Alamogordo, New Mexico -- A Study in Contrasts
Alamogordo, New Mexico--Just about 80 miles north of El Paso, Texas... and about 75 miles north of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Home of the International Space Hall of Fame.
I spent a lot of the early years of my life in Alamogordo--from the 3rd grade through 6th grade at Sierra Elementary School and 7th through 8th grade at Chaparral Junior High School.
Some of the activities I was involved with included the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts--we had many campouts in the neighboring mountains of Cloudcroft, Ruidoso, and Three Rivers; hikes in White Oaks, Dog Canyon, and the Sacramento Mountains to the east of the city. We also had lots of all-day competitions and picnics at White Sands National Monument and Mountain Park.
Some of my fond memories include the cooling late summer rains that settled the desert dust and caused the mesquite, greasewood (aka "creosote bush"), and sage to release their fragrant scent that permeated the refreshing evening breezes.
Also, there were the occasional "microstorms" that were really awesome dust-storms that would roar through town every once in a while--mostly in the spring and early summer.
Alamogordo is a study in contrasts.
If it were too cold in Alamogordo, you could drive a few miles to the southwest past Holloman Air Force Base to White Sands National Monument--where you could be warm and toasty. If Alamogordo was having its summer heat, you could drive a few miles to the northeast to Cloudcroft and Ruidoso--where you could be cool and refreshed.
I left Alamogordo for a bunch of years--but then returned, briefly attended New Mexico State University--Alamogordo Campus, then left again. After being away for another 8 years, I returned again to Alamogordo, got married, and started a family.
Alamogordo had changed a bit--and my old friends had moved on. But it still had that "wild-west small town" atmosphere.
Alamogordo found itself in the middle of international excitement in 1982, however, when NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-3) had to make a landing at nearby White Sands Missile Range because Edwards Air Force Base in California was rained out and the Florida landing area was also unavailable due to weather. Media from around the world congregated at Alamogordo and made daily journeys out to the White Sands Missile Range gate to the landing strip to cover the landing. As a local newspaper staff writer/photographer, I was a member of the press corps standing at the edge of the runway when STS-3 landed there.
About 40 years earlier, Alamogordo was famous in a different way--in 1945, the scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory high in the hills north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, had developed the first atomic bomb. They needed a place to test it. And in 1945, the Alamogordo Bombing and Test Range (actually quite a bit north and to the west of Alamogordo -- About halfway between and south of Socorro and Carrizozo) in the Jornada Del Muerte (Spanish for "Journey of Death") Valley was a sparsely populated desert area--convenient place to test the thing. They evacuated the few ranchers and cattle found there, set up a tower on which they placed the bomb, and after moving a few miles away from the tower, they set the thing off. The test was successful. This test--which happened before sunrise--was remembered many years later as the day that the sun rose twice. This test was the beginning of the end of World War II. But it also gave Alamogordo a probably undeserved fame and stigma. Alamogordo has gotten over that, however. Now, there are guided tours to the "Trinity Site"--where the atomic bomb test was conducted. Nothing remains there except for the fused soil (a green, melted glass-like substance called "Trinitite") and a small monument to indicate the place.
The 1982 Space Shuttle landing has helped Alamogordo get a new image--one of the future as "Spaceport, U.S.A." and also as the home of the International Space Hall of Fame.
Weather in Alamogordo, NM
Current weather conditions in Alamogordo, NM (88310)
Local Pollen Reports
32°F (Feels like 25°F)
Last update: 1/3/10 1:30 AM MST
Humidity: 69%Visibility: 10.0 mi
Dew Point: 23°F
UV Index: 0 (Lawn and Garden Weather)
Barometer: 30.15in steady
Moon: Rush Hour Traffic
Wind: 8mph From: Airport Conditions
Tonight
Low
Low: 27°F
Sunrise: 7:07 AM
Sunset: 5:09 PM
Sunday
Jan 3
Sunny
High: 54°F
Low: 25°F
Sunrise: 7:07 AM
Sunset: 5:10 PM
Monday
Jan 4
Sunny
High: 52°F
Low: 27°F
Sunrise: 7:07 AM
Sunset: 5:11 PM
Tuesday
Jan 5
Sunny
High: 54°F
Low: 32°F
Sunrise: 7:07 AM
Sunset: 5:12 PM
Driving directions
It's nice and toasty most of the year. Yup, there's some snow, but it's infrequent. Although it's a relatively large city by New Mexico standards, it still has a small-town atmosphere.
Alamogordo, NM Stats
The population of 88310 is 51,932.
That's #1186 out of all 42,305 zip codes.
60% of the population is white, which is 14 points less than the national average.
The average household income in 88310 is $31,574, which is $1,876 more than the typical average.
This contributes to the average house being worth $78,000. When the survey was done in 2000, that represented a difference of -1% from the typical value.
Men make up 39% of the population, and the typical age in this part of NM is 34.1.
Stats about: Alamogordo, NM
Population: 51,932Number of Households: 18,382
Average House Value: $78,000
Average Income per Household: $31,574
Elevation: 4,303 ft
Population Breakdown:
Movies Filmed in or Near Alamogordo!
Or, They at Least Mention Alamogordo!
white sands national monument, new mexico
A documentary of White Sands National Monument.0 points
Young Guns (Special Edition)
The year is 1878 Lincoln County. John Tunstall a B more...0 points
Young Guns II
This time around, the Brat Packers (Emilio Estevez more...0 points
The Man Who Fell to Earth (Special Edition)
While other films directed by Nicolas Roeg have at more...0 points
Latest news about Alamogordo, NM
- Tea Partiers rally against Obama in Alamogordo
- AP - January 2, 2010 9:35 PM ET ALAMOGORDO, NM (AP) - There were plenty of handguns and rifles displayed at a tea party protest attended by several hundred ...
- New Mexico News Brief, Thursday, Dec. 31
- ALAMOGORDO, NM - The Otero Tea Party Patriots and other groups are planning a rally in Alamogordo Saturday. It's for people who want to voice their ...
- Organizers welcome guns at NM rally
- AP - December 30, 2009 8:15 PM ET ALAMOGORDO, NM (AP) - The Otero Tea Party Patriots and two other groups are planning a rally in Alamogordo on Saturday for ...
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