Alamogordo

Alamogordo (/ˌæləməˈɡɔrdoʊ/) is the county seat of Otero County and a city in south-central New Mexico, United States. A desert community lying in the Tularosa Basin, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains. It is the nearest city to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 35,582 as of the 2000 census. Alamogordo is known for the Atari video game burial of 1983. It is also famous for its connection with the Trinitytest, the first explosion of a nuclear (atomic) bomb.

Humans have lived in the Alamogordo area for at least 11,000 years. The present settlement established in 1898 to support the construction of the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, is an early example of a planned community. The city was incorporated in 1912. Tourism became an important economic factor with the creation of White Sands National Monument in 1934. During the 1950-60s, Alamogordo was an unofficial center for research on pilot safety and the developing United States' space program.

Alamogordo is a charter city with a council-manager form of government. City government provides a large number of recreational and leisure facilities for its citizens, including a large park in the center of the city, many smaller parks scattered through the city, a golf course, Alameda Park Zoo, a network of walking paths, Alamogordo Public Library, and a senior citizens' center. Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center is a nonprofit shared military/civilian facility that is also the hospital for Holloman.

As the economic center of Otero County, Alamogordo has a primarily service and retail economy that draws its customers from tourists and from active-duty and retired military personnel. The city is accessible through three U.S. Highways and scheduled commercial air service at Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport. Holloman Air Force Base (including a German Air Force Tactical Training Center) and White Sands Missile Range are two nearby major military bases. By some estimates, Holloman accounts for half the economy of Alamogordo. The city also has a public school system, a branch of New Mexico State University, and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, making education also a significant contributor to the economy. A city's gross receipts tax funds incentives for new businesses, which are recruited by the nonprofit Otero County Economic Development Council. Several films a year are shot partly in the Alamogordo area and the filming expenditures add to the economy. TheNew Mexico Museum of Space History, Lincoln National Forest, and White Sands National Monument are in or near the city. A hot-air balloon festival is held annually. Skiing is available in nearby Mescalero and Cloudcroft, and gambling is available at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino in Mescalero. 

Tularosa Basin has been inhabited for at least 11,000 years. There are signs of previous inhabitants in the area such as the Clovis culture, the Folsom culture, the peoples of the Archaic period, and the Formative stage. The Mescalero Apache were already living in the Tularosa Basin when the Spanish came in 1534, and Mescalero oral history says they have always lived there. The Spanish built a chapel at La Luz (about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the future site of Alamogordo) in 1719, although La Luz was not settled until about 1860.

The city of Alamogordo was founded in June 1898, when the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, headed by Charles Bishop Eddy, extended therailway to the town.  Eddy influenced the design of the community, which included large wide thoroughfares and tree-lined irrigation canals. Charles Eddy's brother John Arthur Eddy named the new city Alamogordo ("large/fat cottonwood" in Spanish) after a grove of fat cottonwoods he remembered from the Pecos River area. When Alamogordo was laid out in 1898, the east-west streets were given numerical designations, while north-south streets were named after states. The present-day White Sands Boulevard was then called Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Several government buildings in Alamogordo were constructed by the Works Progress Administration, a government program created in 1935 in response to the Great Depression. These include the Otero County Administration Building at 1101 New York Avenue, a Pueblo style building originally constructed as the main U.S. Post Office in 1938. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The main entrance portico features frescoes by Peter Hurd completed in 1942. The Post Office moved out in 1961, and the building was used by a succession of Federal agencies and was known as the Federal Building. The last Federal agency to occupy it was the United States Forest Service who used it as the headquarters of the Lincoln National Forest until October 2008, when that agency moved to a newly constructed building. Ownership of the building was transferred to Otero County government and many government offices were moved from the Courthouse to the new Administration Building in February 2009.

In the 1940s until the early 1960s nearby Holloman Air Force Base was the site of a number of tests designed to improve safety of Air Force flights and of upcoming manned space flights. Foreword The Aeromedical Field Laboratory (AMFL) was founded at Holloman in 1951 as a support facility for the Aero Medical Laboratory at Wright Field (today the 711th Human Performance Wing within the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base). The scientific work at AMFL focused on the effects of cosmic radiation, fractional gravity, and mechanical forces on living tissues. Tests prepared or performed at AMFL included Project Manhigh (cosmic ray effects), Project Excelsior (high-altitude parachutes), and a number of unnamed rocket sled tests (escape from high-performance aircraft). Tests were performed on both animal and human subjects, and AMFL maintained a collection of animals at Holloman. Many of the tests were performed under the direction of John Paul Stapp, who moved from Wright Field to Holloman in April 1953 to become the head of the laboratory.

