Carlsbad ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 32,238. Carlsbad is centered at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62/180 and 285, and is the principal city of the Carlsbad-Artesia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which has a total population of 62,314. Located in the southeastern part of New Mexico, Carlsbad straddles the Pecos River and sits at the eastern edge of the Guadalupe Mountains.
Carlsbad is a hub for potash mining, petroleum production, and tourism. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located southwest of the city, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park lies southwest across the Texas border. The Lincoln National Forest is to the northwest of town.
History
The development of southeastern New Mexico in the late 19th century was fueled by the arrival of colonies of immigrants from England, Switzerland, France, Italy; and emigrants from nearby Texas. Located along the banks of the Pecos River, Carlsbad was originally christened the town of Eddy on September 15, 1888, and organized as a municipal corporation in 1893; the settlement bore the name of Charles B. Eddy, co-owner of the Eddy-Bissell Livestock Company.
With the commercial development of local mineral springs near the flume for medicinal qualities, the town later voted to change its name to Carlsbad after the famous European spa Karlsbad, Bohemia (now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), which in turn was named after Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia. On March 25, 1918, the growing town surpassed a population of 2,000, allowing then-governor of New Mexico Washington Ellsworth Lindsey to proclaim Carlsbad a city.
Most of Carlsbad's development was due to irrigation water. Local cattlemen recognized the value of diverting water from the Pecos River to the grazing lands on Eddy's Halagueno Ranch. Many construction projects were undertaken to establish an irrigation system within the town. The Avalon Dam was constructed upstream of town, and canals diverted the water into town. Conflict arose when the canals met the river downstream; as a result, the Pecos River Flume was built, first out of wood and later concrete (the flume is often titled the only place where a river crosses itself).
Key to the growth of the area was special excursion trains that brought visitors from the East at reduced fares. Before the Pecos Valley Railroad arrived in 1891,Myrick, David, ‘’New Mexico’s Railroads, A Historic Survey’’, University of New Mexico Press 1990. travel parties met at the railroad station in Toyah, Texas, and were driven by buggy over a rough, dusty road to this small but growing settlement on the banks of the Pecos River. Most of the early construction in Carlsbad was completed with locally manufactured bricks. The bricks were quite soft and of poor quality. The former First National Bank of Eddy building at the corner of Canal and Fox streets is one of the few remaining buildings constructed with local brick. The re-discovery of Carlsbad Caverns (then known as "Bat Cave") by local cowboys in 1901 and the subsequent establishment of Carlsbad Caverns National Park on May 14, 1930, gained the town of Carlsbad substantial recognition.
In 1925, potash was discovered near Carlsbad, and for many years Carlsbad dominated the American potash market. Following the decline of the potash market in the 1960s, the residents and leaders of Carlsbad lobbied for the establishment of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a site where low-level nuclear waste would be stored thousands of feet underground in salt beds. Congress authorized the WIPP project in 1979, and construction began in 1980. The DOE Carlsbad Area Office opened in 1993, and the first waste shipment arrived in 1999.
Currently, Carlsbad has experienced a "boom". The city is leading in the production of oil and natural gases across the entire area, causing an increase in the employment rate. Due to this increase, families and individuals have begun to migrate to Carlsbad.
Films based on or with the Carlsbad area as a location
Films made in the City of Carlsbad The Honkers (1972)
Guitar Man (2015)
I'll Be There with You (2006)
Do It for Uncle Graham (2004)
À l'ouest du Pécos (1993)
Films based on the area or filmed in the area
Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek) created and produced the made-for-television film Genesis II (1973), a science fiction film that starts with the main character having been in suspended animation in the Carlsbad Caverns at a point in the future.
