"Socorro" redirects here. For other uses, see Socorro (disambiguation).

Socorro, New Mexico
Location of Socorro, New Mexico
Coordinates: 34°3′42″N 106°53′58″W / 34.06167, -106.89944
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Socorro
Area
- Total	14. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The political units and divisions of the United States include The 50 states (four of these being officially styled as Commonwealths) which are typically New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. This is a list of the thirty-three' counties in the US state of New Mexico. Socorro County is a County located in the US state of New Mexico, United States. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 4 sq mi (37. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 4 km²)
- Land	14. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 4 sq mi (37. 3 km²)
- Water	0. 0 sq mi (0. 1 km²)
Elevation	4,603 ft (1,403 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	8,877
- Density	615. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 8/sq mi (237. 8/km²)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	87801
Area code(s)	575 and 505 (until October 2008)
FIPS code	35-73540
GNIS feature ID	0938832

Socorro Art Project

Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC-7) during the shortest days of autumn UTC−7 can be observed in Mountain Standard Time Zone Pacific Daylight Time Zone Canada Daylight saving time ( DST Areas using UTC−6 Single zone countries Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala The ZIP code is the system of Postal codes used by the United States Postal Service (USPS A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks Area code 575 is an area code in the State of New Mexico, intended to serve the remainder of the state outside of the Albuquerque, Santa Fe, North American area code 505 is a State of New Mexico Telephone Area code which was one of the original area codes established in October Federal Information Processing Standards ( FIPS) are publicly announced standards developed by the United States Federal government for use by all non-military The Geographic Names Information System ( GNIS) is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout Socorro County is a County located in the US state of New Mexico, United States. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. It stands in the Rio Grande Valley, at an elevation of 4579 feet (1396 m). The Rio Grande Valley is an area located in the southernmost tip of Texas. The population was 8,879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Socorro County^[1]. A county seat is a term for an Administrative center for a County, primarily used in the United States. Socorro County is a County located in the US state of New Mexico, United States.

History

The Founding of Socorro

In June 1598, Juan de Oñate led a group of Spanish settlers through the Jornada del Muerto, an inhospitable patch of desert that ends just south of the present day city of Socorro. Don Juan de Oñate Salazar ( 1552 &ndash 1626) was an explorer colonial governor of the New Spain (present-day Mexico province of New The Jornada del Muerto ("Journey of the Dead Man" in Spanish often mistranslated as "Journey of the Dead" in the U As the Spaniards emerged from the desert, Piro Indians of the pueblo of Teypana gave the Spaniards food and water. Pueblos are traditional communities of Native Americans in the southwestern United States of America. This Piro Pueblo was located close to present-day Socorro New Mexico. Therefore, the Spaniards renamed this pueblo Socorro, which means "help" or "aid. " Later, the name "Socorro" would be applied to the nearby Piro pueblo of Pilabó. Pilabó was a former Piro Pueblo located on the site of the present city of Socorro New Mexico. ^[2]

Nuestra Señora de Socorro , the first Catholic mission in the area, was probably established c. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". 1626. Fray Augustin de Ventancurt would later write that around 600 people lived in the area during this period. ^[3]

During the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, Spanish refugees stopped in the pueblo of Socorro. The' Pueblo Revolt of 1680 or Popé's Rebellion' was an uprising of many Pueblos of the Pueblo people against Spanish colonization of the Americas in A number of Piro Indians followed the Spaniards as they left the province to go south to safety. With no protection of Spanish troops, Socorro was destroyed and the remaining Piro were killed by the Apache and other tribes. ^[4]

The Spanish did not initially resettle Socorro when they re-conquered New Mexico. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. Other than El Paso, there were no Spanish settlements south of Sabinal (which is approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of Socorro) until the 1800s. ^[5] In 1800, governor Fernando Chacon gave the order to resettle Socorro and other villages in the area. However, Socorro was not resettled until about 1815. ^[6] In 1817, 70 Belen residents petitioned the crown for land in Socorro. ^[7] The 1833 Socorro census lists over 400 residents, with a total of 1,774 people living within the vicinity of the village. ^[8]

The mission of San Miguel de Socorro was established soon after Socorro was resettled. Catholic church in Socorro NM, built on the ruins of the old Nuestra Señora de Socorro mission The church was built on the ruins of the old Nuestra Señora de Socorro. ^[9]