Stapp volunteered as the first human test subject in all of the rocket sled tests. On December 10, 1954, he rode the Sonic Wind No. 1 rocket sled at Holloman in a run that decelerated from 632 miles per hour (1,017 km/h) to a complete stop in one and one-quarter seconds. His body experienced over 40 times the force of gravity, in essence making him weigh 6,800 pounds (3,100 kg) for that brief time.

In the third flight of Project Excelsior, launched from Holloman on August 16, 1960, Joseph Kittinger stepped from the balloon gondola at an altitude of 102,800 feet (31,300 m) and set several records, including one for longest parachute free-fall. The gondola carried a sign reading, "This is the highest step in the world".

Ham, the first chimpanzee in space, was trained at Holloman; his name is an acronym for Holloman Aero Medical. His flight occurred on January 31, 1961. After Ham died in 1983 at age 27, his body was necropsied and the skeleton removed. The remaining soft parts of his body were buried in front of the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo. Enos, the first chimpanzee to orbit the earth, was also trained at Holloman. His flight occurred on November 29, 1961.

White Sands Space Harbor, located about 30 miles (48 km) west of Alamogordo, is a NASA facility that has runways on a dry lakebed and was the primary training area for Space Shuttle pilots practicing approaches and landings. The site was designated as a back-up Shuttle landing site in 1979, and on March 30, 1982 Space Shuttle Columbia ended the third Shuttle mission, STS-3, by landing there. After that landing, White Sands Space Harbor became an emergency landing site for the Shuttle.

Alamogordo briefly made international news in late 2001 when Christ Community Church held a public book burning of books in the Harry Potter series, and several other series, on December 30. Other items burned included novels by J. R. R. Tolkien and Stephen King, Star Wars material, Complete Works of William Shakespeare, magazines, and a Ouijaboard. Pastor Jack Brock called the Potter books "a masterpiece of Satanic deception" and said the character taught children to take up wizardry. Several hundred people protested the event. Alamogordo Public Library continued a display of Harry Potter books that was originally mounted in conjunction with the movie premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Cash donations were made to the library, and library director Jim Preston said, "With this money we are purchasing additional copies of Harry Potter, Tolkien, and Shakespeare."

As of 2000 Alamogordo had a total area of 19.3 square miles (50.0 km2), all of it land. The city is located at an elevation of 4336 feet (1322 m) on the western flank of the Sacramento Mountainsand on the eastern edge of the Tularosa Basin. It is in the Rio Grande rift and in the northernmost part of the Chihuahuan Desert. Tectonic activity is low in the Tularosa Basin. Plants native to the area are typical of the southern New Mexico foothills and include creosote bush, mesquite, saltbush, cottonwood, desert willow, and many species of cactus and yucca.

The Tularosa Basin is a closed basin, that is, no water flows out of it. Because of this and because of the geology of the region, water in the basin is hard: it has very high total dissolved solidsconcentrations, in excess of 3,000 mg/L. The Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility, a Bureau of Reclamation laboratory doing research and development on desalinationof brackish water, is located in Alamogordo. The gypsum crystals of White Sands National Monument are formed in Lake Lucero. Water drains from the mountains carrying dissolved gypsum and collects in Lake Lucero. After the water dries, the winds pick up the gypsum crystals and distribute them over the basin.

Climate data for Alamogordo
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	56 (13)	61 (16)	68 (20)	76 (24)	86 (30)	95 (35)	95 (35)	93 (34)	88 (31)	77 (25)	64 (18)	56 (13)	76
Average low °F (°C)	29 (−2)	32 (0)	38 (3)	44 (7)	53 (12)	62 (17)	65 (18)	64 (18)	58 (14)	47 (8)	34 (1)	29 (−2)	46
Precipitation inches (mm)	0.6 (15)	0.6 (15)	0.5 (13)	0.4 (10)	0.5 (13)	0.7 (18)	1.7 (43)	1.9 (48)	1.4 (36)	1 (25)	0.6 (15)	0.6 (15)	10.4 (264)

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,582 people, 13,704 households, and 9,728 families residing in the city. There were 15,920 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 75.4% White; 5.6%African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 12.1% from some other race, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.0% of the population. 