The following films were filmed in the Carlsbad area, with Carlsbad Caverns National Park as the main location:
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). Starring James Mason and Pat Boone.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)
The Bat People (1974)
Earth vs. the Spider (1958)
King Solomon's Mines (1950)
Geography and climate Carlsbad is located near the center of Eddy County at (32.407577, -104.245167) at an elevation of . Carlsbad is situated in the northern reaches of the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, in the lower Pecos River Valley. Via US 285 it is north to Artesia and south to Pecos, Texas. US Routes 62 and 180 lead northeast to Hobbs and southwest to El Paso.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Carlsbad has a total area of ; of the city is land, and , or 0.93%, is water. Most of the water within city limits consists of the Pecos River and Lake Carlsbad recreation area. The river flows into the northern part of Carlsbad, downstream from Lake Avalon and Brantley Lake, passes east of downtown, and exits in the southeast. Dark Canyon Draw also runs through the southern part of town, but only drains during heavy rainfall.Dark Canyon Draw Water Report, United States Geological Survey https://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2011/pdfs/08405150.2011.pdf Retrieved September 7, 2012
Carlsbad is part of the Interior West climate zone.STRATUM Climate Zones, United States Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/programs/cufr/images/ncz_map.jpg Retrieved March 21, 2010 It is classified as hot semi-arid (Köppen BSh), meaning average annual precipitation is less than potential evapotranspiration, but more than half. A moderate amount of rain falls each year, with the maximum occurring during July. Winters in Carlsbad are dry and mild, below freezing temperatures are a common occurrence at night. Springs are warm but can be occasionally hot. Summers are very hot which is very common for southern Plains of New Mexico and West Texas and average around 35 days per year of temperatures above which can be unpleasant. Carlsbad is affected by the North American Monsoon during summer which can bring torrential downpours and flooding, which lowers daytime summer temperatures from the scorching great plains heat. Fall is generally warm and can be cold at times. Extreme temperatures ranges from on January 11, 1962, to on June 28, 1994. 53 tornadoes have been reported in Eddy County since 1950.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Carlsbad had a population of 32,238. The median age was 34.7 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.0 males age 18 and over.
95.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 11,803 households in Carlsbad, of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.0% were married-couple households, 22.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 13,836 housing units, of which 14.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 17.2%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 18,382 57.0% Black or African American 730 2.3% American Indian and Alaska Native 496 1.5% Asian 437 1.4% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 40 0.1% Some other race 6,377 19.8% Two or more races 5,776 17.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 16,304 50.6%
2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 26,138 people, 10,257 households, and 6,898 families residing in the city. The population density was 920.4/mi2 (353.2/km2). There were 11,421 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the city was: 74.7% White (53.1% non-Hispanic) 1.9% Black or African American 1.3% Native American 1.0% Asian <0.1% Pacific Islander 15.28% from other races 3.1% Multiracial (two or more races) 42.5% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos (of any race)
There were 10,257 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,658, and the median income for a family was $35,640. Males had a median income of $31,214 versus $19,228 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,496. 16.5% of the population and 13.1% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.4% of those under the age of 18 and 11.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Government The city of Carlsbad has a mayor-council form of government. Voters elect both the mayor and the eight members of the city council (two for each ward), who pass laws and make policy. After the first meeting of the city council once newly elected council members are seated, the council elects a Mayor pro tempore who serves as mayor in absence of the elected mayor.
Economy + Largest Employers in Carlsbad 1 Washington Tru Solutions LLC 2 Carlsbad Municipal Schools 3 Mosaic Potash Carlsbad 4 Constructors, Inc. 5 Carlsbad Medical Center 6 Intrepid Potash 7 Landsun Homes, Inc. 8 Lowe's 9 New Mexico State University-Carlsbad 10 Lakeview Christian Home
The economy of the Carlsbad area is based primarily on the mineral extraction sector; the city overlies the rich oil- and gas-producing formations of the Permian Basin and produces more potash than any other location in the United States. Carlsbad is home to the DOE's Carlsbad Field Office which operates the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to safely store the transuranic nuclear wastes from the nation's defense sites. Tourism is a major factor with Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Lincoln National Forest, the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park, and the annual Christmas on the Pecos Light Show all located within fifty miles of the city.
Mining Potash is a potassium-containing compound used as a fertilizer, along with nitrogen and phosphorus. Potash deposits were found underground across the Permian Basin in 1925. Two companies, Mosaic Potash Carlsbad (formerly IMC Global) and Intrepid Potash (formerly Mississippi Chemical Corporation), operate mining operations east of Carlsbad. Both mines employ a significant number of workers from surrounding communities.
Education
Public schools