The 1800s

In the late 1870s and into 1881, noted lawman and gunman Dallas Stoudenmire served as the town Marshal for Socorro. Dallas Stoudenmire (1845-1882 was an Old West gunman and lawman who gained fame for a brief gunfight that was later dubbed the " Four Dead in Five Seconds Marshal (also sometimes spelled marshall in American English, but not in British English) is a word used in several official titles of various branches

Geography and Geology

Socorro is located at 34°3′42″N, 106°53′58″W (34. 061759, -106. 899424)^[10], 75 miles (121 km) south of Albuquerque, at an average elevation of 4,605 feet (1,404 m). The town lies adjacent to the Rio Grande in a landscape dominated by the Rio Grande Rift and numerous extinct volcanos. The Rio Grande runs a north-south course in New Mexico and Colorado The immediate region encompasses approximately 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of vertical relief between the Rio Grande and the Magdalena Mountains. The Magdalena Mountains are a small mountain range in Socorro County, in west-central New Mexico in the southwestern United States. Notable nearby locales include the Cibola National Forest, the BLM Quebradas Scenic Backcountry Byway, and the Bosque del Apache and Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuges. The Cibola National Forest is a United States National Forest in western and central New Mexico, USA. The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, in southern Socorro County New Mexico, is administered by the U National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain Protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census 4 square miles (37. 4 km²), of which, 14. 4 square miles (37. 3 km²) of it is land and 0. 04 square miles (0. 1 km²) of it (0. 21%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 8,877 people, 3,415 households, and 2,151 families residing in the city. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population The population density was 615. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 8 people per square mile (237. 9/km²). There were 3,940 housing units at an average density of 273. 3/sq mi (105. 6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66. 16% White, 0. 74% African American, 2. 77% Native American, 2. 24% Asian, 0. 06% Pacific Islander, 23. 24% from other races, and 4. 79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 54. 50% of the population.

There were 3,415 households out of which 31. 2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43. 5% were married couples living together, 14. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** 4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37. 0% were non-families. 29. 3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8. 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2. 44 and the average family size was 3. 02.

In the city the population was spread out with 25. 4% under the age of 18, 16. 9% from 18 to 24, 25. 7% from 25 to 44, 20. 4% from 45 to 64, and 11. 6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 106. 6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106. 6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,530, and the median income for a family was $33,013. Males had a median income of $31,517 versus $23,071 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,250. Per capita income means how much each individual receives in monetary terms of the yearly income generated in the country About 24. 1% of families and 32. 3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44. The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of Income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate Standard of living in a given country 4% of those under age 18 and 23. 6% of those age 65 or over.

The languages spoken at home were 62. 41% English, 35. 64% Spanish, 0. 90% Chinese, 0. 76% German, and 0. 36% Navajo. ^[12]

New Mexico Tech

Socorro is home to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech), a state undergraduate and graduate (Ph. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (also called New Mexico Tech, Tech, The Tech, and originally known as the New Mexico School of Mines D. granting) university specializing in science and engineering. New Mexico Tech hosts a number of major research centers, such as the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, the IRIS Consortium Program for Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) Instrument Center, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory. IRIS ( I ncorporated R esearch I nstitutions for S eismology is a university research consortium dedicated to exploring the Earth's interior through Interferometer The Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer will consist of an array of up to ten 1 Also located on the campus is the NRAO (National Radio Astronomy Observatory) Array Operations Center, the headquarters for the Very Large Array and Very Long Baseline Array radiotelescopes. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center of the United States National Science Foundation operated The Very Large Array ( VLA) is a Radio astronomy Observatory located on the Plains of San Augustin, between the towns of Magdalena The Very Long Baseline Array ( VLBA) is a system of ten Radio telescopes controlled remotely from the Array Operations Center in Socorro, A radio telescope is a form of directional Radio antenna used in Radio astronomy and in tracking and collecting data from Satellites The Very Large Array itself is located west of Socorro, between Magdalena and Datil. Magdalena is a village in Socorro County, New Mexico, United States. Datil is an unincorporated town in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. The University of Texas at El Paso annually holds their summer football training camp at Tech Field. Tech is also host to the New Mexico Science Olympiad and New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair state competitions.

