Datil, New Mexico

Datil is a census-designated place in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 54.^[4] Located at the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and New Mexico State Road 12, Datil is on the edge of the Cibola National Forest. The Very Large Array is also nearby.

Datil, New Mexico
Census-designated place
Datil viewed from the northwest
Datil Location within the state of New Mexico
Coordinates: 34°08′32″N 107°50′33″W[1]
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Catron
Area [2]
• Total	1.87 sq mi (4.85 km2)
• Land	1.87 sq mi (4.84 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation [1]	7,441 ft (2,268 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	50
• Density	26.74/sq mi (10.32/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Area code	575
GNIS feature ID	2584087[1]

History

Datil is named after the nearby Datil Mountains. The name of the mountains came in turn from the Spanish word dátil, meaning “date”; the name most likely resulted from the fruit-like appearance of the seedpods of local yucca species.^[5]

The town lay along the Magdalena Stock Driveway.^[6] The driveway, which had wells spaced every ten miles along its length, was used by ranchers during the late 19th to mid-20th century as they drove cattle from Springerville, Arizona, to the railroad at Magdalena.^[7] The Bureau of Land Management maintains a campsite, Datil Well Campground, at the location of one of the former wells.^[8]

Geography

Datil is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and New Mexico State Road 12. To the east lie the San Agustin Plains, the Very Large Array, and the village of Magdalena.

To the southwest, several populated subdivisions are accessible from State Road 12. The state highway continues past the local landmark Horse Mountain, a 9,490-foot (2,890 m) peak,^[9] and further through the small town Apache Creek until reaching the county seat of Reserve.

U.S. 60 travels westward from Datil, passing northwest through the Cibola National Forest and coming out the other side just outside Pie Town.

• 
  Buildings
• 
  Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	50		—
U.S. Decennial Census[10][3]

Education

The school district is Quemado Schools.^[11]

The district operates Datil Elementary School, a two-room schoolhouse with multi-level classes. Secondary students attend a K-12 school called Quemado Elementary and High School.^[12]

Climate

Climate data for Datil, New Mexico. (1905-1951)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	68 (20)	68 (20)	74 (23)	86 (30)	92 (33)	95 (35)	98 (37)	99 (37)	96 (36)	86 (30)	79 (26)	71 (22)	99 (37)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	44.7 (7.1)	49.1 (9.5)	57.1 (13.9)	63.7 (17.6)	72.0 (22.2)	82.7 (28.2)	83.1 (28.4)	81.9 (27.7)	79.2 (26.2)	68.7 (20.4)	56.9 (13.8)	46.7 (8.2)	65.5 (18.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	10.9 (−11.7)	17.8 (−7.9)	21.5 (−5.8)	28.6 (−1.9)	32.0 (0.0)	41.4 (5.2)	50.2 (10.1)	49.5 (9.7)	40.1 (4.5)	30.1 (−1.1)	18.3 (−7.6)	12.1 (−11.1)	29.4 (−1.4)
Record low °F (°C)	−26 (−32)	−21 (−29)	−8 (−22)	5 (−15)	11 (−12)	23 (−5)	31 (−1)	33 (1)	24 (−4)	9 (−13)	−10 (−23)	−18 (−28)	−26 (−32)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.55 (14)	0.50 (13)	0.44 (11)	0.53 (13)	0.70 (18)	0.74 (19)	2.30 (58)	2.77 (70)	1.72 (44)	0.85 (22)	0.61 (15)	0.70 (18)	12.42 (315)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	3.6 (9.1)	8.8 (22)	3.0 (7.6)	3.0 (7.6)	0.6 (1.5)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.3 (0.76)	2.3 (5.8)	10.0 (25)	31.6 (80)
Source: The Western Regional Climate Center[13]

See also

• New Mexico portal

• List of census-designated places in New Mexico
• Datil Mountains, the namesake of the town.

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Datil, New Mexico
2. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
3. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
4. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Datil CDP, New Mexico". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
5. Julyan, Robert (1998). The Place Names of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 0826316891.
6. "Datil Well Brochure" (PDF). Bureau of Land Management. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
7. "Hit the Old Magdalena Trail". Bureau of Land Management. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
8. "Datil Well Campground". Bureau of Land Management. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
9. "Horse Mountain WSA". Bureau of Land Management. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
11. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Catron County, NM" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
12. "About". Quemado Independent Schools. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
13. "Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved December 15, 2014.

External links

• Datil article and photo gallery Datil, New Mexico article Archived July 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine