Pajarito Mesa, New Mexico

Pajarito Mesa, New Mexico
Pajarito Mesa
Coordinates: 34°59′51″N 106°45′50″W / 34.99750°N 106.76389°W / 34.99750; -106.76389
CountryUnited States
StateNew Mexico
CountyBernalillo
Area
 • Total
21.27 sq mi (55.09 km2)
 • Land21.27 sq mi (55.09 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation5,480 ft (1,670 m)
Population
 • Total
260
 • Density12.2/sq mi (4.72/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
Area code505
FIPS code35-54940
GNIS feature ID2584171[2]

Pajarito Mesa is a census-designated place in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pajarito Mesa had a population of 260.[4] 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.[5] 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,[6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
2020260
U.S. Decennial Census[9][3]

Education

It is zoned to Albuquerque Public Schools.[10]

References

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pajarito Mesa, New Mexico
  3. ^ a b "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  5. ^ Hill, Evan (August 16, 2014). "Off the grid, onto the mesa". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  6. ^ 42 U.S.C. § 1479 (f)(8)
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Pajarito Mesa CDP, New Mexico". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved January 28, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  10. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bernalillo County, NM" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2021.