There were 13,704 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.07. 

In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males. 

In 1999 the median income for a household in the city was $30,928, and the median income for a family was $35,673. Males had a median income of $28,163 versus $18,860 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,662. About 13.2% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over. 

Alamogordo's and Otero County's July 1, 2008, population were estimated at 35,757 and 62,776 respectively by the United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program.  The Census Bureau defines the Alamogordo Micropolitan Statistical Area as Otero County.  

Otero County non-agricultural civilian employment (number of people) 2006
Agriculture, forestry, fishing & hunting	100
Mining	28
Utilities	68
Construction	1,348
Manufacturing	227
Wholesale trade	211
Retail trade	2,052
Transportation & warehousing	537
Information	234
Finance & insurance	436
Real estate & rental & leasing	162
Professional & technical services	729
Management of companies & enterprises	43
Administrative & waste services	883
Educational services	48
Health care & social assistance	1,994
Arts, entertainment & recreation	63
Accommodation & food services	1,590
Other services, except public admin	423
Non-classifiable	3
Total private sector	11,179
Federal	2,004
State	801
Local	3,838
Public administration	6,643
Grand total	17,822
Source: New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, Employment Statistics, Table D

Alamogordo is the economic center of Otero County,  with over half the Otero County population living within the city limits. Alamogordo today has very little manufacturing and has a primarily service and retail economy, driven by tourism, a large nearby military installation and a concentration of military retirees.  In 2006 the per capita income in Otero County was $22,377 versus per capita income in New Mexico of $29,346.  

Alamogordo was founded as a company town to support the building of the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad,  a portion of the transcontinental railway that was being constructed in the late 19th century. Initially its main industry was timbering for railroad ties.  The railroad founders were also eager to found a major town that would persist after the railroad was completed; they formed the Alamogordo Improvement Company to develop the area, making Alamogordo an early example of a planned community. The Alamogordo Improvement Company owned all the land, platted the streets, built the first houses and commercial buildings, donated land for a college, and placed a restrictive covenant on each deed prohibiting the manufacture, distribution, or sale of intoxicating liquor. 

Tourism became an important part of the local economy from the creation of White Sands National Monument in 1934.  Construction began on the Alamogordo Army Air Field (the present-day Holloman Air Force Base) in 1942, and the Federal government has been a strong presence in Alamogordo ever since.  Education has also been an important part of the local economy. In addition to the local school system, Alamogordo is home to the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, founded in 1903, and a branch of New Mexico State University founded in 1958.  The largest non-government employer in the city is the Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center with 650 employees in 2008. 

Holloman Air Force Base is the largest employer in Alamogordo, and has a major effect on the local economy. According to some estimates, Holloman accounts for half of the Alamogordo economy.  According to the 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office, as of January 2008 Holloman directly employs 6,111 person with a gross payroll of $266 million. It indirectly creates another 2,047 jobs with a payroll of $77 million. The estimated amount spent in the community, including payroll, construction projects, supplies, services, health care, and education, is $482 million. 

An estimated 6,700 military retirees live in the area. Counting both USAF and German Air Forcepersonnel there are 1,383 active military and 1,641 military dependents living on base and 2,765 active military and 2,942 military dependents living off base. 

Future Combat Systems is a wide-ranging modernization project of the US Army. Much of the work will be done at Fort Bliss, with some at White Sands Missile Range and some at Holloman Air Force Base. Alamogordo is expected to get some economic benefit due to its proximity to these three bases.  

Otero County Economic Development Council is a nonprofit organization founded in 1984. Its focus has generally been on job creation and recruiting and expanding businesses in Otero County, including helping them satisfy business regulations in New Mexico and lining up funding.  Its role expanded in 2000, when Alamogordo passed an Economic DevelopmentGross Receipts Tax. OCEDC continues to work to attract businesses, but now it also helps develop the incentive packages that will be paid by the new tax, and a portion of the tax receipts go to fund OCEDC's operating expenses.  Formal economic development plans have been adopted by Alamogordo  and by Otero County. 

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