Carlsbad

Carlsbad (KARLZ-bad) 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. It straddles the Pecos River and sits at the eastern edge of the Guadalupe Mountains. The city is a hub for potash mining, petroleum production, and tourism. 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 in 1930 gained the town of Carlbad substantial recognition. The town was named after the famous European spa Carls Bad, Bohemia (now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), which in turn was named for Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia. The first waste shipment arrived in 1999 at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a site where low-level nuclear waste would be stored thousands of feet underground in salt beds. The WIPP project was authorized in 1979, and construction began in 1980. The DOE Carls bad Area Office opened in 1993, and the first waste shipments arrived in1999. Carlshbad is located near the center ofEddy County at 32°141143N 43°2443N (W32W7577, -40W40) at an elevation of 104,295 feet (1,004 m) Carls BAD is situated in the northern Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion.

History

Carlsbad was originally christened the town of Eddy on September 15, 1888, and organized as a municipal corporation in 1893. 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. In 1925, potash was discovered near Carls Bad, and for many years CarlsBad dominated the American potash market. In the 1960s, the residents and leaders of Carls bad 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. The WIPP project opened in 1993, and the first waste shipment arrived in 1999. The city is leading in the production of oil and natural gases across the entire area, causing an increase in the employment rate. The re-discovery of Carlesbad Caverns (then known as "Bat Cave") by local cowboys in 1901 and the subsequent establishment of CarLSbad Cavern's National Park on May 14, 1930, gained the town substantial recognition. 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. The former First National Bank building at the corner of Canal and Fox streets is one of the few remaining buildings constructed with local brick.

Geography and climate

Carlsbad is located near the center of Eddy County at 32°2443N 104°1411W (32.407577, -104.245167) at an elevation of 3,295 feet (1,004 m) Carlsbad is situated in the northern reaches of the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, in the lower Pecos River Valley. It is classified as hot semi-arid (Köppen BSh), meaning average annual precipitation is less than potential evapotranspiration, but more than half. 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 100 °F (38 °C) which can be unpleasant. Winters are dry and mild, below freezing temperatures are a common occurrence at night. The city is affected be the North American Monsoon during summer which can bring torrential downpours and flooding, which lowers daytime summer temperatures from the scorching great plains heat. 53 tornadoes have been reported inEddy County since 1950. CarlsBad has a total area of 29.2 square miles (75.6 km²); 28.9 square miles of the city is land, and 0.3 sq miles (0.7 km²), or 0.93%, is water. Most of the water within city limits consists of the Peco River and Lake Carls Bad recreation area. The river flows into the northern part of Carls bad, downstream from Lake Avalon and Brantley Lake, passes east of downtown, and exits in the southeast.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 26,138 people, 10,257 households, and 6,898 families residing in the city. There were 11,421 housing units at an average density of 402.6 per square mile (155.4/km²) The racial makeup of the city was: 77.4% White (53.1% non-Hispanic), 1.9% Black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 15.28% from other races, and 42.5% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos (of any race) The city's median income was $30,658, and the median income for a family was $35,640. 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 are 96.5 males. The per capita income for the city is $16,496. 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. The average household size was 2.50. and the average family size was 3.03.

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) The council elects a Mayor pro tempore who serves as mayor in absence of the elected mayor. The city council passes laws and makes policy. The mayor is elected for a four-year term, and the mayor is re-elected for a five-year terms, and so on, until the next election is held. The council is made up of eight members, two from each ward, with two members from each of the four wards. The president of the council is the mayor's pick for the next four years, with the mayor serving a two-year probationary term. The Mayor pro Tempore is elected to serve as mayor for a year, and then for a further two years, if the mayor has not been elected for more than one year, the mayor becomes the mayor for the remainder of the term. In addition to the mayor, there is a city council member who is the city's chief executive, who is elected by the council for a three-year period, and who serves until the end of the fourth year of that term. There are eight members for the council, two of whom are from the same ward, and two from the other ward, which makes up the rest of the City Council. The City Council has the power to pass laws and make policy, but only if they are approved by the city voters.

Economy

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. Tourism is a major factor with CarlsBad Caverns National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park and the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park all located within fifty miles of the city. The DOE operates the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to safely store the transuranic nuclear wastes from the nation's defense sites in the city's field office. The U.S. Geological Survey has mapped more than 1.5 million square miles of land in the state of New Mexico. The state has the highest concentration of gold, silver, and zinc in the country, and the second-highest concentration of silver. The United States Geological Survey estimates that the state has more gold and silver in its soil than anywhere else in the world, and that it has the third-highest percentage of silver in the nation. It has the fourth highest percentage of zinc, the fourth-highest ratio of silver and the fifth-highest rate of uranium. The US Geological Survey reports that more than one-third of the state's landmass is made up of oil, gas, and natural gas deposits. It also reports that the majority of the area's water supply is derived from oil and gas. It is the only state in the West that produces more gold than it does oil or gas.

