Pajarito Mesa, New Mexico
Census-designated place
Pajarito Mesa is located in New Mexico
Pajarito Mesa
Pajarito Mesa
Coordinates: 34°59′51″N 106°47′50″W / 34.99750°N 106.79722°W / 34.99750; -106.79722
CountryUnited States
StateNew Mexico
CountyBernalillo
Area
[1]
 • Total21.27 sq mi (55.09 km2)
 • Land21.27 sq mi (55.09 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
5,480 ft (1,670 m)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total260
 • Density12.22/sq mi (4.72/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
Area code505
FIPS code35-54940
GNIS feature ID2584171

Pajarito Mesa is a census-designated place in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 579.[3] It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Pajarito Mesa is an informal settlement lacking basic services including electricity, running water, and formal roads, and existing largely outside of government regulation.[4] It does not meet the U.S. government definition of a colonia because it is more than 150 miles (240 km) from the U.S.–Mexico border,[5] but otherwise exhibits the same features as a colonia. The mesa was first settled in the 1970s and the population had grown to about 250 families by 2013.[6]

Geography

Pajarito Mesa is located on a mesa between the Rio Grande and Rio Puerco valleys, about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of central Albuquerque.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 12.5 square miles (32.4 km2), all land.[3]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2020260—
U.S. Decennial Census[7][2]

Education

It is zoned to Albuquerque Public Schools.[8]

References

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Pajarito Mesa CDP, New Mexico". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  4. ^ Hill, Evan (August 16, 2014). "Off the grid, onto the mesa". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  5. ^ 42 U.S.C. § 1479 (f)(8)
  6. ^ de la Torre, Gabriela; Chavez, Erin; Pedraza, Lucas; Gonzales, Moises (2013). "Mapping the Mesa: Identifying complexities that continue to hinder planning development in Pajarito Mesa, NM" (PDF). UNM School of Architecture and Planning. Resource Center for Raza Planning. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bernalillo County, NM" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
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