Socorro High School

Socorro has one public city-named high school in Class 1A/3A with a student body of about 600. The mascot is an Indian Warrior and the school colors are blue, white, and silver. School sports include Golf (B/G), Soccer (B/G), Track (B/G), Football (B), Baseball/Softball (B/G), Cheerleading (B/G), Charisma Dance (B/G), Swimming (B/G), Volleyball (G), and Basketball (B/G).

Zamora UFO Incident

Main article: Lonnie Zamora

Socorro is famous as the site of a well-publicized UFO incident. Lonnie Zamora (born 1933 is a retired New Mexico Police officer who reported a UFO Close encounter of the first second and third kinds on Friday On April 24, 1964 Lonnie Zamora, a local policeman, was chasing a speeder on Socorro's outskirts when he claimed he saw a bright flash and heard a loud roar coming from over a nearby hill. Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Lonnie Zamora (born 1933 is a retired New Mexico Police officer who reported a UFO Close encounter of the first second and third kinds on Friday Believing that the noise may have come from the explosion of a dynamite shack, Zamora drove over the hill. Dynamite is an explosive based on the explosive potential of Nitroglycerin, initially using Diatomaceous earth (kieselgur US Spelling kieselguhr He claimed he saw a metallic, oval-shaped object with a strange symbol on it. He also claimed to see two "small men" in what looked like "white coveralls" walking around outside the craft. When they saw Zamora, the "men" boarded the craft and it took off with a loud roar and flame that shook Zamora's patrol car. (The UFO Book, ppgs. 545-546)

Zamora called for help on his radio. Sergeant M. S. Chavez of the New Mexico State Police soon arrived on the scene. The New Mexico State Police is the State police agency for New Mexico, which has Jurisdiction anywhere in the state Chavez later said that Zamora looked "terrified", that some nearby bushes had been badly burned, and that strange scoop marks were in the ground. Project Blue Book, the US Air Force's official study of the UFO mystery, sent investigators to Socorro. Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of Unidentified flying objects (UFOs conducted by the United States Air Force (U They interviewed Zamora and Chavez, and also checked the supposed landing site. Project Blue Book's supervisor, Captain Hector Quintanilla, later wrote that "there is no doubt that Lonnie Zamora saw an object which left quite an impression on him. There is no question about Zamora's reliability. " (UFO Book, p. 554) However, two prominent UFO skeptics both offered various explanations for Zamora's sighting. In ordinary usage skepticism or scepticism ( Greek 'σκέπτομαι' skeptomai, to look about to consider see also spelling differences Dr. Donald Menzel offered two explanations: that Zamora had been the victim of an elaborate prank by local teenagers, or that Zamora had actually seen a dust devil. Donald Howard Menzel ( April 11 1901 &ndash December 14 1976) was an American Astronomer and astrophysicist. A dust devil is a strong well-formed and relatively long-lived whirlwind, ranging from small (half a meter wide and a few meters tall to large (over 10 meters wide and over Philip Klass, the editor of Aviation Week magazine, would claim that Zamora and Socorro's then-mayor had hoaxed the event to bring tourists to Socorro. Philip Julian Klass ( November 8 1919 &ndash August 9 2005) was an American journalist and UFO researcher with a background UFO researchers have disputed each of these explanations. (UFO Book, p. 555)

Media Sightings

Socorro was mentioned in the 1974 movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, though in a somewhat derogatory sense, as Ellen Burstyn's character decided to leave the town for Tucson. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is a 1974 Film which tells the story of a widow who moves with her young son to Tucson Arizona to start her Ellen Burstyn (born December 7, 1932) is an American Academy Award -winning actress The aftermath scene of Bustyn's character's husband's fatal accident at the beginning of the film, although implied as being in Socorro, was actually filmed in Tucson. Tucson (ˈtuːsɒn is the seat of Pima County Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast

The 1971 Roger Corman movie Gas-s-s-s was filmed in and around Socorro, including a hilarious scene using the New Mexico Tech golf carts. Roger William Corman (born April 5 1926) sometimes nicknamed "King of the Bs" for his output of B-movies (though he himself rejects this as inaccurate Gas-s-s-s (also known as Gas! or It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It) was a 1971 Motion picture produced and released by New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (also called New Mexico Tech, Tech, The Tech, and originally known as the New Mexico School of Mines