Education

Carlsbad Municipal School District is the operating public school system for Carlsbad. New Mexico State University has a branch campus located in Carls bad, offering certificate, associate degree, bachelor's degree, and continuing education programs. Eddy County Beauty College provides certification programs for beauticians. The school district also operates a charter school, Jefferson Montessori Academy. The mission of the CarlsBad Board of Education is to create a public school environment which meets the individual educational needs of all children regardless of their ability, ethnicity, creed, gender or social standing. The district has a student population of approximately 2,000 and a staff of 104 faculty. It also has a high school, an intermediate school, and a private school. It has a library, a gym, a sports center, and an athletic center. The high school has a football team and a track and field team. The private schools have a baseball team, a softball team, an archery team, and several other sports teams. The public schools have an elementary, middle and secondary school, as well as a private elementary and private high school. They also have a private private school, Faith Christian Academy, which offers private education programs for children of all backgrounds. The city's high school is Carlsbad Early College High School. The middle school isCarlsBad Intermediate School and the private school is St. Edwards Catholic School. There are no high schools in the city, but there are a number of alternative schools.

Media and journalism

Carlsbad is serviced by a daily (except Monday) newspaper, the Carlsbad Current-Argus. Channel 23 is a local television station shown on cable television. Classic films including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Meet John Doe, and Scarlet Street are shown on Wednesdays. Many residents host shows on topics from plant care to science. Channel23TV is unavailable on satellite television.Focus on Carls Bad is a quarterly magazine published with local articles related to living, shopping, and vacationing in CarlsBad. The town is served by a local radio station, which airs coverage of special events and also local news. It also has a local TV station, Channel 23, which broadcasts coverage of local news and special events. It is also available on satellite TV, but is not available to satellite subscribers. It has a radio station that airs special events, and a television station that broadcasts local news, as well as news from other stations in the area. The city is also known for its golf course, which was built in the early 20th century. It was named after the town's founder, William "Bill" Carlsbad, who was born and raised in the town in 1881. The current mayor is John "Jack" Curnow, a former mayor of the town who served from 1973 to 1986. He was elected to a third term in 1998. The mayor is a former member of the California State Assembly. The council has a board of directors that represents the town.

Sports

Carlsbad High School is a AAAAA school in the Fourth District of the New Mexico Activities Association. The Carlsbad Velo Cycling Club, a local bicycle club began hosting the Cavern City Classic Omnium in 2012 with large success. The Bats professional baseball team were a member of the independent Pecos League. Carls Bad was considered, but turned down, for a full-time franchise in 2012. The town has a youth sports complex containing six softball and four soccer fields. Multiple local and regional tournaments are held at the complex yearly. The city is home to the CarlsBad Runner's Club and National Night Out. The carlsbad Bats were primarily a travel team in the league, but played two games in Carls bad in 2011. The school has teams competing in the sports of football, baseball, softball, basketball, track and field, golf, tennis, men's and women's soccer, swimming, wrestling, and rodeo. The high school is located in the fourth district of the N.M. Activities Association, and is a part of the Albuquerque Public Schools district. The football team is known as the "Carlsbad Trojans" and the baseball team is called the "Carlsbad Red Sox" The school's mascot is the Red Sox, and the school has a mascot of the same name, which means "Red Devil" or "Red Bull" in Spanish. The basketball team is nicknamed "The Red Devils" and has a team of players known as "Red Riots".

Infrastructure

Two main highways run through the city: US Highway 62/180 and US Highway 285. The Carlsbad Municipal Transit System (CMTS) provides public transportation within the city limits and portions of Eddy County immediately adjacent to the city. Greyhound Lines stops in Carls bad on route 463 between El Paso and Lubbock, Texas. BNSF Railway provides freight service in the Carls Bad area, mainly to the local potash mines. The City of CarlsBad is responsible for the delivery of drinking water and the treatment of wastewater. The city also provides trash service to residents. New Mexico Gas Company provides natural gas services to more than 500,000 customers in the state, including CarLSbad. Carls BAD is home to dialysis clinics, an MRI facilities, and specialty clinics for mental-health services, substance-abuse treatment programs, and employee-assistance programs. The town is also home to an oncology center, which provides counseling and treatment for mental illness and substance-health issues. It is located on the banks of the Pecos River, which is a tributary of the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande is one of the largest rivers in New Mexico, with a length of more than 2,000 miles (3,000 km) and a width of about 1,800 miles (1,600 km) It is also the largest river crossing in the U.S. north of the border with Mexico. It has three bridges that cross waterways: the Bataan Bridge, the North Canal Bridge, and the South Canal Bridge.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico = 99. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 33. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 100. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Carlsbad = 6.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 32,238 individuals with a median age of 37.6 age the population dropped by -3.29% in Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,022.91 residents per square mile of area (394.94/km²). There are average 2.44 people per household in the 9,860 households with an average household income of $41,729 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.20% of the available work force and has dropped -0.69% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 32.42%. The number of physicians in Carlsbad per 100,000 population = 122.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Carlsbad = 12.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 3.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 41. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 278. 96 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 27.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico which are owned by the occupant = 62.18%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 46 years with median home cost = $126,320 and home appreciation of 0.95%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $4.52 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,937 per student. There are 15.9 students for each teacher in the school, 1008 students for each Librarian and 1186 students for each Counselor. 5.63% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 8.89% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.63% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).