) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 45 (7) |
50 (10) |
57 (14) |
65 (18) |
75 (24) |
86 (30) |
89 (32) |
86 (30) |
80 (27) |
69 (21) |
55 (13) |
46 (8) |
67 (19) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 11 (−12) |
16 (−9) |
20 (−7) |
24 (−4) |
33 (1) |
42 (6) |
51 (11) |
50 (10) |
42 (6) |
29 (−2) |
18 (−8) |
11 (−12) |
31 (−1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) |
−19 (−28) |
−10 (−23) |
6 (−14) |
12 (−11) |
25 (−4) |
31 (−1) |
35 (2) |
20 (−7) |
5 (−15) |
−26 (−32) |
−34 (−37) |
−34 (−37) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.81 (20.6) |
0.65 (16.5) |
0.89 (22.6) |
0.51 (13) |
0.62 (15.7) |
0.45 (11.4) |
1.56 (39.6) |
1.99 (50.5) |
1.12 (28.4) |
1.19 (30.2) |
0.95 (24.1) |
0.71 (18) |
11.45 (290.6) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 6.5 (16.5) |
6.0 (15.2) |
3.8 (9.7) |
2.3 (5.8) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.7 (1.8) |
4.1 (10.4) |
6.5 (16.5) |
30.4 (77.2) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 71 |
| Source: Western Regional Climate Center.[5] | |||||||||||||
Sports [edit]
Gallup welcomed professional basketball to the city in 2004 when the Gallup Talons of the American Basketball Association (ABA) began playing home games in the Gallup Convention Arena. The team was renamed the Gallup Outlaws for the 2005-2006 season. As of February 12, 2008, the ABA had yet to play a game in Gallup for the 2007-08 season. It was rumored that they may join the National Basketball Development League or NBDL whose closest opponent is the Albuquerque Thunderbirds.
Notable residents [edit]
- Arthur T. Hannett, Mayor of Gallup, and Seventh Governor of New Mexico
- Onawa Lacy, Miss New Mexico USA 2006
- Hiroshi H. Miyamura, Medal of Honor recipient in the United States Army, awarded for his actions during the Korean War
- Carolyn S. Shoemaker, American astronomer and co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
- Brittany Toll, Miss New Mexico USA 2011
Notable events [edit]
- The Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, http://theceremonial.com/
- The Land of Enchantment Opera, http://www.landofenchantmentopera.com/
- The Fireball Run, http://www.fireballrun.com/
- Red Rock Balloon Rally, http://www.redrockballoonrally.com/
See also [edit]
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup
- USS Gallup, name of two ships in the United States Navy, both named for the city of Gallup.
References [edit]
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Plaques to be guide to city's past". Gallup Independent. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ GALLUP FAA AP, NEW MEXICO
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gallup, New Mexico |
- Official city website
- Gallup Police Department
- The Gallup Journey, a monthly local magazine
- The Gallup Independent, a daily newspaper
- Gallup Town Talk, a weekly newspaper
Gallup travel guide from Wikivoyage
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