The actress Jodie Foster stayed in Socorro while filming the movie Contact at the Very Large Array fifty miles west of the city. Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19 1962 is a two-time Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe -award winning American Contact is a 1997 Science fiction film adapted from the novel by Carl Sagan. The Very Large Array ( VLA) is a Radio astronomy Observatory located on the Plains of San Augustin, between the towns of Magdalena

Elfego Baca Golf Shoot

The Elfego Baca Golf Shoot is named after a former mayor of Socorro who survived a gun battle near what is now Reserve, New Mexico involving over 4,000 bullets that were fired over the course of 36 hours. Elfego Baca ( February 10, 1865 &ndash August 27, 1945) was a legendary lawman lawyer and politician in the Reserve is a village in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. Teeing off from Socorro Peak, also known as M Mountain, at an altitude of 7,243 feet (2,208 m), golfers proceed down the side of the mountain some 2,550 vertical feet to the one hole almost three miles (5 km) away. Surviving rattlesnakes, gnats, cacti, treacherous terrain and the New Mexican sun and heat, golfers have a chance at winning the title to what is considered one of the two most difficult golf courses in the world.

Mike Stanley, an employee of the EMRTC, has won or tied for the win a record 18 times in the history of the shoot which dates back to 1960.

Points of interest

• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
• San Miguel de Socorro - The San Miguel Mission
• Very Large Array (50 miles)
• Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
• Quebradas Region
• El Camino Real Heritage Center
• New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources Mineralogical Museum
• Cibola National Forest, Magdalena District
• San Lorenzo Canyon (hiking)
• Box Canyon (climbing, hiking, mt. biking)
• Enchanted Tower (climbing)

Arts and Music

Socorro is home to many artists and musicians. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (also called New Mexico Tech, Tech, The Tech, and originally known as the New Mexico School of Mines Catholic church in Socorro NM, built on the ruins of the old Nuestra Señora de Socorro mission The Very Large Array ( VLA) is a Radio astronomy Observatory located on the Plains of San Augustin, between the towns of Magdalena The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, in southern Socorro County New Mexico, is administered by the U Local artists include: Liz Poulin Alvarez, Karyn DeBont, G.E. Grey, Sharon Fullingim, Natasha Isenhour, Skeeter Leard, Margi Lucena, and Jan Thomas. Jan Thomas is a children's book author and illustrator She lives in Socorro New Mexico. There are also frequent gallery exhibitions and studio events in Socorro. Notable musicians include: J.C. Campbell, Johnny Dean, Jeanne Dixon, Mariam Funke, Bill Giebitz, Toby Jaramillo, Ronna Kalish, Terry Kincaid, Rob Long, Carlos Marerro, Marian Royal, Jim Ruff, and many others. Live music is played weekly at local bars and restaurants in town, particularly at the Capital Bar, Socorro Springs Brew Pub, The Stage Door, and the Manzanares Street Coffeehouse. In addition to local performers, many musicians visit Socorro as part of New Mexico Tech's Performing Arts Series.

Steppin' Out, a bi-monthly tabloid covering fine art and cultural events in New Mexico, is published in Socorro. A tabloid is a Newspaper industry term which refers to a smaller newspaper format per spread to a weekly or semi-weekly alternative newspaper that focuses on local-interest

Zamora UFO Reference

• The UFO Book: Encyclopedia of the Extraterrestrial, Jerome Clark, author. Jerome Clark (born 1946 is an American researcher and Writer, specializing in Unidentified flying objects and other anomalous phenomena he is also a Visible Ink Press, 1998. ppgs. 545-558

Footnotes

External links

• El Defensor Chieftain newspaper
• City of Socorro
• Socorro County Chamber of Commerce
• Socorro News
• The Socorro NM Web
• New Mexico Tech
• EMRTC
• NRAO
• Socorro Mountain Biking Guide
• Socorro Area Bouldering Guide
• Socorro, NM info
• Steppin' Out arts tabloid

• Socorro, New Mexico is at coordinates 34°03′42″N 106°53′58″W / 34.061759, -106.899424 (Socorro, New Mexico)Coordinates: 34°03′42″N 106°53′58″W / 34.061759, -106.899424 (Socorro, New Mexico)