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Bluewater is a tiny town of 275 people in McKinley County, New Mexico. It's about 89 miles from Albuquerque, NM and 252 miles from Phoenix, AZ, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 89°F and winter highs 47°F, with about 31 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $338k and rent runs about $859 a month.
275people
$338kTypical home
$859/moRent
89° / 47°Summer / winter
31"Snow
298Sunny days
66Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 275
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 22 people per sq mi
- 252 mi to Phoenix, AZ
- 89 mi to Albuquerque, NM
- 33 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $338k (≈$2,131/mo)
- Median rent $859/mo
- Median household income $85k
- Property tax about 0.5% of value
- 6.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 89°F
- Winter highs around 47°F
- Dry summers (dew point 40°F)
- 298 sunny days a year (146 totally clear)
- 67 cloudy days a year
- 24 of 90 winter days are gray
- 66 days a year with rain or snow
- 31" of snow a year
- 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 46 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Above-average violent crime (488 per 100k), county-wide
- About average property crime (1,521 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 59
- 25% of households have kids
- 14% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 35 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 35 mi to GUP airport
- 92 mi to ABQ (major hub)
- 33 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 70% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1991
- 75% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Hilly terrain
- Elevation 7,454 ft
- 401 mi to the ocean
- 147 mi to a big lake
- 18 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 101 mi to the nearest ski area
- 12 mi to the nearest campground
- 1 golf course within 25 mi
Things to do
- 4 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 5 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 32 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 12% of New Mexico districts (reading)
- 20 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 27 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 86 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 82 mi to the nearest vet
- 45 mi to the nearest dog park
- 4 congregations per 10k people
- 23 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- McKinley County: D+24 in 2024
- New Mexico: D+6 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Low earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- High drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.